Weight loss and dieting essays

Introduction

This is the introduction to a series of essays on weight loss and dieting based on my research on reducing cancer deaths and my personal experience in weighing myself daily with a doctor’s scale since 2001 and counting calories since 2014. The goal of these essays is simple - to provide information that is useful to others in improving their health. I am not interested in passing judgment or telling others what to do, as often happens when discussing weight loss.

Excess weight (i.e. BMI [body mass index] of 25 or more) is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. A recent article from Harvard researchers determined:

We estimated that excess weight was responsible for more than 1300 excess deaths per day (nearly 500,000 per year) and a loss in life expectancy of nearly 2·4 years in 2016, contributing to higher excess mortality than smoking.

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Excess weight has substantial impacts on mortality in the USA, with large disparities by state and subgroup. Premature mortality will likely increase as obesity continues to rise.

Excess weight is associated with cancer at these sites: breast (post-menopausal women), bone marrow (myeloma), colorectum, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovary, pancreas, stomach, thyroid and uterus.

A healthy diet is not only important for maintaining a healthy weight, but vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other “healthy foods” actually reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and premature death.

Next essay: “It’s not fair!”