Three hundred and thirty-six pounds. It was not a pretty picture.

Obesity has reached epic proportions in America. About 30 percent of the adult population is now obese, reflecting a doubling in rates between 1980 and 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Sadder still is the detrimental legacy being visited on children and adolescents by adults who are failing them. Obesity in children doubled between 1980 and 2000; it tripled for teens during the same interval. Unless they learn to make radically different choices in lifestyle, these young people are destined for a lifetime of obesity-related health problems.

Not your problem, you think? Think again. Obesity-related health issues and their associated costs placed a $52 billion burden on the U.S. economy in 1995. By 2003, that amount increased to $75 billion. Since 2003, the cost of obesity-related health expense has almost doubled, now imposing a $147 billion drain on the nation's economy.

Obesity is a physically systemic issue. I once listened as a physician described an overweight patient complaining of back and knee pain. When the doctor began to ask questions related to the patient's weight problem, the patient defiantly responded, "I don't need a lecture on my weight. I just need you to fix my back and knees."

Denial is a harmful yet compelling component of our humanity. Confronting the primary issues that can cause obesity is often more intimidating than the obesity itself. It can involve a roller coaster of emotions, past experiences and hurts, painful choices and consequences. The longer an obese person fails to confront the underlying issues, however, the more dramatic and devastating the future costs -- emotionally, economically and physically.

Obese people suffer from chronic health issues. Heart disease. Diabetes. High blood pressure. Liver and gallbladder disease. Arthritis. Stroke and cancer. The deck is stacked against them in countless ways. Nothing but losing the weight will eliminate the likelihood of such catastrophic consequences.

When we realize that children and teenagers are suffering in these ways at younger ages, we understand that unless they receive the proper guidance, they are facing a longer lifetime of health issues that will impact not only their lives but yours and mine as well.

Most obesity is a matter of poor choices and misguided behaviors. There are those who suffer from other health issues that contribute to significant weight gain, but their numbers are small. The grim reality is that obesity is a lifestyle choice, exacerbated by most sufferers' inability to grasp the ways in which they contribute to their own demise.

Three hundred and thirty-six pounds. It was not a pretty picture.

Rather than continue with a lifestyle that was destined to cripple his ability to enjoy life and to perhaps take him before his time, he joined the thousands of Americans who spend $4.4 billion on gastric bypass surgery each year.

The weight came off quickly as he transformed into a much healthier version of himself. Reconstructive surgery to remove the excess skin from weight loss resulted in a one-day reduction of 25 pounds. Two years later, he maintains his weight at a healthy 170 pounds.

One hundred and sixty-six pounds. Lost. It is a beautiful picture. Gone is the diabetes caused solely by obesity. Gone is the lack of energy. Gone is the persistent physical discomfort.

In its place is a younger 58-year-old man who now enjoys life, and eating, as a healthy American. In its place is my family's biggest winner, my brother Michael.

T&D columnist Harris C. Murray may be reached by email at writeharris55@yahoo.com.

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