Weight Loss Information

The Solution to Healthy Weight Loss


The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem. There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40 to $100 billion in the US alone, much of that on scams and fad diets that promise the impossible.

Research shows that 95% of people who have lost weight find that they regain it back when they return to their normal eating habits.

According to the Center for Disease Control's Chronic Disease Center, in 1991 in the United States, only four states had an obesity prevalence of 15 percent to 19 percent. In 2003, 15 states had an obesity prevalence of 15 to 19 percent, 31 states had an obesity prevalence of 20 to 24 percent, and four states had a prevalence of 25 percent or more.

Major medical problems associated with obesity include gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and osteoarthritis.

If that isn't incentive enough to lose that excess weight statistics show that overweight people are usually given lower paying jobs, get lower salaries, receive little in raises, and are, as a whole, looked down upon by 40 percent of fellow employees and employers.

In 2002 The American Heart Association reported that more than 10 percent of US children ages 2 to 5 are overweight. That is up from 7 percent in 1994. The situation is probably even worse now, said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, president-elect of the heart association and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.

The obesity problem among children has increased with school-age children as well. Four million children ages 6 to 11 and 5.3 million in age group 12 to 19 have increased by 75 percent from 1991.

Food habits adopted in childhood can be hard to change. As a result hypertension and high cholesterol leading to heart disease, strokes, and diabetes are going to become the nations top health problem with people of all ages within 10 to 30 years. These are ailments that usually afflict the middle age to elderly population. More than a million new cases of diabetes are already being diagnosed each year, says the American Diabetic Association.

Nearly 30 percent of American adults are overweight and another 30 percent are obese, according to University of Minnesota researchers. Obesity is usually described as a weight 20 percent greater than the persons desirable weight.

A study by the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle revealed that 60% of overweight women, and 70% of obese women, are likely to become pregnant while taking the pill. The researchers suggest that a higher metabolism is the reason, causing the medication to be effective for a shorter length of time. Or, that the drug interacts with the body's hormones in a way that the drug becomes trapped in the body fat instead of circulating in the bloodstream.

Studies with obese pregnant women show they are 50% more likely to die during pregnancy than those of normal weight. Complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and stillbirth are also more common. Preliminary evidence shows that babies are also adversely affected, and are more likely to be obese themselves in later life.

Fast foods: Studies show that people who frequent fast food outlets twice a week or more gained 36 pounds over the course of 15 years compared to 26 pounds for those that frequented them once a week or less.

A major factor for the obesity crisis is a sedentary lifestyle, not enough exercise, and the eating of high calorie fast foods in place of nutritious natural food products.

Fast food is designed to promote consumption of the maximum number of calories in the minimum amount of time. This upsets the body's normal metabolism. One solution is to eat smaller, more nutritious, meals more frequently throughout the day.

Physical activity reduces the effects of being overweight, but healthy eating habits have to be followed to prevent disease associated with poor nutrition according to an expert of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The new diet guidelines set by the Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is basically a balanced diet and good old fashioned exercise. They stress more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and limit fats, sugar, alcohol, and salt.

Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day making a choice of healthy food available at all times.

For more tips on how to lose weight safely see The Secret to Weight Loss at: http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/diettips.htm

------------------------------------------------------------
REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publish
this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter,
ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it
remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author
information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use
this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).

You may retrieve this article by:

Autoresponder: diettips1000@getresponse.com
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net/articles/diettips.txt

Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney

Please leave the resource box intact with an active link,
and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the
article appears to: marilynp@nctc.net
------------------------------------------------------------

Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net


MORE RESOURCES:

Weight Loss Surgery Helps Obese Women Have Healthier Babies
New York Times, United States - Nov 19, 2008
By RONI CARYN RABIN Women who become pregnant after weight-loss surgery have easier pregnancies and healthier babies than do obese women who become pregnant ...


TheMedGuru

Weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy
Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 19, 2008
Now researchers have found that obese women who undergo weight-loss surgery before becoming pregnant are less likely to have pregnancy-related health ...
Weight-loss surgery helps with pregnancy: study Reuters
Go for pre-pregnancy weight loss surgery Times of India
Some Pregnancy-Related Complications Minimized for Women Who Have ... MarketWatch
TheMedGuru - U.S. News & World Report
all 58 news articles


Weight Loss Blog: Getting Started
TheDenverChannel.com, CO - 3 hours ago
I keep hearing Oprah Winfrey in my head saying if there was a magic pill to weight loss, she'd have it. If the woman who can afford personal trainers and ...


Family Doctor: Weight loss can cause excess skin
Canton Repository (subscription), OH - 18 minutes ago
A: First, I would like to congratulate your granddaughter on her astonishing weight loss. Skin is very stretchy and often reshapes as weight is lost. ...


Weight-loss surgery beneficial for both mother and baby
TopNews, Arkansas - 2 minutes ago
A recent research showed that weight-loss surgery not only increases the chances of pregnancy but it also reduces the risk of various complications in ...


That Happened!

Weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy
That Happened!, New York - 15 hours ago
New York - Researchers have found that weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy. They found that women who had weight loss surgery before becoming ...


News Channel 7

Scale Down Weight Loss To Hold Free Seminar
News Channel 7, SC - 8 hours ago
Scale Down Weight Loss Programs will offer a free community seminar on December 4 at The Horizon Center in downtown Spartanburg. ...


Weight Loss Surgery for Two
Ivanhoe, FL - Nov 19, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Undergoing bariatric weight loss surgery before becoming pregnant may be the healthiest decision for both mother and baby. ...


Weight Loss Contests Started for Scale-Busting Pets
WLNE-TV (ABC6), RI - 9 hours ago
The pet who achieves the biggest percentage weight loss and best follows their new regime will be crowned champion, winning their owner a pet-friendly ...


PennLive.com

Radio show host inspires with weight loss
PennLive.com, PA - 9 hours ago
by ABIGAIL KETCHUM for Body & Mind As the host of WHP-580's morning show, Harris often shared his diet stories with listeners. ...

Weight-Loss - Google News

home | site map
© 2006