Posts Tagged ‘overweight’

Which Diets Program Are Recommended?

healthy eating

By now, you’re familiar with all the prepackaged diets from Nutrisystem and South Beach to Slim-Fast and Jenny Craig. But which of these healthy diet proponents really works, if any? Many people get stuck on the idea of buying convenient, easy weight loss solutions, without assimilating the real life lessons of portion control, calorie reduction and enlightened snacking. Many people who are dieting can only last on these restrictive or expensive fads for so long before abandoning them. Instead of using a quick fix diet, here is some more information about the popular programs out there.

For people who are severely overweight, it sometimes takes a special weight loss program to keep them disciplined and motivated. After all, when you’re used to living a certain way your whole life, the switch to fewer calories and a more varied diet, without the fat, can be overwhelming. One of these popular plans is the Weight Watchers program, which is $20 to join and costs about $9/week. The diet nutrition plan emphasizes strict calorie control, flexibility in food choices, exercise and a positive attitude. Proponents of Weight Watchers attend group meetings and weigh-ins and are not mandated to buy prepackaged food. Instead, they learn about what choices they can make based on a “points system,” as outlined in the Weight Watchers manual. Some critics say the points system does not necessarily lead to healthy eating, but the diet has fared well in clinical studies. Additionally, because it is cost-effective and flexible, participants are more likely to stick with it.

Another of the latest diets you may have heard of is the Dean Ornish Diet. In his book “Eat More, Weight Less,” Ornish looks to reverse heart disease by advocating a high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian diet to help you improve health and lose weight. He says with a combination of diet and exercise, rather than strict caloric restrictions, you can transform your body into an effective fat-burning machine. In his book, he recommends eating the following foods whenever you’re hungry and until you’re full. The list includes beans, legumes, fruits, grains and vegetables. Non-fat dairy products (yogurts, milk, cheese, sour cream, egg whites) and low-fat commercial products (ice cream) can be eaten occasionally, in moderation. The following foods should be avoided completely or consumed as little as possible. This list includes meat, oils, salad dressings, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, sugar, honey, syrups, alcohol and commercially prepared food. Eating a lot of little meals and incorporating thirty minutes of exercise a day or an hour three times a week, along with managing stress through meditation, massage, therapy or yoga, is the key to success. Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says: “His diet is one of the only popular diet plans that is firmly rooted in science. It not only brings weight loss without counting calories, but it also brings good overall health. It reverses heart disease, cuts the risk of cancer, makes diabetes and hypertension more manageable, and sometimes even makes them go away.” Yet others, like Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health, say that Ornish doesn’t distinguish bad fats from good fats, which can have some proven heart benefits too.

Fad diets will come and go, but the truth is simply to reduce your caloric intake and you’ll lose weight. Dr. Frank Sacks from the Harvard School of Public Health says that the problem with most weight loss plans is that people get hungry and quit. “It’s very difficult to reduce your calories enough to really sustain a lot of weight loss,” adds Catherine Loria of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Research suggests that it’s not simply the healthy eating that facilitates weight loss, but also community initiatives and support networks. Martjin Katan, professor of nutrition at Amsterdam’s VU University, points to a small town in France that reduced its childhood obesity rate to 8.8% (compared to 17% in neighboring towns) just by building outdoor sports facilities and outdoor spaces, as well as creating community programs that focused on dieting and healthy cooking. In one of Dr. Frank Sacks’ studies, he found that overweight people who attended at least two-thirds of the counseling sessions lost thirteen pounds more than other study participants.

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How Do You Know When It Is Time To Lose That Excess Weight?

Are you one of the millions of people who look in the mirror daily and say to themselves “I have to lose some weight”? Just about everyone has done this at some time and in many cases you really do need to shed a bit of weight. However, this is not always necessary and so how can you tell whether you really should lose some weight?

One big problem with weight gain lies in the fact that it often seems to arrive when you are not looking and this is being seen especially in countries such as North America where obesity has now become an epidemic. Because however your weight usually increases slowly over an extended period of time, you normally simply are not aware of the increase in terms of changes to your looks and only notice it when you weigh yourself on the bathroom scales. Accordingly, it is a good idea to get into the habit of weighing yourself regularly (approximately once each month is generally sufficient) and when you discover that it has risen significantly then it is time to lose that excess weight.

Opinions differ about exactly what constitutes obesity but for our purposes here if your weight has risen by in excess of perhaps thirty pounds or so then you are almost certainly heading towards obesity and a myriad of health problems that are associated with it.

Yet another sure sign that you probably ought to to lose weight is if a friend tells you that you are putting on weight. Now you may well be offended if somebody tells you that you need to lose some weight but do not forget that they probably found it difficult to summon up the courage to say something to you and are also more likely than not demonstrating a heartfelt concern about your health, rather than passing a comment on your looks.

A further indication that you have gained too much weight is seen when you begin experiencing difficulty with simple tasks such as climbing the stairs or running to catch a bus and find yourself getting out of breath. This will not necessarily be a consequence of carrying too much weight and can be caused by other health problems, but you would be surprised at just how often the cause turns out to be weight. When this happens your body is beginning to ring its alarm bells and these should most definitely not be ignored.

One last and very common, although often dismissed, sign of weight gain is simply finding that your clothes do not fit like they used to. A bit of a tight waistband following Christmas is usual for many of us but when it continues getting tighter and you find yourself buying bigger and bigger clothes each time you go shopping then it is time to diet before your expanding waist stretches both your clothes and your store card.

These are of course just a few examples of the numerous indicators that you are overweight to the point at which you need to take steps to correct the situation. Excessive weight tends to creep up on you gradually and it is all too easy simply not to notice it at all. However the key to feeling and looking good is quite simple - know what your ideal weight should be and jump on the scales from time to time to make sure that you are not getting too heavy.

Obesity in America, and particularly obesity in teens, these days is a growing problem and one which has serious medical complications. It is also wise therefore to learn how to calculate BMI which is the medical indicator for obesity.

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A new study as just revealed all the major risk of excess belly fat: Diabetes premature death, dementia..

In one of the largest, longest health studies in the world, 360,000 Europeans
enrolled in a mammoth clinical research on obesity. Resaearch workers found out that
people with the most belly fat had almost twice the risk of premature death than
those with the least amounts of abdominal fat.

According to Tobia Pischon Md. 12, 2008 issue of The
New England Journal of Medicine:

“Our study shows that accumulating excess fat around your middle can put your
health at risk even if your weight is normal. There aren’t many simple individual characteristics thatcan increase a person’s risk of premature death to this extent, independent of smoking and drinking.”During the follow-up period of the study, 14,723 of the participants (mostlyoverweight) died prematurely.After measuring for obesity using the body mass index (BMI) calculator, it was found waist circumference and waist-to-hip measurements were both independently associated with a statistically increased risk factor for early death. Especially for these type of patients

* Men and women with the largest waists (more than 40 inches of waist for men and more than 35 inches for women) had almost double the risk of premature death as did men and women with thesmallest waists (less than 34 inches for men and 28 for women).
* Each 2-inch increase in waist circumference forecasted a 17% increase in mortality in men and a 13% increase in women.Waist to hip measures are strong predictors of premature death.

Here’s what Dr. Dr Tobia Pischon reported concerning Body fat distribution
“The most important result of our study is the finding that not just being overweight, but also the distribution of your body fat, affects the risk of premature death.”

CONCLUSION: Even normal weight patients with excess accumulations of fat in the stomach
area have an increase risk of premature death.
The findings come as no surprise to University of Michigan cardiologist and research scientist Daniel Eitzman, MD.

Work by Dr. Eitzman and his colleagues on mice found that belly fat - also known as visceral fat –produced significantly more inflammation than fat found in other areas of the body.The inflammation of the abdominal area is an important factor in heart disease, but also in cancer,diabetes and other diseases.

Belly fat Associated Now To Dementia Disease

A report recently published now suggests that belly fat may increase risk of alzeimer disease and dementia
This study, based on data from more than 6,500 members of Kaiser Permanente in California, shows that “where you carry weight, more so than your total body weight, is a good predictor of dementia,”according to lead author and research scientist Rachel Whitmer. “You can have a healthy body mass index but have a risk of dementia due to belly fat.”

Whitmer advises knowing where you stand. If you are overweight you should verify where you carry youe extra weight.”And remember, you’re not out of the woods if your body weight is normal. Even people with normal weight but have some belly fat are at an increase drisk of developing dementia.

Here’s how to tell if you have too much belly fat…

To figure out how much belly fat you have, use a tape measure to size up your midsection (waist to hip). Just mesure your tummy near the navel. Breathe normally and don’t suck your stomach in while measuring. 35 inches or more for men (you have too much belly) For women 29 inches or more (you have also too much belly fat)

After reading this important study you should aware of is this

Any accumulations of excess body fat in the mid-section of your body should be immediately
addressed. The more you accumulate fat the more dangerous the risks. If like many Americans you find yourselfwith too much tummy, you should seriously consider losing weight to protect your health. don’t wait too long! React and start losing belly fat now and reduce your risk of contracting diseases like diabetes and cancer. Get a healthy body by losing extra weight.

• Exercise regularly. “Get off the couch get out there and move!”
Eat healthy foods. “Stay with whole, lean, natural foods.”
Sleep well. Insomnia is a important factor that can contribute to belly fat build ups.”
Learn to control your stress. “Try to leave office work at the office.”

For Clinically Proven Solutions to Quickly Melt Off
Belly Fat - And Keep It Off Click Here !

 

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