Get Moving America or Face the Consequences

Now this is one that First Lady Michelle Obama would love to use as her poster child.  East New York resident Pedro Gomez Jr. has spent the last six years losing 230 pounds and he now has his sights set on joining the New York City Marathon.

Receiving Praise for His Efforts

Gomez received attention recently from Borough President Marty Markowitz’ during the State of the Borough address.  But shedding the pounds is much easier said than done, as millions of Americans find each day.  Gomez turned to Weight Watchers to learn how to eat.

He explained that his widowed mother was usually not at home, and that he actually had no idea what it meant to eat in a healthy way. He called himself an “emotional eater” and he recounted that a normal meal would be a daily run to a fast food restaurant. As Gomez said,

“At White Castle I would order two double cheeseburgers, three bacon cheeseburgers, two fish with cheese sandwiches and the largest fries that they had. And a milkshake too, by the way.”

Get Moving America

His example is quite a powerful one for the rest of us. Obesity is one of the largest issues plaguing the American public today. It is the number two cause of preventable death in the United States with 60 million adults classified as obese and 9 million children considered overweight.

And it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that many of them simply don’t know what healthy eating looks like.  Certainly, First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” is helping, as are stories like this from regular people who can inspire the rest of us to get moving!