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Our bodies are designed to remain in balance, and when they become unbalanced, a natural mechanism has been interfered with. Usually this occurs through decisions that we make which become habits. Decisions are conscious and can be reversed. Habits are unconscious and are considerably harder to reverse. Even so, the more awareness you can bring to any health issue, the better your chances of reaching a solution.
This is certainly true of a problem that nags at the majority of Americans -- their weight. No one can claim that weight loss isn't a struggle. "But I'm on a diet," is the cry of countless people. Yet we can start to end the struggle by looking soberly at the part being played by conscious choices.
About one-third of Americans are overweight and an additional third are obese. But the problem isn't limited only to the U.S.: Obesity has become a global problem. More than one in 10 persons, worldwide, is obese. Nor are overweight and obesity problems only the ills of rich nations. About 65 percent of the world's population lives in countries where health issues related to being overweight kill more people than being underweight. And the costs of obesity are immense, in personal, societal and economic terms. In the U.S., the medical care costs of obesity totaled about $147 billion in 2008.
Obesity is generally defined using the body mass index (BMI). BMI is an individual's weight multiplied by 703 and then divided by twice his or her height in inches (BMI calculators are available online. Many doctors think your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a better indication of disease risk. Your WHR, which is found by dividing the circumference of your waist by that of your hips, is a relatively good indicator of whether you have excessive visceral fat inside your abdomen. A ratio of under .8 for women or .9 for men is thought to be healthy.
Obesity Factors
Our country's current obesity epidemic is due to a "perfect storm" of cultural, social, economic, psychological and economic factors. Getting older and your genetic inheritance are two risk factors that influence your likelihood of becoming obese, but they don't determine it.
Fortunately, other risk factors for obesity can be helped through social and lifestyle changes. Social and economic influences, like your regional culinary traditions and the way you ate growing up play a big part. Surprisingly, lack of a good night's sleep -- seven or eight hours is considered healthy for most people -- is a factor in weight gain. What kind of food and how much food you eat, and the amount of physical activity you get, are also vitally important. Lastly, eating "junk" food -- highly processed foods, fast foods and refined carbs like white sugar, white flour and white rice -- is a major risk factor.
Forget Dieting
Although we are a nation of dieters, that has done little to nothing to stem the tide of obesity. Studies have shown that a minuscule percentage of dieters -- generally less than 5 percent -- are able to lose weight and keep it off for two years. In addition, the cycle of gaining and losing the same ten or twenty pounds places an unhealthy stress upon your body.
The best way to lose weight is to make long-term changes in the way you eat -- changes you can live with for the rest of your life. There are many ways to do this. You can limit calories or portion sizes, or you may choose to limit certain foods (the unhealthy, fattening ones!) and emphasize others.
Ensure that your daily diet includes whole, nutrition-dense foods like whole grains, good fats (olive oil and other foods with omega-3 fatty acids), lean protein, and whole fruits and vegetables.
If you do nothing else, do the two following things. First, avoid eating at fast-food restaurants; learn to make quick, healthy meals at home. Second: whether you're single or in a family, make eating an occasion. Sit down at the table for real meals and keep the TV off. Fast food and constant snacking are two major contributors to the obesity epidemic.
Exercise is your best friend when it comes to weight loss. If you haven't exercised for a long time and are very out of shape, start out by exercising for just 10 minutes a day, and add on over time to build up to 30 minutes to an hour every day. Do both aerobic exercise (like walking, swimming and cycling), as well as anerobic exercise (resistance training, weight lifting) for the best results. Aerobic exercise has many benefits: It improves insulin sensitivity, strengthens your heart and gives you more energy. Anerobic exercise strengthens your muscles and boosts your metabolism so that you burn more calories -- even when you're not exercising.
If you dislike exercising, you can find other ways to become more physically active: do your own housework, plant a garden, dance to your favorite music, park farther away from work, take the stairs instead of the elevator or find a sport you enjoy.
Surgical And Medicinal Solutions
There are many different types of gastric bypass surgery, but all involve bypassing part of your small intestine. If you have gastric bypass surgery, you still need to eat a healthy diet and exercise. So looking to surgery as a quick fix, or fantasizing that you can put off changing your habits because excess fat can be magically eradicated, only leads to disillusionment.
Types of bariatric surgery include gastric bypass surgery, gastroplasty and gastric banding. Bariatric surgery is risky and may only be considered if you have a BMI of 40 or higher, or if your BMI is 35-39.9 and you have a serious weight-related health problem, such as diabetes or hypertension. It should also be kept in mind that the failure rate of people who have taken the surgery route, along with the risk of serious surgical complications, is no small problem. Even a tiny stomach can hold enough food to lead to obesity if your unhealthy habits don't change.
Prescription weight-loss medications may be used if you have a BMI of 30 or higher or if your BMI is 27 or above and you have an obesity-related condition, such as hypertension, diabetes, or abnormal blood fat levels. There are two main types of weight-loss medications: appetite suppressants and lipase inhibitors. Appetite suppressants attempt to aid weight loss by decreasing your appetite or by making you feel more full. Lipase inhibitors are drugs that reduce (by about one third) your body's ability to absorb fat from the food you eat. Current research seems to indicate, however, that weight loss is modest for those using such drugs, on average less than ten pounds.
We are still left with the role of decisions and conscious choices. The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) tracks people who have lost large amounts of weight -- and kept it off. Here's what participants in the registry have done to lose an average of 66 pounds and keep it off for an average of 5.5 years.
Physical Activity
• 94 percent increased their physical activity (most frequently through walking)
• 90 percent exercise -- on average, about 1 hour per day
• 62 percent watch fewer than 10 hours of TV per week
Diet
• 98 percent modified their food intake in some way to lose weight
• 78 percent eat breakfast every day
Keeping Track
• 75 percent weigh themselves at least once a week
Group Support
• 55 percent lost weight with the help of some type of program
• 45 percent of registry participants lost the weight on their own
Start Early To Prevent Obesity
It will always be true that losing weight is much harder than not putting it on in the first place. Children who are obese are at risk for heart disease, diabetes and more at an early age. Children too easily model their habits on their parents' habits, and thus the cycle of obesity is passed on from one generation to the next.
Society has given us ways to remain more sedentary as we become a culture dependent on computers and video games, added to our addiction to television and eating out. Stress mounts every year. All of these factors have one thing in common. They make us exchange conscious choices for unconscious habits.
The solution is staring us in the face: Reclaim your right to decide who you will be and how you will live. There are no other shortcuts, even though millions of people hope and pretend that there are. The good news is that a conscious lifestyle is not just the healthiest but the happiest.
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Obesity and Overweight: Topics | DNPAO | CDC
WHO | Controlling the global obesity epidemic
Obesity Epidemic "Astronomical"
Lifestyle Management of Adult Obesity: Overview
Family Routines Can Help Control Obesity in Children - TIME
Too bad it's not cost effective for the poor to follow this, that's where the obesity epidemic is. Meat's expensive, and let's face it, not a lot of us are going to switch to vegan/vegetarian.
Since there is no one diet for the masses and there isn’t anything on this planet Homo sapiens don’t eat, generally one of three nutrients needs to be managed to control our weight, fat intake, carb intake or calorie intake. There are a number of factors that determines the right one to manage; a few are food preferences, food allergies and carb sensitivity.
Our obesity epidemic is brought about by consuming too much fat, along with too many carbs, on top of too many calories. Also, folks tend to eat on the fly, unaware of what and how much their eating. Raising ones food awareness, but not to obsessive levels, really helps, especially as we get older. It’s as simple as reading labels and ingredients, knowledge is power.
Oftentimes, we both hear and read about diets that tend to guarantee us that by partaking in the program, we will lose X amount of pounds over a given period of time.
http://www.health.com/nutrition/Fat-Free-Diets-Can-be-Downright-Dangerous.55154
It is not about fasting for days at a time.
For me it is simply eating 3 healthy meals a day with the longest time going without food from dinner til breakfast the next day.
I don't snack between meals and I never feel deprived.
I maintain my weight of 102.
2 years ago I weighed 125.
My best advice in trying to loose weight and dieting is MODERATION, as well as not picking the over processed foods. You should not be afraid to eat carbs, its essential part of your diet that your body needs. Go for well balanced meals with smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. You want to keep your body digesting and taking in energy, which in effect speeds up your metabolism and burning your stored body fat.
The more I research the more afraid I get about the food I buy. The bigger the company name is on the package, the more cautious I get about buying. Watching some of the videos of how industrialized our food is becoming in haunting to say the least. Supporting your local farmers market our making your own bread not only taste better and better for you, but more satisfy knowing you out work and effort into the food you eat.
My friends and aquaintances constantly comment on the fact that I eat all. the. time. And it is true that I do. I eat probably every two to three hours, and I'll have just about anything I want. Real cheese, french bread, greens, fruit, meat and fish, some junk food if i feel like it -but that's rather rare.
It guts everyone to see me eat a chocolate croissant for breakfast, but what people don't get is that it is not an everyday occurence. Sometimes I'll have cereal, sometime I'll have bacon and eggs, sometimes I'll juice some fruit and veggies. It just depends what I feel like eating that day. I also shop daily (I am single so it is doable) and buy only what I need for that day. And yes, i do exercise but I am not a gym rat by any means. I just turned 40 and I am at my lowest weight ever -lbs140 for 5'8. No cholesterol, no blood sugar issues, no inflammation. I cook what I eat rather than eat out. And I drink lots and lots of water, no sodas -don't like them.... And yes, I am French but that does not mean a thing.
I'm one of the people NWCR studies. I finally lost 140 lbs. after 25 years of diet and exercise failure when I discovered effective methods of Behavioral Medicine, Therapeutic Psychogenics, as a psychotherapist and addictions counselor. Please read my blog article explaining Behavioral Medicine: http://theandersonmethod.com/what-is-behavioral-medicine-and-behavioral-healthcare/
Realize that our people and our culture are in the grips of something that you may not understand if you have been a person who can just make up your mind and master your behavior. Best wishes.
William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
www.TheAndersonMethod.com
www.diamondhour.com
The best way for them to finally reduce weight and keep it off is to lose their focus on food. I advise clients to throw away their scales or at least avoid them for several weeks...measuring is a far more accurate way to assess results. Weighing can be obsessive and demotivating if the emotional attachment to food is not addressed first.
With hypnosis, you can learn to listen to your body's signals again and eat only when hungry, stopping when full. Combining this with sessions to eliminate cravings and boosting confidence/self-image resolves the majority of weight related issues.
Some, as mentioned earlier, do not do well with increased exercise levels, and hypnosis can also be an effective way of balancing insulin or thyroid levels, or increasing the effectiveness of medication that can hinder weight reduction.
Hypnosis isn't a magic wand for weight reduction, but it can be the most effective way to help those who are overweight through emotional eating.
Here is how. At over 280 lbs walking burns a lot of calories. So I walk home from work (one hour and a half) and I cut 1000 calories out of my day. That sounds hard but 800 calories were in my daily muffin, Switching to a medium coffee from an Xlarge was another 200. Other than those three things I eat pretty normal and still watch too much TV (20 lbs in 4 weeks). As I get thinner I will have to do more than just walk to burn that many calories - so when I hit 250 I may start ** ugh ** weights.