Reader\'s Digest Australia - 08.2019

He was a statistic in a world full

of them. The World Health Organ-

isation (WHO) calls obesity an ur-

gent health issue, and it is said to be

among the top three self-inf licted

social burdens around the globe, up

there with smoking and war; a crisis

that has more than tripled in size

since 1975.

The immediate cause of being

overweight or obese is an energ y

imbalance between kilojoules con-

sumed and kilojoules expended.

Evidence suggests that this is partly

due to an increased consumption

of too many sugary products at the

expense of fruits and vegetables and

a more sedentary lifestyle.

NO FEWER THAN 1.9 BILLIONadults,

about 39 per cent of the world’s total

population, are overweight or obese.

Of these, about 13 per cent (11 per

cent of men and 15 per cent of wom-

en) are obese. Over 340 million chil-

dren and adolescents aged five to 19

were overweight or obese in 2016.

Weight that is higher than what

is considered as a healthy weight

for a given height is described as

F

ive years ago, Wim Tilburgs

couldn’t walk 500 metres

without gasping for breath.

At 1.77 metres tall and

weighing 125 kilograms

he was, officially, terribly

obese. The high-f lying business

consultant booked an aisle seat

every time he travelled for work

because he couldn’t squeeze past

other passengers.

Still, despite his doctors’ warnings

that his weight was the root cause of

his numerous medical problems,

including type 2 diabetes and high

blood pressure, Wim couldn’t lose it.

Instead, he used food to make him-

self feel better. Sometimes, the lift it

gave him lasted a whole afternoon

and sometimes, only a few min-

utes. He was an addict, unthinking,

self-loathing and out of control. “It

was like living in a world of grey,”

says the 58 year old. “I couldn’t find

my way out.”

Then in 2015, as Wim was slow-

ly eating his way through a bag of

potato chips, his youngest son, in

high school at the time, observed

that his dad probably wouldn’t be

around to see him graduate. Some-

how the comment cut through

Wim’s denial. If he couldn’t take

care of himself, how could he care

for his family? His lifestyle choices

affected everything and everyone

around him, be it fellow passengers

on a plane, his family or an overbur-

dened healthcare system.

READER’S DIGEST

ABOUT 39 PER CENT

OF THE WORLD’S TOTAL

POPULATION OF ADULTS

ARE OVERWEIGHT

OR OBESE

ILLUSTRATIONS: MARILEE LAMARQUE

72 Augus t 2019