Caloric Math and Weight Loss Success

The problem with restricting your calories too much is the fact that it slows down your metabolism and in doing so it makes it all the more difficult to sustain weight loss.

This is one of the reasons why it is suggested that you don’t reduce your calories by an excessive amount on a daily basis if you want to keep reducing weight over the long-term.

On the other hand when you have excess calories over and above the energy needs of your body then these calories will be stored as fat.

You can see by the last two sentences that it is crucially important for you to get your calorie intake levels correct if you are to lose weight.

Your daily calorie requirement depends on a number of different factors including your weight, your age, gender and your lifestyle as a more active person will need more calories due to the fact that they will be burning more in the course of the day.

On average every pound of your body weight represents approximately 3500 calories.  Based on this average, to lose 1 pound you will need to reduce your calorie intake by 3500 calories.
On diet alone, you can see how it won’t be possible to lose a pound a day unless of course you already have a considerable calorie intake and the reduction will still leave you with sufficient food and nutrition to remain healthy.

Supplements can certainly help to make up for any nutrition deficiencies a lot of the time.

By reducing your calories by only 100 calories per day over the course of the year you would have consumed 36,500 less calories and that converts to a weight reduction of almost 10 1/2 pounds.

That is an easily accomplished weight reduction with very little change to your lifestyle and habits.

Technorati Tags: calories and weight loss

Are You Ready to Succeed at Weght Loss

Losing weight can be compared in a lot of cases to somebody trying to give up smoking particularly for a person who has been overweight for a long time and who has had bad eating habits for much of their life.

Like smoking, over eating is a habit that is quite difficult to break for the majority of people.

It is for this reason why many people spend the majority of their life going from one weight-loss program to another in the search for the Magic answer that will get them in the shape that they desire.

Once again by likening this to giving up smoking, a person who is trying to lose weight will have a considerably better chance of success if they have made up their mind completely that this is what they want.

If you start a weight-loss program without the intention of following through to the ultimate outcome then the doubt that is always in the back of your mind will make it so much easier for you to fail.

For many people it is more about what goes on in the mind than what they are putting into their stomach and you might have to deal with these issues first before you have any opportunity to lose weight and get in shape.

Mind power is a very powerful thing that can work for or against you and by eliminating habits from your life you will be retraining your mind to accept the new lifestyle as your natural state whereby you will be able to maintain a good healthy body weight for the long-term.

We do most things in life subconsciously including good and bad habits and by turning those bad habits into positive lifestyle changes your bodyweight won’t be something that is constantly the focus of your life.

Technorati Tags: weight loss program

Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference in Weight Control

If there’s one thing that you need to understand it’s the fact that changing your diet to a better more balanced one that will help you to lose weight and eventually live longer doesn’t have to be a struggle.

It takes most people years to get to the stage of being obese, and even to the stage where they are carrying just a little too much body weight so you can’t expect to reverse any long term habits overnight.

Even making a few small changes to your diet can have a dramatic effect on your weight when viewed over a longer period of time.

Just the reduction of a hundred or so calories a day will amount to a very large reduction in calories over the term of one year and that will also amount to a sizeable decrease in body fat.

This can be done by simply removing a small portion of the amount of food you consume with each meal.

If you find that this is causing more than normal hunger then have a glass of water a half hour or so before each meal and you will be less inclined to feel like you require more food.

You can replace a similar quantity of low value food with good food and this will also reduce hunger and will help to lose weight.

By doing it in this manner you will find that you will begin to enjoy the ‘new’ foods in your diet just as you learnt to enjoy the poor foods that you have been eating up to this stage of your life.

Many people find it hard to accept that they will be able to get the same enjoyment out of the food that they know they should be eating but that is only because they have been accustomed to the tastes of the food they eat at the current time.

A good example of this is the reaction people have to drinking a cup of tea with sugar in it after they have stopped having sugar for a while. Most people find it difficult to drink as it seems too sweet after having been without it for some time.

Technorati Tags: weight control

We are Different from Animals When it Comes to Weight

While we can’t compare ourselves with animals we can begin to understand eating habits and the reason why humans become over weight.

Consider how many animals you will see that are over weight. In the wild you wouldn’t find any and it is not because of a lack of food - although that certainly will cause a wild animal to be under weight.

No; even where there is abundance of food animals in the wild don’t get obese like humans do and it is not because of their metabolism or digestive systems.
It is because they are eating the correct foods that nature designed their systems to eat to ensure that they are getting the correct nutrition to maintain good health and obesity certainly isn’t a good healthy state to be in.

I doubt you will find any animals that are obese other than those that we keep as pets and that is because humans not only eat the wrong foods themselves but they also feed their pets the wrong foods.

We feed our pet’s processed pet food that has all sorts of colors, additives and other rubbish that they were never designed to have.
And the result of feeding them a poor diet is the high and ever increasing incidence of diabetes in domestic animals.

We are not only making ourselves sick with poor food choices but we are also reducing the chances our pets have of living long and healthy lives.

Just like the food we buy for ourselves, the food we buy for our pets is often determined by the quality of the marketing campaigns that promote those foods.

So the only living beings that seem to make the wrong choices in food consumption are humans and we are supposed to be the most intelligent!

And the only other living beings that are affected by poor food consumption are pets because they have to rely on the poor decisions that are made by humans.

Technorati Tags: Natural weight loss

Don’t Use Age as an Excuse for Getting Fat

There’s no doubt about the fact that the body changes as we age and fat is stored in places that we didn’t have to worry about when we were younger.

The metabolism slows and the digestive system doesn’t work as well as it once did.

Hormonal changes in the body can also affect the shape that you are in but there is one thing that always remains the same at all ages - If you eat too much food and drink too much alcohol you will gain weight.

Many people use their age as an excuse for being over weight but this is not acceptable. Consider how many elderly people there are who are still slim, fit and healthy and you will see that age is not an excuse.

Lifestyles create the body we have to live with and the effects of poor lifestyle choices are multiplied as we age because the abuse that we have been giving our body through poor food choices throughout our life accumulates with fat and other health related problems due to poor nutrition.

You can and should expect to keep your fat percentage at an optimum level throughout your life. The health benefits from doing so will pay dividends with a better quality of life and reduced dependence on medication and other health related expenditure as you age.

At any stage in your life, no matter how old you are you can benefit from improved nutrition and exercise.

Anything that will reduce the excess levels in your body fat will assist in helping you to live longer and to enjoy that time more.

Starting on an exercise program and taking care to improve your nutrition is the best way to turn back the body clock and it is never too late to start winding back the years. Obviously the sooner you start the better but starting is the essential ingredient that you need right now.

Technorati Tags: age and weight loss

Sleep and Weight Loss

Many people don’t realize that a lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on your weight.

When you are constantly over tired your energy levels are naturally lacking and the first thing that most people do to boost their energy levels is to eat more food.

Naturally eating more food is going to cause you to increase weight and the digestion of the food will burn up even more energy so you get into a vicious circle of tiredness eating and more tiredness.

The constant tiredness also affects the way that your body functions where it becomes less efficient and in doing so you will tend to store more fat and gain weight.

Simply getting a bit more sleep at regular times at night can boost your energy levels and in doing so reduce your dependence upon food for energy and help you to lose weight without having to go on any diets.

If there are no alternatives to your lack of sleep due to circumstances in your life then you need to concentrate on increasing your intake of water as this will help you to get more energy and make you feel less hungry due to your tiredness.

Shift workers in particular have a difficult time in maintaining their weight because not only are they getting a lack of sleep but they will also be sleeping at various different times of the day and night and that affects your eating habits and your digestion.

Long-term lack of sleep will result in the body storing additional fat so it is essential to do all you can where possible to get a regular night’s sleep at reasonable hours to maintain good health and a reasonable body fat percentage.

Obviously taking this to the other extreme where you are sleeping all hours of the day and not getting any exercise will also cause you to retain more body fat and increase weight.

Once again lifestyle has a huge bearing on whether you are at your optimum body weight or not.

Technorati Tags: sleep and weight loss

Set Goals for Weight Loss Success

Most successful people find that setting goals is one of the most important parts of achieving those goals and this applies to almost everything in life including your ability to be successful with weight loss.

What you do have to realize however is these goals need to be realistic and you need to believe that you can achieve them or you will be starting off on the wrong foot and failure will be imminent.

To make your goal achievable you need to look at it over an extended period of time rather than believing that you can lose 15 pounds in a couple of weeks.

While this might be possible it is certainly a lot harder to achieve than to expect to lose that weight over the course of several months.

Keeping a diary helps a lot of people to achieve their goals as it helps to enforce the actions that are required to meet those goals on a daily basis.

In your diary you can record your body weight, the foods you’ve been eating, any supplements you have been taking and the results that you have been getting from these actions.

This helps you to readjust your goals and make changes to your fitness and nutrition as things change in the course of your weight loss program.

Within your major goal you should also have short-term goals and once again these need to be realistic to keep you motivated.

These short-term goals will change from time to time as during the course of your weight loss program you will probably find that progress accelerates after certain stages of your plan.

Sometimes you will also plateau for a while where your weight loss will tend to slow down and by having a diary you will be able to look at those areas that you might be able to change to get over that plateau and continue to progress.

Technorati Tags: goal setting for weight loss

Healthy Diet Includes Eggs

This is such a broad subject that it is impossible to answer it in any one article.

To create a healthy, balanced diet menu, it may be good to focus on individual food items first and determining whether they are a good candidate to be included.

This time we will focus our attention on eggs.

Eggs Nutritional Value  

People love them and people hate them. They have been praised and maligned and praised again. Some experts say egg must be a part of any healthy diet.
Others would ban them altogether.

You will probably agree that this is quite confusing. Who is right? Is it the chicken farmer and the egg industry or the doctors who believe that no cholesterol in food is the best choice?

We are not making any rash judgments. The jury is still at least partially out. Some studies of free range chicken eggs seem to point out that along with the cholesterol inside the eggs there are compounds to neutralize it.

The issue of how chicken are raised, fed and their living environment is a matter that needs to be dealt with elsewhere.

The point on which all experts agree is that eggs contain a variety of indispensable nutrients. So the only issue with eggs seems to be that they contain some cholesterol.

 Eggs have a lot of cholesterol, so for a long time it was considered unhealthy to eat too many. However, advice is changing on this as more research comes out. To my knowledge, no evidence shows that eggs are in any way harmful to our health. In fact, some studies show an improvement in blood lipids from eating eggs. It seems that this high-cholesterol food raises our "good" cholesterol rather than the "bad

But cholesterol is absolutely necessary for the body. That there are at least two kinds of cholesterol one good and one bad is becoming quite well known now. A new school of thought on cholesterol says that if the body has no intake of cholesterol it will manufacture it.

It seems that no definitive conclusion about eggs being healthy or not has been reached by science because of the controversial cholesterol issue. Otherwise, from a nutritional point of view eggs are a super food fit for any balanced diet menu.

Unless you are a vegetarian or have other moral objections to eating eggs you may want to consider including them sparingly in your diet plan.

Authored by http://healthydietweightloss.org

Technorati Tags: are eggs healthy, balanced diet menu, cholesterol, eggs nutrition, eggs nutritional value, free range chicken eggs, healthy diet menu

Obesity is Life Shortening

The headline is not news but this article puts a quantitative face on the truth of it.

Today we would like to share with you some sobering news from Heathday News a publication that often provides us with valuable information regarding our better self care.

TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) — Being obese can shorten your life, a new study shows.

"Moderate obesity typically shortens life span by about three years," said researcher Gary Whitlock, from the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. "By moderate obesity, I mean weighing about a third more than is ideal, which for most people would mean being about 50 or 60 pounds overweight."

More than one in three middle-aged Americans are now in this category, Whitlock said. "By contrast, weighing twice your ideal weight — say, an extra 150 pounds — shortens life span by about 10 years," he added.

This obesity level is still not common, but it equals the known 10-year reduction in life span caused by smoking. "So, smoking is about as dangerous as being severely obese, and about three times as dangerous as being moderately obese," he said.

The report is published in the March 18 online edition of The Lancet.

For the study, Whitlock and other members of the Prospective Studies Collaboration collected data on 894,576 men and women who participated in 57 studies. The people in these studies came primarily from western Europe and North America. Their average body-mass index (BMI) was 25.

BMI is a calculation that expresses a relationship between height and weight. People are considered underweight if their BMI is less than 18.5, normal weight when the BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, overweight when BMI is between 25 and 29.9, and obese when BMI is 30 or more, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The researchers found that men and women whose BMI was between 22.5 and 25 lived the longest. For a person 5 feet 7 inches tall, his or her optimum weight would be about 154 pounds, they noted.

For those with a BMI over 25, every 10 to 12 pound increase translated to about a 30 percent increased risk of dying. In addition, there was a 40 percent increase in the risk for heart disease, stroke and other vascular disease, a 60 percent to 120 percent increased risk of diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease, a 10 percent increased risk of cancer, and a 20 percent increased risk for lung disease, the researchers reported.

"Obesity causes kidney disease, liver disease and several types of cancer, but the most common way it kills is by causing stroke and, most importantly, heart disease. Obesity causes heart disease by pushing up blood pressure, by interfering with blood cholesterol levels, and by bringing on diabetes," Whitlock said.

People who are moderately obese with a BMI in the 30 to 35 range reduced their life span by two and four years. For those who are severely obese with BMIs between 40 and 45, their life span was reduced by eight to 10 years. That’s comparable to the effects of smoking, Whitlock said.

In fact, people whose weight was below normal also died earlier, due mainly to smoking-related diseases, the researchers noted.

"If you are obese and smoke, then, above all else, quit smoking," Whitlock said. "If you are obese and don’t smoke, then don’t start, and do what you can to avoid further weight gain. By avoiding further weight gain, you may well live a few years longer than you otherwise would do. By quitting smoking, a smoker can expect to gain several extra years of life — about as many as a severely obese person might gain by shedding half of his or her body weight."

Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, said this study confirms that the obesity epidemic is "the clear and present danger many of us knew it to be."

The association between BMI and mortality has been challenged in the scientific community, due in part to uncertainty about weight estimates and debate about measurement methods. "Here we have an emphatic reaffirmation of the fundamental issue: Overweight and obesity take years from life," Katz said.

"We know that, in many ways, BMI is a crude measure of the health risks associated with obesity, since not all excess body fat is created equal," he said. "Weight gained around the middle tends to be most dangerous, so for those subject to this pattern, risks may indeed be higher than this study suggests. For those with lower body weight gain, risks may be lower."

A study published in the Nov. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine also found that where weight is centered is a risk factor. Men with the largest waist circumference had more than double the risk of death, and women with the largest waist circumference increased their risk of death by 78 percent.

SOURCES: Gary Whitlock, Ph.D., Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford, U.K.; David L. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; March 18, 2009, The Lancet, online 
 

Technorati Tags: moderate obesity, obesity causes, obesity death rate, Tags: effects of obesity

I received this in an email today from DR. William Campbell Douglass M.D. I thought I would share with you what he had to say.

"Dear Friend,

News just in from the Department of the Obvious: turns out that exercise may not be a cure-all for obesity. Instead, researchers at the Loyola University Health system claim that it’s your diet that plays the key role in losing weight and avoiding obesity.

Wow. Stop the presses!

This was yet another case of "breakthrough" research conclusions based on a shoddy study premise and science that was both sloppy and lazy.

In the case of this study, researchers compared African American women from Chicago with women from rural Nigeria. The average weight of the American women was 184 pounds, compared to 127 for the Nigerians. But it turned out both groups burned about the same amount of calories each day.

The researchers concluded that, "Decreased physical activity may not be the primary driver of the obesity epidemic."

Who ever said that decreased physical activity was the "primary driver" of the obesity epidemic? Of course a sedentary lifestyle is a factor in obesity, but a "primary driver?"

But if that was the case, they were really headed off in the wrong direction when they headed over to Nigeria. Because it seems that they based this ENTIRE study on the idiotic notion that that Nigerian women are more active than their American counterparts.

Why would the researchers have made this assumption? Surely this was based solely on typical American naivety about life in the Third World. "Hey, it’s Nigeria – these women must be hunting and gathering all day just to survive." Nonsense. They should’ve confirmed this premise first. Instead, they admitted they were "surprised" to discover that this assumption turned out not to be true.

Maybe it’s just me, but if I were conducting research and found that my control group wasn’t really working as a control group … well, I’d know that my entire study had just gone ka-blooey.

Not Loyola. They bravely forged ahead and had the unmitigated gall to issue study results and conclusions anyway. They concluded that the American women were heavier due to the type of amount and type of diet that those women consumed. Uh… no kidding.

Study co-author Richard Cooper, chairman of Loyola University’s Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology said, "We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case."

I could’ve told the researchers that would be the case … and saved them the airfare to Nigeria. There’s no magic formula; if you eat healthier foods and less of them, you’ll lose weight."

Technorati Tags: obesity and exercise

Sunshine Is Good For You is the argument of today’s guest article writer I think he may be onto something. Too many have been intimindated right out of the sunshine they need by a costant harangue about melanoma. I think in the end the right naswer as in so much of life is moderation. Here is what our guest article writer has to say.

I need my dose of sunshine every year as it is a good supply of vitamin D necessary for the absorption of calcium in the body. The sun is a natural element that is very much part of our life.

I cringe at the sight of people who apply masses of sun cream to their skin frequently. Sun cream (apart from making pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturers wealthy) is a strong chemicals that prevent your skin from absorbing beneficial sun rays. Some of the ingredients in these sun creams have been demonstrated to be carcinogenic (encourages the development of cancer cells).

The sun is natural. The cream is not.

We have been told that our planet is being depleted from Ozone (O3). Scientists have told us that our Ozone layer currently is 5% depleted and when it is 17% depleted then it’s goodbye from me and goodbye from .. all of us.

The hole in the Ozone layer is getting worse in the North and South poles we are told. This has been partly triggered by Chlorofluorocarbons gas (CFC) release in the air from our aerosols, fridges etc..

We must understand that Ozone is a gas that forms when the sunlight meets earth’s atmosphere. There is very little direct sunlight in the North and South poles as the sun strikes at an angle without producing Ozone. This is why there has always been less Ozone in the 2 poles. Not because you spray some deodorant (hopefully without aluminium in it) or anti-perspirant (deadly by the way) under your arms.

Rule by fear!

Listen to this one: The American government has spent $19,000,000 to find out if the farting and belching of cows was damaging the Ozone layer!!!

Having said all this, let me answer the question: Is sunlight good for you?

Sunlight can Actually Prevent Cancer. Insufficient exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet radiation can according to a new study published in a prominent cancer journal be an important risk factor for some cancers in Western Europe and United States. This directly contradicts official advice about sunlight.

The research examined cancer mortality in the United States. Deaths from a range of cancers of the reproductive and digestive systems were approximately twice as high in New England as in the southwest, despite a diet that varies little between regions. An examination of 506 regions found a close inverse correlation between cancer mortality and levels of ultraviolet B light.

The likeliest mechanism for a protective effect of sunlight is vitamin D, which is synthesized by the body in the presence of ultraviolet B. The study’s author, Dr William Grant, says northern parts of the United States may be dark enough in winter that vitamin D synthesis shuts down completely. While the study focused on white Americans, the same geographical trend affects black Americans, whose overall cancer rates are significantly higher. Darker skinned people require more sunlight to synthesize vitamin D.

There are 13 malignancies that show this inverse correlation, mostly reproductive and digestive cancers. The strongest inverse correlation is with breast, colon, and ovarian cancer.

Other cancers apparently affected by sunlight include tumours of the bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum, and stomach. Cancer March 2002; 94:1867-75

As Dr Mercola points out on his web site: Many people believe that sunshine is one of the main cause of cancer. Nothing could be further from the truth. As this study published in the prestigious Cancer journal indicates, exposure to sun actually decreases cancer rates.

Does this mean that one’s sun exposure does not contribute to skin cancer? Absolutely not. However, skin cancers are more likely related to the large distortion most people have in their omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio. The high excess of omega-6 fats (from meat and cheese) in most people’s diet puts them at a much higher risk of developing skin cancer when exposed to excess sun.

So the solution is not to slather sun block on. Sun block can be quite toxic and should be avoided by most people. The sensible approach would be to limit sun exposure so you never get sun burned. It is sunburn in conjunction with excess omega-6 fats that increases your risk of skin cancer. But even with the potential increase in skin cancer, most skin cancers are relatively benign when compared with breast, colon, and prostate cancers that lack of sun exposure is associated with.

So you can’t have it both ways. Avoid the sun and don’t change your diet and you will lower your risk of skin cancer, but increase your risk of far more common and deadlier cancers. So why not change the fat content of your diet and use sensible sun exposure guidelines and reap the benefits of sunlight?

It is also important to note that many researchers are currently evaluating vitamin D and its analogs in the treatment of cancer (van den Bemd GJ, Chang GT. Vitamin D and vitamin D analogs in cancer treatment. Curr Drug Targets. 2002 Feb;3(1):85-94.) Vitamin D can no longer properly be considered a vitamin. Nevertheless, vitamin D resembles true vitamins inasmuch as humans — who are cut off from the critical solar ultraviolet wavelengths by reason of latitude, clothing, or shelter — depend on an external source of the substance, just as they do for the true essential nutrients.

The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones. However, it is quite clear that vitamin D does far more than promote optimized bone health.

In addition to the strong evidence provided in this article about prevention of cancer vitamin D has also been associated with improvement in the following conditions:
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Arthritis
Infertility and PMS
Fatigue, Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Autoimmune Disorders
Obesity and overall weight management
Syndrome X

Some key points to remember.

The vitamin D in milk, and that put in most vitamins is vitamin D2 and is synthetic. Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol. It is not the vitamin D that you want to supplement with. It is not nearly as good as the vitamin D obtained from sunlight or natural food sources like cod liver oil which is called vitamin D3 or calciferol. The best place to get vitamin D is from UV-B from sunlight.

However, darker skinned people require 10 to 20 times the sun exposure length than lighter skinned people do to build up the same amount of vitamin D.

That is one of the major reasons why African Americans have a much higher rate of cancer in North America than other ethnic groups. Most people, who have skin that is deeply pigmented, should take extra precautions when living in North America for health reasons. The only work around for them to maintain their health would be to optimize their vitamin D levels.

It is also very important to realize that the RDA of vitamin D of 400 units is absolutely inadequate for most people who do not have exposure to regular sunshine. Most people may need up to 10,000 units per day for a short time to build their vitamin D levels up to healthy ranges. One must be very clear however that this should only be done under supervision with a health care professional who can monitor vitamin D levels. Vitamin D in excessive doses can be quite dangerous as it can cause calcium to deposit in your soft tissues and kidney and this is not easy to turn around.

So, to resume:

* Sun creams contain strong chemicals that may be carcinogenic

* The sun is natural and needed as an essential source of Vitamin D * Sunshine can actually lower your risk of cancer

Do not expose yourself for long period of time to the sun. Never allow yourself to burn. Expose yourself gradually.

By: Patrick Hamouy

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Technorati Tags: weight management

Here is a psycologist’s view of "Obesity And Discrimination"

‘Hey, look! The fat lady is trying to lose weight!’

This remark changed my life.

As I crunched along the gravel path that loops around the park near my downtown apartment I took in the scenery, couples picnicking on the lush grass, goofy Labradors bounding after sticks thrown by their owners, proud young parents pushing baby strollers. It was a perfect spring day! Until I rounded the first corner of the park: ‘Hey, look! The fat lady is trying to lose weight!’ Jarred by the loud remark, I came to stop and spotted the source, about fifty feet away was a group of young boys carrying skateboards. Dozens of retorts raced through my mind.

‘They’re just kids,’ I finally told myself, and kept walking. Once my anger wore off, a flood of forgotten feelings came rushing back to me, the persistent taunts from schoolmates and the ongoing loneliness I felt as an overweight child. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Once I hit puberty I ballooned to 275 pounds. At 5′4′, I was considered what I now know is morbidly obese. During my adult years I managed to keep my weight just under 200 pounds, but only with extreme measures like diet pills, and weeks of nothing but protein shakes. I exercised regularly, though it was often difficult because of persistent fatigue. It was at this point in my life the cruel remark affected me so deeply.

Heading home, I vowed to learn more about obesity discrimination. What is being done to educate the public? What are the consequences of being obese in today’s society? I also vowed to become healthy, to stop focusing on society’s approval or disapproval of my weight and start focusing on my well-being.

During my research I uncovered shocking statistics. Studies in the International Journal of Obesity report that weight discrimination, especially against women, is increasing in U.S. society and in some cases is even more prevalent than rates of discrimination based on gender and race. Reported discrimination based on weight has increased 66 percent in the past decade, up from about to 12 percent of U.S. adults. (About 17 percent of men and 9 percent of women reported race discrimination.)

Among severely obese people, about 28 percent of men and 45 percent of women said they have experienced discrimination because of their weight.

There are two types of weight discrimination: institutional and interpersonal. Institutional discrimination involves healthcare, education, and workplace situations. I personally experienced this when I was denied individual health insurance by a well-known provider because of my ‘height/weight variation.’ The web site cswd.org reports that workers who are heavier than average are paid $1.25 less an hour. Over a 40-year career, they will earn up to $100,000 less before taxes than their thinner counterparts (Baum, 2004).

Interpersonal discrimination is what I experienced that day in the park.

‘Weight discrimination is a very serious social problem that we need to pay attention to,’ says Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Puhl believes weight discrimination will not decrease until attitudes change and laws begin addressing it.

No federal laws against weight discrimination exist. Michigan is currently the only state with an anti-size discrimination law on its books, though the Massachusetts Legislature held hearings last month on a proposed law. San Francisco joined Washington, D.C., and Santa Cruz, Cal., as the only cities with bans on weight discrimination.

Like so many suffering from obesity, I had an undiagnosed health condition. I now know I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a metabolic disorder that affects women. PCOS causes weight gain and a myriad of other symptoms: unwanted facial hair, irregular periods, depression, and even infertility. I’ve learned to eat in a way that stabilizes my blood sugar (imbalances in insulin are the root cause of the disorder), take the right combination of vitamins and supplements, and have joined numerous online support groups for PCOS sufferers. I am now a healthy 145 pounds.

I urge anyone who is obese to diligently research common underlying causes: pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome/syndrome X, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, and subclinical hypothyroidism.

There are many advocacy groups fighting to end weight discrimination like The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, and the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

By: Dr. Andrea Lee

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Technorati Tags: weight discrimination

By Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

© Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

Ah, emotional eating can be the downfall of many a well intentioned soul.

Technorati Tags: causes of weight gain, emotional eating, lose weight, Weight Loss

Stevia which has been around as substitute for sugar for quite some time it is just coming to the attention of greater numbers of people as more and more is appearing on market shelves as branded sugar substitutes.

I believe that stevia is one of the best natural sweeteners available. It is natural, calorie-free, and can be used as is or in baking and cooking. I like it so much more than all of the artificial sweeteners out there I thought i would talk about it here today.

Stevia is a a natural deciduous shrub plant which that grows  in the southwestern United States ,originally native to South America. The sweetening level of stevia depends upon the species involved; there are hundreds of different species of this plant and perhaps a dozen of which  have the sweetness characteristics desired. While it is possible to buy fresh leaves or dried leaves from the plant itself, when you purchase stevia in the store, you are most likely going to be purchasing a powdered extract from the plant or a liquid concentrate.

If you buy the liquid concentrate, the composition of the stevia depends on the method of production. Sometimes these liquid concentrates are produced by boiling the leaves directly in water and sometimes the leaves are steeped in water or a water-plus-alcohol mixture. Although it’s unclear from the research that has been done exactly which form of stevia is the most health supportive, there is no question that stevia extracts in any form come out far ahead of white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup in terms of their potential health benefits and has none of the health negatives associated with sugar and weight gain and insulin issues. Among the possible benefits here are therefore the potential hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) effects and potential blood pressure lowering effects. These qualities are what first brought me to stevia as a family member is diabetic and I was seeking the best sugar substitute for our family.

Stevia which has been used by many especially in South and Central America as both a sweetener and a medicinal agent. In the United States, stevia is approved by the Food and Drug Administration a federal agency of the U.S.for sale as a dietary supplement, but it cannot be promoted as a sweetening agent or a food additive because the FDA has not felt comfortable with the research evidence documenting its safety. I don’t have any research-based reasons to share the concern of the FDA, however, and so I do like this sweetener as an alternative for those persons and they number in the tens of millions who are seeking a table sugar replacement.

Something you’ll be sure tonotice about stevia is that it is very very sweet and so it is wise to be carefuland  get used to how much sweetening bang you get for your teaspoonful. In its refined, white powdery as opposed to the granular quality of sugar. It is usually in the extract form in which there is a very high concentration of steviosides, It may be several hundred times sweeter than the normally used  table sugar. It should therefore be used sparingly when substituted for sugar, whether it is for sweetening beverages, to be used in baked goods recipes, or for any of the many other ways that you may choose to use it.

 I use and have used stevia for some time now. For me the reason is that while I think stevia can be a great natural substitute for sugar, notably for those who have blood sugar concerns. Stevia is not usually purchased as a whole food (in the fresh or dried leaf form), but rather as a powdered extract or liquid concentrate.

FDA Approved Stevia - Zero-Calorie Natural Sweetner

In December 2008 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Stevia product rebaudioside A (rebiana) as a general purpose sweetener. Rebiana is an ingredient derived from the leaf of t… 

Lose Weight: Try Stevia Instead of Sugar (Day 17) - Dr. Norris …

If you’re into health food, and alternative and holistic foods you’ve probably heard of Stevia extract, Stevia rebaudiana, a sweetener that comes from South America and used by t… 

Does the body treat stevia as a sugar?

Stevia stimulates the sweet-taste receptors on the tongue, but it is not biologically related to sugar. Stevia has been used for centuries as a non-calorie sweetener in South and Central… 

Technorati Tags: best sugar substitute, stevia

Hi everyone. I don’t like to go with duplicate content but the material here is too important not share with you. It comes straight from the Food and Drug Administartion. You must resist the untested and possibilby harmful supplements touted as weight loss miracles. they may in fact be effective but far too often at considerable risk to the people who use them. Remember Phen Phen. So Please stay away from these. you can and will lose weight the right way this year. You eat a little less and move a little more. Start that now with taking an invigorating calorie burning  brisk walk as far away from these products as you possibly can no matter how tempting what they promise is. It is definitely not worth the risks to your health.

FDA Expands it’s deadly  Serious Warning to weight loss product consumers concerning a large number of Tainted Weight Loss Pills

FDA Warns Consumers: Tainted Weight Loss Pills
 Increases list of products; Agency seeks recalls

The FDA is expanding its nationwide alert to us about tainted weight loss pills that contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients. In December 2008, FDA warned consumers not to purchase or consume twenty eight  products marketed for weight loss. Since that time, FDA analysis has identified forty one more weight loss products that may put consumers’ health at risk. The FDA is not an agency that takes this kind of warning lightly. They issue this sort of advisory only when they are convinced that the danger posed by the products are without doubt  not worth the benefits they claim to offer in other words extremely dangerous to you.

The  list of products that are considered dangerous enough to issue a warning to you:

An  analysis found undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in these products include sibutramine ,a controlled substance,  rimonabant ,a drug not approved for marketing in the USA, phenytoin ,an anti-seizure medication, phenolphthalein, a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer causing agent and bumetanide ,a diuretic. Some of the amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients far exceeded the FDA-recommended levels, puttingthe public’s health at serious risk.

Technorati Tags: Tainted Weight Loss Pills

Acai Berry Diet - Lose Weight And Live Healthy With The Acai Berry Diet

The acai berry diet has been gaining a lot of popularity these days after being featured by Dr. Perricone and Dr. Oz on the Oprah winfrey show. But what makes the acai berry diet so good? How could a berry that was relatively uknown just a few years ago, gain such high recognition?

The acai berry itself is nothing new to the world. It grows on the Acai palm in the Brazilian rainforest. The natives have used the berry for ages to help fight off hunger and boost their energy. Just recently, the health benefits of the acai berry are being discovered by the rest of the world.

What are the health benefits of acai? The acai berry is naturally rich in many nutrients. It has more healthy omega fats for its size than any other food. It contains electrolytes to improve your bodies natural ability with regards to physical activity. It his high in both protein and fiber, both which help build muscle and increase your metabolism. It also contains a large amount of vitamins A, B1, B2, E, and C. But, what the acai berry is most known for is it’s antioxidants. It has over 10x more antioxidants than grapes! These antioxidants help to eliminate the harmful effect of the free radicals which are all too common in todays society.

If you are wanting to try the acai berry diet but have not seen acai berry extract or acai berry pills in any stores around your home, don’t worry, they will be there soon enough. The berry is still too new to have made its way into the mainstream market yet. You can find plenty of acai berry diet pills online though. Many are offering free trials to help spread the word about this beneficial diet supplement.

Whether or not you choose to lose weight with the acai berry diet, or any other diet supplement or system, it’s important to remember a few simple things. There is no magic solution to weight loss. You should always strive to eat healthy and get take part in a few hours of physical activity each week. The acai berry diet has helped millions of people lose more weight than they could without it. But even the benefits of the acai berry aren’t enough to make you lose weight if you eat ice cream all day while sitting in front of the television.

Eat healthy, be active, and take advantage of diet supplements. Follow those 3 simple rules and you are sure to meet any weight loss goal that you set for yourself.

By: Sean Anderson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit the Acai Berry Diet homepage at www.AcaiBerryDiet.us to learn more about the health benefits of the Acai Berry, or to find places online to purchase Acai Berry supplements, as well as find free trial offers for several Acai Berry Diet products.

Technorati Tags: acai berry, acai berry diet, lose weight with acai berry

Mediterranean Diet - Pros And Cons Of The Mediterranean Lifestyle

What is the Mediterranean Diet all about and what are its benefits and drawbacks? The Mediterranean Diet can basically be attributed to the recent recognition that of those living in Europe, those in the Mediterranean live longest on average. Why might this be, you ask? Well, researchers believe that the secret lies in their diet. While the Mediterranean Diet is not a concrete diet plan like South Beach or Atkins, and the diets of those countries within the region differ by certain degrees, there are still certain traits that have been found to be universal.

First off, in the Mediterranean, there is a large consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, cereals, beans, seeds, nuts, and bread. Secondly, olive oil is commonly used for cooking and dressings. Thirdly, there is a moderate consumption of fish but little red meat. Fourth, there is a low to moderate amount of full fat cheeses and yogurt that is consumed. And contrary to popular belief, there is only a moderate consumption of wine that is usually only had during meals. Also, there is a strong reliance on seasonal produce. And lastly, those living in the Mediterranean live an active lifestyle which is vital for complete state of fitness.

So, what are some of the benefits to this Mediterranean lifestyle? In a recent 4 year study, the diets of over 22,000 Greeks were studied and the closer they adhered to a traditional Greek diet, the less likely they were to die from either heart disease or cancer. Overall, the traditionalists found themselves 25% less likely to die during the 4 year study period, which suggests that adherents of traditional diet die later rather then sooner. In comparison to Americans, Greeks are 20% less likely to die from coronary artery disease and are 33% less likely to develop cancer. Is there a solid reasoning behind this increased protection from heart disease and cancer? Yes, and the reason lies in their consumption of olive oil and oily fish such as sardines, which contain, in the case of olive oil, monounsaturated fats while the fish contains polyunsaturated fats called omega-3 fatty acids. Both can help protect your heart. Furthermore, the large consumption of fruits and vegetables like tomatoes will further reinforce your body against cancer and heart disease by providing plenty of valuable antioxidants.

So, are there any downsides to this Mediterranean diet? All in all, no, but if you find yourself active, eat a good bit more protein throughout the day. They recommend eating fish, eggs and poultry a few times a week. I’d have some good protein with every meal just to make sure all of the bases are covered. One of the only issues that people will be confronted with is it requires frequent cooking, and if you are too busy or lazy to do that then you will only be gleaning some of its benefits. Also, this ‘diet’ is hard to criticize since it is not as restrictive and regimented as Atkins and others are. To me, that only creates shortcomings which translates into nutritional imbalances. So, apply the protein-enhanced Mediterranean principle to the concept of eating 5 small meals a day and you’ll truly be living a life fit for a Greek.

By: Robert Palmer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Technorati Tags: atkins diet, mediterranean diet fast weight loss, south beach diet

Guest writer here today  Liz is traveling

Losing weight somehow never seems to be a fast process as compared to the quick manner of gaining pounds! If only there were miraculous ways to lose weight fast! Well, we all do expect a miracle for many such issues. But then natural weight loss is something that is recommended by experts everywhere! A healthy diet and regular exercise are just the basics of weight control. But there are many other ideas you can include in your daily life to lose weight fast. Healthy habits will surely put you on the right path. But then, Rome was not built in a day! Let’s take a quick look at some basic ways to lose weight quickly!

Ways to lose weight fast: Weight loss is a weighty issue and needs to be dealt with care. You need to consult your doctor before you opt for weight loss programs. If you aim for quick weight loss, you need not starve yourself. Rather, include these various ways (and be consistent) in your everyday routine to lose weight fast.

Skip the desserts
We all love celebrating birthdays and occasions with scrumptious desserts. In that case, stick only to the occasion. Avoid binging on desserts for the sheer temptation! This will help you indulge in an occasional dessert without really feeling guilty!

Include soups and salads
A healthy diet will help you to maintain your weight. However, you must have faced many occasions where you may have gone dining with friends or family. Here’s a little secret to avoid adding to the bulge. Begin with a soup as a starter. This curbs the hunger and also the urge to stuff yourself with food. A broth and salad can help you to keep your stomach full yet eat other food items present and avoid overindulgence!

Eat 4-5 small meals
Forget the heavy luncheons and dinners. Have small meals around 4-5 times in a day. Breakfast is the most important meal. A balanced lunch and dinner in measured proportions with healthy snacks in between will help curb the craving for food. It will also keep you feeling active during the day.

Carry fruits for those hunger pangs
There are times when we may feel stressed at work and crave for that bar of chocolate or packet of chips. Having a stock of fresh fruits in your bag can help you tackle those odd moments. Including fruits in your diet will benefit you in many ways. You can even opt for fresh fruit juice to refresh yourself during the day.

Exercise daily
Exercise is the obvious solution for all weight-related issues. There are many people who crib about not being able to join gyms. Well, did you know about the various ways of burning fat even at home? A home exercise routine that includes a fat-burning workout on an everyday basis will help you to lose weight quickly.

Eat home-cooked meals
We all love to eat out in style. But did you know you tend to put on more calories by eating meals at restaurants? Well, not only do we tend to choose foods rich in calories but also tend to eat larger portions. Keep your entire fine dining plans for the weekend. This will help you to maintain a routine and subsequently, lose weight faster.

Treat yourself occasionally
If you want to lose weight fast, it does not mean you have to punish yourself. Treating yourself regularly with friends will maintain a healthy balance in life. It will also curb your craving for desserts and sweets. An occasional treat will keep your mind happy and you won’t have that sinking feeling every time you pass the sweetshop!

These are some of the best ways to lose weight and this can be possible if you stick to this routine on an everyday basis. With consistency and discipline, you will surely achieve your target and resolve these weighty issues!

Technorati Tags: fast weight lose, lose ten pounds fast, lose weight fast, lose weight quickly

Technorati Tags: energy metabolism, low carb diet, low carbohydrate diet

Low carbohydrate diets are all the rage these days. They promise quick weight loss while “eating all the food you want”. But is a low carb vegetarian diet possible?What is a low carb diet?
A low carb diet is a style of eating where carbohydrate intake is severely restricted. Proteins and, to some extent, fats are unlimited. Experts say that when  your body is deprived of carbohydrates, it will begin to burn fat for its energy, putting your body into ketosis.

The Atkins Diet is probably the most famous low carb diet, but there are others as well–Protein Power, The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, and Stillman’s Diet, among others.

Usually, the first two weeks of a low carb diet have a very restricted level of carbs. On Atkins, this is called the “induction phase”. Even many vegetables are forbidden. After the induction phase, healthy carbs, such as fruits and whole grains, can be reintroduced slowly.

Because you don’t want to eat carbohydrates on a low carb diet, the primary source of food is meat.

What are vegetarian low carb food sources?
Low carb vegetarian foods include eggs, tofu, cheeses (including soft cheeses like cream cheese and cottage cheese), protein powder/shakes, and nuts. Some fake-meat products may also be low carb, but check the label to be sure, as they often have high carb ingredients.

Unfortunately, almost all of these food sources, unlike meat, do contain some carbs. In fact, many of the foods on the vegetarian list are thought to stall the weight loss progress of a traditional low carb dieter if eaten in excess. 

Is a low carb vegetarian diet possible?
It’s possible to follow a low carb vegetarian diet, but your food options are extremely limited and because they do contain carbs, you will still have to restrict your food during the first phase of a low carb diet. In my opinion, this can get very boring, very quickly. It’s just not practical.

Vegetarians can find success following the less-restrictive phases of popular low carb diets. However, for vegetarians, a low carb diet is never going to have the “all you can eat” aspect which is what makes the diet so appealing to dieters. Vegetarians will still have to watch the amount of food that they are eating, which kind of defeats the purpose.

If you are a vegetarian, and you are looking for a diet that allows you to eat as much as you want, you may want to look into a low fat vegan diet, such as the McDougall program. These types of diets are shown to be very effective for losing weight while still allowing you to feel satisfied.

by: Shannon Tani

Shannon Tani is a former fattie, who weighed over 220lbs. She has currently lost over 70lbs. One day she realized that people would rather hear dieting advice from someone who’s “been there, done that” than a boring old doctor who’s never been fat a day in his life. So she started the website Better Off Fat to share her experiences and ideas.

Technorati Tags: atkins diet, Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, protein power, stillman's diet