Obese child for 47 years
One of my worst childhood memories came rushing back something I had suppressed for 36 years.
I was watching the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the gold coast and I felt a surge of sorrow settling over me.
It was 1982 I’m in year 9 it was just announced that Shailer Park State High was one of many schools in Queensland that was chosen to go part in the Commonwealth Games.
The buzz was electric there were going to be training days to learn the routine all of my friends including myself were enthusiastic about the prospect of being on TV and part of this historic event in our city.
A few months passed and the pride and passion were building a note were sent home giving the approval to try out to be part of the team to represent our school.
So D day had come all standing by to go in line to be judged I was there for the experience I lived my sport.
We had tickets to the cycling to be involved with the games to be part of such a great sports event will be amazing.
I was next walking in Fred my mate stepped out said: “I’m in boys it was simple”.
I opened the deputy principal’s door Mrs Bonna it’s strange how you recall people from that long back but not others she was a kind sole maybe that’s why she sticks out in my mind.
In I trot 1st thing stand against the wall and measure height as there was a cut off I was tall but should be ok as I was 2cm under. Then I had to get on the scale a weight limit was imposed as there were uniforms and a certain height-weight calculation used anything outside that and you wouldn’t fit in the uniform.
90kg was the benchmark I jumped on 102kg was the call out it felt like they said it over the loudspeakers for all the school to hear.
I played rugby on weekends training two nights, golf 2 rounds a week I was very active. trying to plead to the organisers giving me a few months by the time the games are here I’ll be ok. No was the reply “Next” was the only thing out of the official’s mouth after that.
Devastated how was I to tell everyone I’m not going because I was too heavy. Then it hit me I said I was too tall and just left it at that.
How could I be so heavy I ate Weet-bix for breakfast as my Cricket heroes appeared on television they called for me to eat 7 the same Brett Lee does for breakfast and all would be ok?
I got 48 runs batting once and for my efforts I got the man of the Match and for the reward, I received a Big Mac meal. This recent article sees MC Donald’s still up to their old tricks 35 years later.
Food companies market directly to kids we don’t allow cigarette advertising to be displayed at sporting events or sponsor them why do we let the food industry sponsor the dietician’s association and think it’s ok for Milo to sponsor junior cricket when it’s 46% sugar?
Will the food industry be the next tobacco business and come out and declare what they have learned for so long that sugar is addictive and we shouldn’t be target advertising to children in sporting events? Making false claims that sporting heroes eat or drink that product and helps them do better?
In Australia, we have advertising standards that everyone has to adhere to, but the food industry is immune to them and not held accountable for the false misleading claims or subliminal associations they depict in their advertising.
This has to change in our future the biggest cost to the governmental budget will be the health disaster and care.
Over the last two years as I have ceased taking six different medications:
A rough costing by the PBS Australia costings schedule for the year.
Sulfasalazine 500 mg tablet, $1,210.80
Methotrexate 10 mg tablet, $51.41
adalimumab 40 mg/0.8 mL injection, syringes $16,821.96
Meloxicam 15 mg tablet, $181.80
Tramadol hydrochloride 200 mg modified release tablet, $270.54
Olmesartan medoxomil 40 mg + hydrochlorothiazide tablet $305.76
Total $18,842.27
Not only saving money but look at the side effects of these drugs i was putting in my body.
Sulfasalazine, sold under the trade name Halfdan among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. It is often considered as a first-line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.
Significant side effects occur in about 25% of people. These include loss of appetite, nausea, headache, and rash. Severe side effects include bone marrow suppression, liver problems, and kidney problems. It should not be used in people allergic to aspirin or sulfonamide. Use during pregnancy appears to be safe for the baby. Sulfasalazine is in the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) family of medications. It is unclear exactly how it works but is broken down into sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid.
Methotrexate, formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune system suppressant. It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, ectopic pregnancy, and for medical abortions.
Common side effects include nausea, feeling tired, fever, increased risk of infection, low white blood cell counts, and breakdown of the skin inside the mouth. Other side effects may include liver disease, lung disease, lymphoma, and severe skin rashes. People on long-term treatment should be regularly checked for side effects. It is not safe during breastfeeding. In those with kidney problems, lower doses may be needed. It acts by blocking the body’s use of folic acid.
Adalimumab, sold under the trade name Humira among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic Psoriasis.
Adalimumab suppresses Denver, which is an important part of the immune system. Therefore, latent infections such as tuberculosis can be reactivated, and the immune system may be unable to fight new infections. This has led to fatal infections in some patients. After a number of studies and reports of adverse events in patients receiving adalimumab — including serious and sometimes fatal blood disorders; serious infections, including tuberculosis, and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria.
(From 2012 until the US patent expiry in 2016, Humira led the list of top-selling pharmaceutical products, and in 2016, it had $16 billion of global sales)
Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic and antipyretic effects. It is an exact closely related to piroxicam and falls in the enolic acid group of NSAIDs. It was developed by Boehringer-Ingelheim. Meloxicam starts to relieve pain about 30–60 minutes after administration.
Meloxicam use can result in gastrointestinal toxicity and bleeding, headaches, rash, and very dark or black stool (a sign of intestinal bleeding).
Tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram among others, is an opioid pain medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release formulation, the onset of pain relief usually occurs within an hour. It is often combined with paracetamol (acetaminophen) as this is known to improve the efficacy of tramadol in relieving pain.
Common side effects include: constipation, itchiness and nausea. Serious side effects may include seizures, increased risk of serotonin syndrome, decreased alertness, and drug addiction. A change in dosage may be recommended in those with kidney or liver problems It is not recommended in those who are at risk of suicide. While not recommended for women who are breastfeeding, those who take a single dose should not generally stop breastfeeding
Including visits to doctors and specialist
GP ~$350
Dermatologist ~$400
Rheumatologist ~$200
Dietician ~$560
Blood Test ~$400
Approximate cost saving $1,910
Saving the Australian government ~$19,242.27 by choosing a Low Carb Ketogenic Lifestyle trying to ignore all the lies that I have been delivered by the food industry.
On 10 May 2018, the Senate resolved that the Select Committee into the obesity epidemic in Australia be established on 16 May 2018 let’s hope the food industry doesn’t get their grimy hands on this one.
I will be putting my story forward I was an obese child for 47 years I am the perfect example of what we need to avoid for the children of now and the future.
Follow my journey on my Facebook page and Instagram.
