Many People still associate obesity with good health and sex appeal.
However, it has been very well established that obesity puts the individual at an increased risk of a long list of diseases.
Authorities now consider obesity to have replaced cigarette smoking as the commonest preventable cause of death.
Many
also associate being fat with being sexy. Little publicity has been
given to the fact that obesity can also interfere with your sex life.
Researchers at Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center in the United
States reported that in many areas of their sex lives, the obese report
25 times more problems than people of normal weight.
Both men and
women complained of lack of sexual desire and enjoyment, along with
poor performance. In fact, many fat people reported avoiding sex
completely.
But let me provide some consolation to our ladies -
the location of your excess fat is important. The fat around the hips
and buttocks is not considered hazardous to your health. Truncal or
abdominal obesity creates most problems. It is often called apple-shaped
obesity in distinction to pear-shaped. It is that 'fat around our waist
that will shorten your life in a haste'.
Research shows that a
waist measurement of over 39 inches in men, and more than 34 inches in
women, will increase your risk of these problems by a whopping 500 per
cent.
Let's look at some reasons why obesity may compromise your sex life:
Health problems:
The
obese are at increased risk of many diseases and, in general, the
poorer your health, the worse your sex life. This is especially true for
illnesses involving the heart and circulation, as good blood flow is a
major requirement for good sex. (Viagra improves erections by chemically
increasing blood flow).
Poor circulation
Even when you have
not been formally diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes
or abnormal blood lipids, if you are obese, it is highly probable that
your circulation is already compromised.
In addition to poor
blood flow, diabetics also suffer from damage to nerve endings and a
decreased responsiveness to sexual stimulation. Sadly, the obesity
epidemic has brought with it the diabesity epidemic.
Also, many of the drugs used to treat these diseases further impair sexual function.
Fitness problems:
The
sexual act involves increased physical activity. Low energy levels,
shortness of breath, muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue, during and
after intercourse, are all signs of the lack of fitness that are
characteristic of many obese individuals. Because fat cells promote
inflammation, generalised aches and pains, stiffness and inflammation is
more pronounced in the obese. Gross obesity will sometimes create major
problems for partners to find a workable position for sexual activity.
Hormonal imbalance:
Our
libido or sexual interest is greatly influenced by our sex hormones -
testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone, to name the commonest ones.
Obesity
promotes hormonal imbalance in both men and women. The fat cells around
the waist are not just accumulations of fat, they produce hormones,
particularly the primary female hormone oestrogen.
This creates a
situation where an obese man may have very high levels of female
hormones and low levels of the male hormone testosterone. This is partly
because the fat cells in the belly are rich in an enzyme called
aromatase that converts testosterone to oestrogen.
To make things
worse, many chemicals in our diet and environment behave like oestrogen.
These chemicals are fat soluble and accumulate in the fatty tissues in
the body. All this leads to a situation where fat men are hormonally
more like females, resulting in a decreased sex drive and weak
erections.
Other issues
Fat women may have other kinds of
hormonal problems leading to menstrual disorders, infertility, ovarian
cysts, excess facial and body hair, acne and painful sex.
Smaller penis:
As fat accumulates on the lower abdomen in men, the apparent size of the penis changes.
"A
large prepubic fat pad makes the penile shaft look shorter," said Dr
Ira Sharlip, professor of urology at the University of California, San
Francisco.
In some cases, abdominal fat all but buries the penis," states Dr Ronald Tamler of the Men's Health Program in New York.
This
should be a powerful motivation for overweight men as they can appear
to gain up to an inch in the size of their penis simply by losing
weight.
Poor self image:
Research show that obese
individuals are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and poor
self-worth. This kind of emotional disability does not foster good sex.
Although many men find big women attractive and consider curves and love
handles appealing, it is more common for partners of obese people to
find them less sexually attractive because of weight gain. They often
deny or suppress these feelings to prevent hurt and avoid confrontation.
In
reality, however, this denial blocks communication, and only harms the
relationship. Partners of obese individuals have a responsibility to
help address the issue, if for no other reason than the many health
dangers that obesity causes.
I suggest a simple, safe,
doctor-recommended, nutritional approach, cellular nutrition, to both
lose and manage your weight. It comes with a personal weight-loss coach
and is available all over the world.
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