WHAT TOM HANKS CAN TEACH US ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS

You know and love him for his incredible acting, but did you also know Tom Hanks is living with Type 2 Diabetes? It’s true, and there are valuable lessons we can all learn from his experience.

His Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis came in 2013. In recent interviews on the subject, he has indicated that while he’d like to say it was a surprise, he had actually flirted with the disease over the years with increased body weight and blood sugar levels.

I was heavy. You’ve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot, said Hanks in reference to decisions he made about his lifestyle and weight. He goes on to say, I’m a part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now find ourselves with a malady.

While managing weight of course requires a great deal of personal responsibility and daily dedication to making wise choices, we actually want to caution Tom and anyone struggling with their weight on being too critical of themselves. Studies have shown that there are many exterior factors that promote weight gain, particularly in America’s media-driven, instant gratification, fast food culture. There are also other underlying medical conditions and prescription medications that make it difficult for some people to lose weight. In other words, weight loss is complex, and we shouldn’t jump straight to perceived personal flaws as the sole cause of weight problems.

However, knowing the lighthearted, well-intentioned guy that Tom Hanks is, what we see in his statements is that his Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis was a wake-up call for him to start making the healthy decisions that he wished he had made years ago. He gave himself a kick in the pants and is now taking the proper steps to lose weight in order to eliminate his diabetes. We have all the faith in the world that he can do it, and are rooting for him every step of the way! We hope that the open discussion of his health inspires you to take action in your own personal pursuit of lifelong wellness.