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When Losing Weight Feels Insurmountable

Four people found health and emotional reasons to try again.

By Don Fernandez
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

The sacrifice. The endless exercise. Stepping onto a scale with trepidation and fear as each ounce is fought off with anticipation. It’s not easy to lose even 15 pounds.

But for people whose weight pushes the scales 50, 75, or 100 pounds past their healthy weight, losing weight presents stakes much larger than simple vanity. Both physical and mental health can be compromised as a result of obesity. And attempting to remedy this condition presents bigger challenges than skipping a cheeseburger at lunch.

According to the 2008 report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America," from the Trust for America's Health, obesity rates have doubled in the U.S. -- from 15% to 30% -- since 1980. The resulting health concerns are cause for alarm:

Nearly 24 million Americans now have diabetes, and another 57 million have pre-diabetes.
One in four Americans has heart disease. One in three has high blood pressure.
Obesity and overweight conditions contribute to more than 20 chronic diseases, including various cancers, arthritis, and even Alzheimer's disease.

The report highlights many critical factors that lead to obesity and resulting health issues. These include genetics, metabolism, eating excessively to deal with stress, and working long hours, which often leads to high-calorie meals.

"Food is comforting, entertaining and relieves boredom," says Lee Kern, clinical director at Structure House, a residential weight-loss facility in Durham, N.C. "We don't usually use the word addiction per se, but compulsive eaters make many non-nutritional uses of food that are very psychologically based. It impinges their health, mobility and esteem."

In addition to declining health, obesity often leads people to isolate themselves. They may block the outside world if shame and depression take hold of their psyche. Such an emotional decline only increases the physical risks associated with obesity: high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

For many people struggling with weight loss that feels insurmountable, a turning point occurs. The following individuals -- who each faced health, emotional or psychological hurdles that made weight loss a necessity -- reconciled their fears. They turned unhealthy, challenging lives into stories that inspire.