December 22nd, 2009
Childhood Overweight and Obesity has become a great concern in America today. Data from NHANES surveys conducted for years 1976 to 1980 and 2003 to 2006 reveal an alarming increase in the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic. The frequency of obesity in children ages 2 to 5 increased from 5% to 12.4%. In children ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 19, the frequency of obesity grew from 6.5% to 17% and 5% to 17.6%, respectively.
The relevancy of the statistics is the pure definition of an unhealthy lifestyle developed within the early years of life and continuing into adulthood. American children are being consumed by unhealthy eating habits that will destroy their lives if a healthy nutritional program is not introduced.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t about short-term dietary changes. It’s about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses.”
Though the answer of changing your diet and remaining active always sounds good in theory, few people are successful in developing a lifelong plan, usually reverting back to “old habits” that are “easy and comfortable”. Children need guidance at an early age about the importance of a healthy nutritional program.
Once nutrition is introduced, energy and health follow!
In order to successfully lose weight, the basic diet plan should be to emphasize nutrition. Nutrition is a key factor in maintaining healthy weight and minimizing the cravings of unhealthy foods. Plus, a balanced nutritional program provides young children the bodily needs necessary for healthy growth and physical endurance.
Be a role model for your children. Introduce nutrition. Implement a plan designed for step-by-step progress and become amazed by the results derived from a simple dedication to a simple nutritional program.
Find your healthy lifestyle—NOW!!!
Tags: Active, Adolescent, Adult, Adulthood, Balance, Child, Children, Control, Craving, Develop, Diet, Disease, Early, eating, Energy, Health, Healthy, Herbalife, Lifestyle, Maintain, Nutrition, Obesity, Program, Promote, Simply, Unhealthy, Weight, Weight Loss, Young
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December 16th, 2009
Do you struggle with weight loss? Some days, you feel gung-ho. You’re ready to eat salad and chicken all day long, forsaking desserts for good. Other days, you feel completely hopeless. You think, “why bother?” as you reach to open a bag of cookies.
When fighting a war against unhealthy habits, you will win and lose some battles. The key is keeping in touch with the “why” behind your weight loss so you can win over the long haul. Why do you want to lose your pregnancy pounds? To be attractive? Healthier? For your husband or your kids’ sake? When you’re in touch with your values, the decisions become clear. You’re driven by something higher than your taste buds.
Sometimes you have to consider what you don’t want to realize what you do want:
1. Don’t become a statistic. The proportion of Americans who are overweight or obese has been rising for the past 25 years. Don’t be part of the nearly two-thirds of women in the United States who are overweight, or the one-third who are obese. Being part of this crowd means you’re high risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other major health problems. And the most sobering thing is that your children will follow you.
2. Don’t be a victim. Maybe you come from a family that has struggled with being overweight for generations. Or you find yourself depressed and unable to make wise decisions. Don’t give in to the victim mentality. You can do something positive to turn your situation around. You are not stuck with a particular destiny unless you surrender your will.
3. Don’t wait for a feeling. Most days, you won’t “feel” motivated. Sustainable motivation doesn’t begin with a feeling. It begins with a decision you make with your mind.
Chances are you don’t want to be a statistic, a victim or a procrastinator. Now is the time to make some decisions that will change the course of your life and your children’s. When you need motivation, just look at your precious baby. What kind of health do you want for him or her? Let healthy eating and exercise begin with you!
Today’s Action Step: What is your personal motivation for losing weight after baby?
Tags: Baby, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Losing Weight, Motivation, Obese, Overweight, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Pounds, statistic, Weight, Weight Loss
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December 8th, 2009
Again and again we are told that “Obesity in America is Epidemic” and that this health threatening condition is being spread worldwide. Look around you and no doubt you will conclude that obesity is rapidly spreading. We blame it all on a sedentary life style and the Mc Donald’s / TV / Computer / Video games generation.
Statistics seem to confirm these points. For the first time in world history more people are overfed rather than underfed. Overweight children at historic highs. An estimated 15 % of boys and girls 6 to 11 years of age are overweight. Children are gaining more weight over the summer than during the school year. Computer and video game “screen time” shows an astonishing 8 hours a day in the United States. Throw in fast foods and this will all explain the current plague of obesity and along with the plague of diabetes which is increasing in rate at an astonishing rate.
Blame it all on fat we are told. If we reduce our fat levels all of this will go away. However it may be that our problems of obesity are a direct result of our cutting out and reducing fat intake not the other way around.
Isn’t it amazing you would think? As a society we have cut our fat intake and cholesterol levels to the bone and yet we get fatter and fatter and have ever increasing amounts of diabetes in our society?
It may well be that it is not the fat that is bad for us – rather it is the refined carbohydrates specifically that are the evil ones. This includes – refined sugars as found in bread and other baked goods, potatoes , yams and obvious refined sugar containing foods such as ice cream , candy , soft drinks , beer and fruit juices.
Mankind was not created to eat a diet high in starches or grains, let alone refined sugars. It was only when man invented agriculture, in the recent past that grain products and concentrated sugars were introduced into our diets.
It is not fat that will make you fat. It is not by eating fat that you will have a much greater chance of diabetes and other health problems. It is not even high serum cholesterol, from eating fatty foods such as steaks or butter that will do you in but rather the amount of these refined starches and sugars in your diet.
On top of that we are told that obesity is simply a result of sedentary behaviors – sitting in front of the TV or video games rather than exercising. In fact it is the other way around. People, who exercise, get hungry, eat and gain weight.
We get fat because of tons of insulin in our bloodstream.
Insulin is needed by our body to break down fat. Obese people need more and more insulin to burn off the fat in their bodies. The fatter you are, the more insulin your pancreas will pump out after a meal. It’s a like a drug addict needing more and more drug to get a high. The body’s need to have more and more insulin to burn the same amount of fat in an obese person is referred to as “insulin resistance”.
It’s the refined carbohydrates and starches that cause the body to secrete insulin in the first place. Fat does not matter. In the end it’s all about refined sugars and wheat products such as pasta that cause our problems and not fat.
In the end obesity and our plague of ever increasing diabetes is not about fat, fatty foods and fat intake and not exercising but rather about our intake of refined sugars, bread and pasta products. It is not about fat and cholesterol. They really do not matter much when it comes to making you fat and obese .
Tags: Cholesterol, Diabetes, Fat, Food, Health, Healthfood, Lipitor, Medical, Nutrition, Obese, Weight
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December 4th, 2009
Lose weight before it’s too late! Health issues arising from obesity is already known to vast majority of people. Unfortunately, due to changes is the phase of the modern day lifestyle, statistics show that 15 % of children aging 6 to 19 years of age are overweight (children and teens). What caused the change compared to the last generation? It is hard to determine the real culprit behind child obesity today. More synthetic diets and fast living contributed a lot in the degradation of quality eating habits of children. Harsh economic conditions push women to enter in the working world. They are no longer fully in charge of the diet of the family unlike in the 60’s. Actually this has nothing to do with a woman preparing the meal, but it is all about how much a mother would put extra effort in keeping the health of the family at best. Children today live a sedentary lifestyle facing the TV, computer and video games without the guiding busy parents. A busy family with no time to do domestic task would let money feed their stomach. There is enough money to spend for the services of restaurants that pay no special concern other than getting their menus consumed. The way of making recipes tasty are either achieved by adding more oil and other harsh additives, which are not supposedly a big part of the daily diet. The influx of easy meals available around every corner are either fried or dredged with rich dressings. There is no more time to give it a second look.With the situation, there is no doubt the picture of obese teens marks the proof of the reality. Before it’s too late, something has to be done. In close to impossible situations, weight loss programs specifically for teens have to be sought. It starts by a comprehensive visit to a professional who will determine the factors affecting the teen’s weight problem. It will be easy for a doctor to diagnose how much weight has to be shed off by doing calculations of the mass body index ration. Actually anybody who has an understanding of this can easily determine his or her weight versus height. This has nothing to do whether you only appear thin or fat by other’s opinion, the doctor will make sure to know how long the program has to be followed. The major ailments accompanying obesity will be given priority like rise and fall of blood sugar, blood pressure, heart condition and blood circulation. Weight loss program for teen will also deal with the psychological aspects on how the teen can cope with its process. In this case, families are encouraged not to inflict discriminating attitude towards the plight of an obese teen. After all, it’s partly the family’s concern and lifestyle, which contributed to the weight problem itself. A program has to be followed to develop the habit of eating properly that goes along with healthy activities and daily routines. There has to be exercise and movements instead of continuous confinement at home during non-school days.Formal and expensive weight loss program for teen may be an option for a family, but it may not be needed if the child’s excess weight is manageable. Well-informed families can take do their own way of diet program approved and consulted to a doctor.Lose weight before it’s too late! Health issues arising from obesity is already known to vast majority of people. Unfortunately, due to changes is the phase of the modern day lifestyle, statistics show that 15 % of children aging 6 to 19 years of age are overweight (children and teens). What caused the change compared to the last generation? It is hard to determine the real culprit behind child obesity today. More synthetic diets and fast living contributed a lot in the degradation of quality eating habits of children. Harsh economic conditions push women to enter in the working world. They are no longer fully in charge of the diet of the family unlike in the 60’s. Actually this has nothing to do with a woman preparing the meal, but it is all about how much a mother would put extra effort in keeping the health of the family at best. Children today live a sedentary lifestyle facing the TV, computer and video games without the guiding busy parents. A busy family with no time to do domestic task would let money feed their stomach. There is enough money to spend for the services of restaurants that pay no special concern other than getting their menus consumed. The way of making recipes tasty are either achieved by adding more oil and other harsh additives, which are not supposedly a big part of the daily diet. The influx of easy meals available around every corner are either fried or dredged with rich dressings. There is no more time to give it a second look.With the situation, there is no doubt the picture of obese teens marks the proof of the reality. Before it’s too late, something has to be done. In close to impossible situations, weight loss programs specifically for teens have to be sought. It starts by a comprehensive visit to a professional who will determine the factors affecting the teen’s weight problem. It will be easy for a doctor to diagnose how much weight has to be shed off by doing calculations of the mass body index ration. Actually anybody who has an understanding of this can easily determine his or her weight versus height. This has nothing to do whether you only appear thin or fat by other’s opinion, the doctor will make sure to know how long the program has to be followed. The major ailments accompanying obesity will be given priority like rise and fall of blood sugar, blood pressure, heart condition and blood circulation. Weight loss program for teen will also deal with the psychological aspects on how the teen can cope with its process. In this case, families are encouraged not to inflict discriminating attitude towards the plight of an obese teen. After all, it’s partly the family’s concern and lifestyle, which contributed to the weight problem itself. A program has to be followed to develop the habit of eating properly that goes along with healthy activities and daily routines. There has to be exercise and movements instead of continuous confinement at home during non-school days.Formal and expensive weight loss program for teen may be an option for a family, but it may not be needed if the child’s excess weight is manageable. Well-informed families can take do their own way of diet program approved and consulted to a doctor.
Tags: Weight
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December 3rd, 2009
In the United States over 60% of people are overweight and 30% of those are described as being obese. The figures in the UK do not read much better, where 43% of men and 33% of women are overweight. In addition to this, however, in the UK an extra 23% of women are classed as obese as are 22% of men. Age does have an impact on weight gain, with 77% of men in the 64 – 75 age range overweight and 71% of women. Too much body fat is not just a cosmetic problem. In the UK alone, according to a report in the Daily Mail newspaper, 1 in 11 deaths can be directly attributed to carrying too much weight. The figure of 300,000 adults dying from fat-related illnesses has been released in the United States. Studies undertaken by the Childhood Obesity Statistics notes that obesity figures in children is heading towards epidemic proportions.
The problem is almost too big to conceive and it is escalating, with the number of vastly overweight children hitting the news more and more frequently. It has been acknowledged that overweight runs in families, either through inherited poor nutrition or lack of sufficient exercise, but despite it always being thought that children would grow out of their ‘puppy fat’, these days, children rarely do and go on to become overweight, and often unhealthy, adults, passing their poor nutritional habits on to their children. Children are probably not helped by frequenting Fast Food Restaurants where extra large portions are freely on offer, along with sugary drinks, doughnuts and other sugary snacks.
What about weight loss plans, though? Why are these not helping? After all, there are plenty of them around. The problem with weight loss plans, they are based on calories in/calories out and, if somebody’s body weight is so high that the calorie ratio cannot be met, the overweight person would have to survive on so few calories that it would be almost impossible for them to live especially when you think that a person who is vastly overweight would have to remain on that weight loss plan for many many months. In the end, it is hardly feasible.
A huge part of the problem is the pace of life in the 21st century, usually with both adults in a household working from early morning and returning home to children, housework, cooking and attempting to maintain some degree of family life amongst this daily maelstrom. In the end everybody ends up exhausted and too tired to do much more than flop in front of the television, despite the fact that they know it is not a good idea to be so indolent. Food is eaten quickly, food shopping is undertaken in a hurry and fattening processed foods full of saturated fats are the easiest to prepare quickly and are often the basic ingredients in many of the ready meals marketed for busy families.
It is hardly surprising that after failure follows failure overweight people either completely give up trying to lose weight, or they turn to alternatives such as hypnosis and acupuncture or to dietary supplements and finally, to bariatric surgery – a last resort which has seen many successes since it increased in popularity. Meanwhile, the weight loss supplement is huge, with websites devoted to Acai berries, Hoodie Gordonii, Ororo Detox, Lipobind, Proactol plus many more. These are the tip of the iceberg and basically, if you are overweight and have not succeeded in losing weight yet, studies have found that you will be ready to try absolutely anything to help you find the Holy Grail of just becoming a normal size.
Tags: Diet, Fat, Fat Reduction, Lose Weight, Reduce Fat, Slim, Slimming, Weight, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Plan
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