Weight Loss Motivation

Weight Loss Inspiration

2008-12-08T17:35:00.002-06:00

Dallas Carter - a Hawaii man stuck to a healthy diet and exercise routine for 2 years and lost 190 pounds, more than half of his body weight. Quite an inspiration! Here is the full report and video.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=9462503

"I ate a lot of lean meats and vegetables. I set small goals. I said I don't care how much weight I lose, I told myself I am going to stick to this diet regiment and my exercise routine." Dallas stuck to it, and two years later, he went from big to small.
"I found so much joy in other things. I found joy in walking around, spending time with my family, climbing on the jungle gym with my daughter. Those things are what makes me happy. They fill what used to be filled by food," said Carter.
He lost about 190 pounds and gained both confidence and a desire to help others achieve the same goal.
"If you can honestly do your best everyday you will succeed and pick yourself up when you fall and keep going forward cause it can happen. I mean the whole world and society told me it wouldn't be able to happen for me." Dallas now weighs 165 pounds and doesn't plan on losing anymore weight. His goal now, is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you are struggling with the holiday foods, here are two things to keep in mind. First, be aware of your calories. Avoid empty calories like sugar-loaded soft drinks. Eat healthier foods like green veggetables and lean meats. Don't overdo it at the dinner table. If you ever worked out on a treadmill, you remember how long it takes to burn 100 calories. Getting 100 calories is nothing but a piece of cake, literally.

Second, move your body. It is so tempting to sit around with the families and watch TV during the holidays. If you don't have to sit, stand; if you don't have to stand, walk around, even inside your house. You will be amazed how these little things can make a huge difference.

Don't feel guilty if you guard is off on a day or two. That happens to everyone. But do remember that it is you who gains the weight, it is also you who can lose it!

Weight Loss - Long-Term

2008-09-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

Changing your "set point" for permanent weight loss.

Lately I've been thinking about what why losing those ten pounds is so difficult. I know that losing some weight will cause my body to function better, so why does it seem to fight it so much? Is times long past our bodies were storing resources up for a time of famine or drought. Many of us are now in the enviable position of having too many resources. So, we have to retrain our bodies into losing weight. There is a pertinent article on this subject on WebMD (a great resource by the way for diet and health issues). This author writes that our bodies are set to a specific weight known as the "set point".

"Just as your body temperature is programmed to stay around 98.6 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10%-20%, says Thomas Wadden, PhD, director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at University of Pennsylvania Medical School. This weight range is known as the "set point." A complex set of hormones, chemicals, and hunger signals help your body naturally maintain your weight within this range, says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD."

Increasing your weight will also increase your "set point". It's easy to increase this number, but difficult to lower it. "'Overeating swamps the internal regulatory system, and, as a result, the set point increases -- which is much easier to do than it is to lower it, says Wadden. The body adjusts to the higher weight and "resets" the set point to defend the new weight". The higher set point can be adjusted to a lower number but it does take some work. "A recent book, Break through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off, by George Blackburn, MD, suggests that maintaining a 10% loss for six months to a year helps your body adjust to the lower weight and thus reset the set point.

Wadden explains that when you lose large amounts of weight at once, you set up an internal struggle and hormones like ghrelin spike to make you hungrier as your body tries to defend its comfortable range. Instead, experts recommend that you try losing 10% the old-fashioned way -- by slowly changing eating and exercise behaviors -- then maintain this new weight for a few months before trying to lose more. Not only will your body get the signal to lower its "set point, 'but you'll give yourself a chance to get used to new food choices, smaller portions, and regular exercise.'

I've been working on changing dietary habits and varying exercise for about two months. I do hope I begin to see results soon. This slow pace will be worth it, if the weight stays off.

Losing Weight with Small Changes

2008-07-09T17:07:00.003-05:00

Small changes can result in big results.

I am a runner who has been trying to loose ten pounds for over a year. I often feel frustrated because I do exercise; I run 3-4 miles about five times a week. But I still feel overweight. I believe I have reached the dreaded exercise plateau. Because smaller changes are easier and longer lasting then huge ones, I've decided to tweak my lifestyle instead of attempting a complete overhaul. Here are some small changes that may bring big results.

Exercise tweaks - "Different Day, Different Intensity"
Varying your activities or cross-training is important to avoid or break through a plateau. While cross-training the type of activity is often recommended, it is also
important to cross-train the intensity of your workouts. Specify different days of the week as low, moderate or high-intensity days. Try interval training work at a low intensity for a couple of minutes and increase to a high intensity for a couple of minutes, and repeat..." ( by: Gillian Hood-Gabrielson)

I think the idea of varying the intensity of each day is an attainable goal. If I know that today’s hard work means a bit of a respite tomorrow, I think I'll be able to push myself harder. Interval training is another small tweak that has big results. A workout can be measurably more effective simply by increasing the intensity for brief period of time, then backing off.

Diet tweaks

Instead of a croissant at breakfast, I've been eating a yogurt. It seems to stave off the hunger pains for at least an hour longer. I'm slowly removing carbohydrate snacks from my diet in an attempt to eat less.

Eat Low-Fat Protein to Manage Hunger Pangs - New findings show that a high protein diet can help squelch hunger. Protein foods work by suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite (yes, it triggers hunger!). In a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers found that foods high in fat actually raised levels of ghrelin and increased hunger. Carbohydrates soon made people even hungrier than they were before they had eaten. But it was the protein foods that lowered levels of ghrelin substantially, helping to keep hunger pangs in check. (Quoted from here)

Attitude Tweaks

Reward your behavior, and not your weight. You are probably used to rewarding yourself and being rewarded by others for losing pounds, rather than for altering your behavior. Create a system of rewards for the positive changes you make, rather than the numbers you see on the scale. Make your rewards based on your ability to stick to your goals, and on your changes in thought. When you are able to go through an entire day without self-defeating thoughts, you deserve a reward.

All in all, it is important to remember that your thoughts guide you to action, whether they be positive or negative. If you are self-depreciating in thought, your behaviors will be unproductive, and you will become discouraged easily. If, on the other hand, you acknowledge small accomplishments: more positive self-talk, increased activity, eating more nutritionally balanced meals, feeling healthier, feeling stronger, then your behaviors will reflect that. You will be more encouraged to continue exercising, you will find it easier to resist food temptations, and you will gain self-esteem—not because you are losing weight, but because you are managing your life and your body in a way that is responsible and worthy of praise—and the weight loss that follows will be but a side effect of the behaviors in which you engage. Quoted from Here

This change is the most difficult and the most important. How we speak to ourselves internally greatly affects how we make life choices. I have started to take note of every time I feel fat during the day. When those thoughts come, I label them as negative energy, and move on. If I do not engage in defeatist thinking I will want to eat better and make healthier lifestyle choices. After all if you don’t value yourself, how will you take care of yourself? Losing weight is should be a holistic activity that brings about positive changes on the outside as well as on the inside.

Lose Belly Fat

2008-04-09T12:53:00.002-05:00

Big belly never looks pretty. It can cause serious back pain. Big belly is linked to dementia. Now this study suggests that even if you are not overweight, having a big belly can increase women's death rates.

Having a big waist may raise women's death rates, even in women who aren't overweight.

That news comes from a study of 44,600 female nurses enrolled in a long-term health study.

The bottom line: Waists mattered more than weight.

Being in the normal weight range was less important than having a waist less than 34.6 inches and a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.88 .To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

"Although maintaining a healthy weight should continue to be a cornerstone in the prevention of chronic diseases and premature death, it is equally important to maintain a healthy waist size and prevent abdominal obesity," the researchers write in the April 1 edition of Circulation.

Belly Fat Study When the nurses were 40 to 65 years old, they measured their waists and hips for the study. At the time, none had had heart disease or cancer.

Every two years, they updated their health and lifestyle records for the study, including their physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and menopausal status.

The nurses were followed for 16 years. During that time, a total of 3,507 of the nurses died, including 751 who died of heart disease and 1,748 who died of cancer.

Regardless of other factors, including BMI (body mass index, which relates height to weight), women with larger waists and greater waist-to-hip ratios had higher death rates from all causes, including heart disease and cancer, which are the top two killers of U.S. women.

For example, among women of normal weight, those with a waist larger than 34.6 inches were three times as likely to die of heart disease, compared to women with smaller waists.

Large hips weren't a problem, if the waist wasn't also large. In fact, having large hips and a small waist was associated with lower risk of death from heart disease.

Quote from WebMD

Bigger Belly Linked to Dementia

2008-03-31T08:24:00.006-05:00

Having a big belly in your 40s can boost your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease or other dementia decades later, a new study suggests
It's not just about your weight. While previous research has found evidence that obesity in middle age raises the chances of developing dementia later, the new work found a separate risk from storing a lot of fat in the abdomen. Even people who weren't overweight were susceptible.

That abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped, has already been linked to higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease. "Now we can add dementia to that," said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.
She and others report the findings in Wednesday's online issue of the journal Neurology.

The study involved 6,583 men and women who were ages 40 to 45 when they had checkups between 1964 and 1973. As part of the exam, their belly size was measured by using a caliper to find the distance between their backs and the surface of
their upper abdomens. For the study, a distance of about 10 inches or more was
considered high.

The researchers checked medical records to see who had developed Alzheimer's or another form of dementia by an average of 36 years later. At that point the participants were ages 73 to 87. There were 1,049 cases.Analysis found that compared with people in the study with normal body weight and a low belly measurement:

Participants with normal body weight and high belly measurements were 89 percent more likely to have dementia.
Overweight people were 82 percent more likely if they had a low belly measurement, but more than twice as likely if they had a high belly measurement.
Obese people were 81 percent more likely if they had a low belly measurement, but more than three times as likely if they had a high measurement.

Whitmer said there's no precise way to translate belly measurements into waist circumference. But most people have a sense of whether they have a big belly, she said. And if they do, the new study suggests they should get rid of it, she said.
It's not clear why abdominal fat would promote dementia, but it may pump out substances that harm the brain, she said.

Dr. Jose Luchsinger of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who studies the connection between obesity and Alzheimer's disease but didn't participate in the new work, cautioned that such a study cannot prove abdominal fat promotes dementia. But the study results are "highly plausible" and "I'm not surprised at all," he said. High insulin levels might help explain them, he said.
Dr. Samuel Gandy, who chairs the medical and scientific advisory council of the Alzheimer's Association, said the results fit in with previous work that indicates a person's characteristics in middle age can affect the risk of dementia in later life.
And it's another example of how traits associated with the risk of developing heart disease are also linked to later dementia, he said.
Quoted from CNN

Excessive body fat at any body part can be harmful. It is widely known that a big belly is a main cause of all sorts of back problems. Having a big belly is like constantly carrying a heavy watermelon, that over the long run, puts a lot of stress on the spine.

Binge Eating

2008-03-15T19:10:00.006-05:00

Here is an interesting story about a young woman's battle against the binge eating disorder. She was overeating because food had become a source of comfort to her. An eating disorder is often the manifestation of some psychological problems, such as low self-image and self-esteem. Eating disorders can't be fixed simply by weight loss, since if the psychologic issues are not solved, the weight will come back. There are treatments for eating disorders. Such treatments are effective in losing weight when combined with weight loss.

Morgan Wylie doesn't know how much she weighs. She says that the last number she knew was frightening to repeat. Yet although she's 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and a hefty figure -- what we gamely call "a big girl" -- she's nowhere near the behemoth you're led to expect from reading her blog, Fatgrrl.

Wylie, 27, is a recovering binge eater, and while it's going to be one day at a time for a long time, she recently experienced an amazing success -- if only it could have felt that way in the moment.

Binge eating is about eating alone, eating secretly. "I didn't want people to know how much I was eating," Wylie said, aware that her eating was abnormal. She thought about eating all the time, obsessively planning what to have, where to get it, how to fix it, what to do when it was gone. The ritual gave her comfort, slowed her thoughts.

Her mind has raced for years, always in pursuit of perfection. She was raised by a mother who served in the military, which meant a lot of moving and being the new kid. She was always bigger than the other students, or as she refers to them, "the little bastards on the playground."After a disastrous first job, Wylie was hired by the Walker, but needed a second job to pay her food bills. Life was up and down. She read "The Fat Girl's Guide to Life" by Wendy Shanker and laughed, an emotion she'd never associated with the food she kept hidden in her filing cabinets. Then she ran across Big Fat Blog, a Chicago-based blog about fat acceptance, notable for founder Paul McAleer's coining of the term Fatosphere. She began blogging herself, finding a voice and a community.
... ...
Bring up eating disorders and most people think "15-year-old suburban white female with anorexia," said Jillian Croll, director of education, research and program development for the Emily Program. Yet anorexia affects about 1 percent of the U.S. population and bulimia affects 4 percent, while the portion of binge or compulsive overeaters is closer to 10 percent, she said.

"The tricky thing is that many people have no idea that there's help for it," Croll said. "They think it's just how they live their lives. 'Oh, I emotionally overeat.' So do lots of people."

Treatment involves identifying the feelings that are masked or soothed by overeating, so that as people improve their attitude about eating, they improve their attitude about themselves.

Sessions are intensive, especially the experiential meals in which clients learn not only nutrition, but also "how" to eat. Take the pizza dinner. The dietitian was urging people to pick up the slices with their hands, while everyone was stubbornly using their knives and forks. Why? Because eating with a fork lessened the chance that something would drip onto their shirts. "There's a huge thing of not wanting to spill on yourself, because then you'll appear slovenly and disgusting, which you already think you are," Wylie said.

Breaking such chains of behavior is a prime goal, Croll said. "There's a lot of black-and-white thinking: I had one doughnut, so I might as well eat the whole box.' We help people to realize that you don't have to go to that black-and-white thinking, that there is a gray area where you can say, 'I had one, I wonder what it would feel like to stop now. Or to stop at two,' then move on and not feel as though they've committed a mortal sin."

Warning signs of bingEing or compulsive overeating
Overeating or eating uncontrollably, even when not physically hungry
Eating very rapidly
Eating alone due to shame or embarrassment
Feelings of guilt and shame due to overeating
Depression or mood swings
Isolation, often from activities involving food, due to embarrassment about weight or eating
Eating very little in public, but maintaining a high weight
Preoccupation with weight, dieting and food
Chronic dieting
Typically, awareness that eating patterns are abnormal

Quoted from: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/16086527.html

Boost Metabolism

2008-03-14T23:42:00.003-05:00

B vitamins: B vitamins are key players in DNA synthesis, the central nervous system, metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein and energy production. Inadequate amounts of B6, B12, folate, thiamin and niacin can leave you feeling depressed and fatigued, slow the body’s metabolism and increase your risk for chronic diseases. Get the bulk of your B’s from food, where they pair up with other vitamins and minerals for a complete synergy of action. Foods high in the B’s include: spinach, asparagus, beans (navy, soy, black beans), melon, broccoli, fish, poultry and eggs.

Magnesium: Magnesium is a mineral needed by every cell in your body and is used in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including proper muscle, nerve and heart function, protein synthesis and energy metabolism. The National Institutes of Health reports that most Americans are not getting enough magnesium in their diets for optimal health. Boost your intake of high magnesium foods to give your metabolism a boost. Go green with your vegetables. Green vegetables such as spinach provide magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule contains magnesium. Other excellent sources of magnesium include: halibut, nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts, soybeans (edamame), whole-grain cereals, oatmeal, and legumes such as black-eyed peas and lentils.

Snacking can help ignite your energy by giving your body a fuel boost. Eating healthy snacks, in snack-size portions, can help you avoid the overhungry-overeating syndrome that often leads to overweight and can leave you feeling lethargic. Be sure to include healthy carbs and protein in each snack such as: peanut butter and banana, trail mix, hummus and baby carrots, or an apple with low-fat Cheddar cheese. The protein/carbohydrate combination help regulate blood sugar, energy levels and feelings of satiety.

Want to increase your metabolism? Eat breakfast. Studies indicate that eating breakfast may increase resting metabolism by 10 percent and reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes. Make sure it’s a healthy morning with whole-grain cereal and fruit, whole-wheat toast and peanut butter or fat-free yogurt and a handful of granola.

Speed play (aka Fartlek) — Fartlek, commonly known in the U.S. as interval training, is the Swedish word for “speed play.” Interval training or speed play is a great way to pump up your metabolism and make your workouts more fun. Interval training alternates short bursts of intense activity with lower intensity activity. For example; alternating sprints with a slow jog, or powering up a hill followed by an easy downhill lope. Interval training teaches the heart and muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. A few studies have found that interval training alters the mitochondria (the enginelike organelles that produce energy in cells) to burn more fat. You will likely burn more calories, increase your metabolic rate and your level of fitness at a faster rate than with your old familiar workout.

Strength training — As we get older we tend to lose muscle, gain fat and our metabolism slows down as a result. One way to combat this metabolic slowdown is with regular strength or resistance training. Resistance training stimulates muscles to become stronger and healthier, providing your body with beneficial improvements in strength and function. Resistance training also reduces fat mass and increases muscle mass. Research suggests that resistance training may even increase life expectancy.

Depriving your body of fuel is a surefire way to slow it down. Food stimulates energy metabolism needed for digestion in a process called “dietary induced thermogenesis.” When you slash calories, the calories burned by eating are greatly diminished and so is your metabolic rate.

Restricting calories also signals the body that there is no food available, so it tries to conserve stores of carbohydrate and fat by slowing down its metabolism. The best way to keep your metabolism revved is to eat regular meals with snacks when necessary to give your body a constant supply of healthy fuel.
Quoted from: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23547010/

Losing Weight Reduces Stroke & Cancer

2008-02-22T12:59:00.006-06:00

Being merely moderately fit — walking briskly half an hour a day — can lower the risk of having a stroke for both women as well as men.

Most people can reach that fitness range by walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, said Hooker, who presented the findings Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

Stroke is the nation’s third-leading cause of death. It occurs when blood flow to the brain is stopped when a blood vessel is blocked by a clot or bursts. Hooker said physical activity can help prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

For their research, Hooker and his colleagues used data from a study of more than 61,000 adults at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. After taking a treadmill test, the participants periodically answered health surveys. The latest research divided the group into four levels of fitness and looked at how many of them had strokes, following them an average of 18 years. Overall, there were 692 strokes in men and 171 in women.

The study found that men in the most fit group had a 40 percent lower risk of stroke than the least fit men. The most fit women had a 43 percent reduction in their risk of stroke compared with women in the least fit group.

For moderate levels of fitness, the risk reduction ranged from 15 to 30 percent for men and 23 to 57 percent in women.

The lower risks held true even when taking into account other risk factors for stroke such as smoking, weight, high blood pressure, diabetes and family history.

Fitness is "a strong predictor of stroke risk all by itself," Hooker said.

Quoted from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23291877

In another study, weight gain is found to increase the risk of cancers.

Being obese or even overweight may increase a person’s risk of developing up to a dozen different types of cancer, European researchers report in a new study.

Doctors have long suspected a link between weight gain and certain cancers, including colon and breast cancers. But the new study, published Friday in the journal Lancet, suggests it could also increase chances for cancer of the esophagus, thyroid, kidney, uterus and gall bladder, among others.

The subjects, both overweight and normal weight, were followed for about nine to 15 years, with researchers tracking their body mass index, or BMI — a calculation based on weight and height — and correlating it with incidents of cancer.

In men, an average weight gain of 33 pounds increased the risk of esophageal cancer by 52 percent, thyroid cancer by 33 percent, and colon and kidney cancers each by 24 percent, the research found.

In women, a weight gain of 29 pounds increased the risk of cancer in the uterus and gall bladder by nearly 60 percent, esophagus by 51 percent and kidney by 34 percent, the study said.

Quoted from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23170572

Alli, Meridia, the Next Fen-Phen?

2008-01-12T18:31:00.000-06:00

As the obesity crisis worsens and more pharmaceutical companies are hoping to improve their bottom line by shrinking their customers' bottoms. After all, we are a short-cut society (who wouldn't rather pop a pill than engage in the hard work of exercise and calorie restriction?) with a short memory (remember the fen-phen diet-drug combo that led to a gazillion lawsuits?). The good news is that according to a recent report in the British Medical Journal, three relatively new antiobesity drugs helped patients lose a moderate amount of weight while doing such things as lowering cholesterol and reducing the incidence of diabetes. The bad news is that the list of possible side effects doesn't end there.

The study found that both of the diet pills the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for long-term use may lead to a modest weight loss of about 5% to 10% of a person's total body mass within the course of a year. But sibutramine, which was approved as a prescription drug in 1997 and is sold under the trade name Meridia, has been associated with increased blood pressure, insomnia and constipation. Meanwhile, orlistat, which since February has been heavily marketed as the over-the-counter aid Alli, can cause oily bowel movements so frequently that the package insert suggests women wear a panty liner when starting the regimen.

Such unappetizing details make one wonder what a diet drug has to do to get rejected by an FDA panel--Which is what happened this summer to the much hyped rimonabant. Approved by the European Drug Agency in June 2006 and sold under the name Acomplia, rimonabant takes a different weight-loss route than Meridia, which revs up metabolism and creates a feeling of fullness, and Alli, which reduces fat absorption from food. Rimonabant is the first of a new class of drugs designed to keep the user from getting the munchies. That's right: knowing that marijuana and other forms of cannabis stimulate the appetite, scientists wondered what might happen if they blocked the brain's cannabinoid receptors. Early studies suggested the anticannabinoid crew was on to something. Not only did the desire for food seem to diminish with rimonabant but other cravings, like nicotine, were easier to control.

But it turns out there's a downside to blocking parts of the brain that are responsible for pleasure, relaxation and pain tolerance. A study published last month in the Lancet looked at more than 4,000 patients who had been given either 20 mg of rimonabant or a placebo (sugar pill) in double-blinded trials--meaning the participants didn't know which of the two pills they were getting and neither did their doctors. The results were downright depressing. Literally. Patients receiving rimonabant were 2.5 times as likely as placebo recipients to discontinue treatment because of depressive disorders. They were also three times as likely to stop taking the drug because of anxiety. The FDA panel nixed rimonabant's application for approval due to concerns that the drug increases the risk of suicidal thoughts.
Quoted from Diet Pill Dilemma

Diet Pills are like those easy diets, which promise easy, fast and effortless weight loss. These weight loss pills block the absorption of the fat that is not supposed to be eaten in the first place. Our body is a lot more sophisticated than we give it credit for. We often think we can tinker with our body's natural working functions, but fail to understand the long-term consequences on our health. How many prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs have been recalled or questioned after more people have used them and have exhibited more health problems.

Obesity Weakens Immune System

2007-12-28T08:04:00.000-06:00

Obese people find it harder to fight infections, and a weakened immune response may be to blame, suggests a new study from Boston University researchers.

In experiments with mice infected with the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis, obese mice had less ability to battle gum infection than their normal-weight counterparts, according to the report in this week's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"For years, we have had difficulty understanding why obese people have difficulty clearing an infection," said lead researcher Dr. Salomon Amar, associate dean for research at the university's School of Dental Medicine.

"Now we understand that dysfunction in some of the mechanisms, as a result of the obesity, explain difficulty in clearing the infection and also the difficulty in wound healing," Amar said.

In the study, Amar's team tied silk threads infected with the bacteria around the molars of obese and normal-weight mice. They then compared the animals' responses to infection, by measuring both the amount of bone loss and the growth of the bacteria around their teeth.

The researchers found that the obese mice had a compromised immune response to the bacteria, which made the animals more susceptible to the infection.

Amar's group also looked at the animals' white blood cells, which are the main line of defense against infection. The white cells of obese mice had lower levels of an important signaling molecule, and some of the genes that fight inflammation were altered, the researchers found.

The same mechanism is at work in humans, Amar added. In fact, studies in obese
people have shown they are more likely to have gum disease than non-obese people. The disease is caused by bacteria, which causes inflammation and destruction of the bone underlying teeth.

Amar thinks that obese people need to be treated differently to help them fight infections. "We need to be more aggressive in the use of targeted antibiotics in infections among obese people," he said. "Also, we need to boost the immune response." Quoted from this article

Our health is often the reflection of the state of our immune system. Can you live a healthy life with all the extra weight? When was the last time you came across an obese individual who was very healthy? It is no surprise the unhealthiness of being overweight or obese results from a compromised immune system.

Given all the infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses, being obese not only put the obese individuals in danger, but also people around them because the likelihood their carrying and spreading of the infectious agents.

Sleep & Post Pregnancy Weight Loss

2007-11-28T15:13:00.001-06:00

America is a sleep-deprived nation. America is also an overweight nation. It makes you wonder if an strong link exists between weight gain and lack of sleep. Some studies have shown that even one week of sleep deprivation can make a normal adult's blood chemistry similar to that of a diabetic.
A new study has found that post-pregnancy women who have more than 5 hours of sleep per day have a much higher chance of shedding those pounds gained during pregnancy.

"Getting enough sleep may be as important as a healthy diet and physical activity to returning to pre-pregnancy weight," Gunderson said.

According to the study authors, scientists have linked low amounts of sleep to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. But there's been little research into the connection between sleep and pregnancy and weight.

For the new study, the researchers looked at the weights and sleep patterns of 940 women who enrolled in a study in Massachusetts during early pregnancy from 1999 to 2002.

A year after giving birth, 124 of the women retained at least 11 pounds of the weight they had gained during pregnancy. After the researchers adjusted the statistics to take into account such factors as family income, they found that women who slept five hours a day six months after giving birth were more than three times likelier to keep weight on compared to women who slept seven hours.

Sleeping six, seven or eight hours a day didn't appear to raise a woman's risk of keeping on weight. "Basically, the women who were sleeping fewer hours did not lose as much weight as women who slept several more hours," Gunderson said.

The study findings, by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, were published in the November issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

... ...
Claire D. Brindis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, said her own experience of giving birth to two children taught her about how stress, sleep and weight are all connected.

"Having lived this, it's partly that you're more tired, and you feel you need food to keep you energized," she said. "And when you're stressed, you feel like you can reward yourself with food. It creates a sense of comfort."

Weight gain in pregnancy is healthy and natural. If you weigh the average for your height then you should gain between 25 – 35. After the baby is born, the extra weight will go fairly quickly after the birth. The majority of the weight comes from the amniotic fluid, placenta, and extra body fluid and blood. This will account for about 8 to 12 lbs of weight, plus 6 to 8 lbs for the newborn baby.

In many cases, the postpartum weight gain is more of a result of stress, sleep deprivation, behavioral changes and eating disorders related to caring for the newborn, rather than weight rention during pregnancy.

The new study suggests that having enough sleep may help new moms regain their pre-pregnancy weight.

Alli Weight Loss Pill

2007-10-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

Alli has become the first FDA-approved over-the-counter weight loss drug. This drug was originally approved in 1999 as a prescription drug to treat obesity. The drug works by blocking fat absorption.

Alli is not the first weight loss drug available to people with overweight problems. However, are these pills the magic bullet to shed all the extra pounds? Alli hasn't been around for too long. That means no one knows its long-term impact of on one's health. If you do take the pills, you may be the human guinea pig for these pharmaceutical companies that make and market these drugs, but fail to alert the public about the lack of knowledge on the long-term side effects.

The ultimate goal of losing weight is to live a healthier life. If Alli may harm your body in the long run, is it worth the risk? We often associate the FDA approval stamp with safety. We often associate the over-the-counter label as safe and easy. But in reality, nothing can be further from the truth.

FDA has recalled both prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Why FDA has failed the consumers so many times in the past? First, many drugs were not given enough time to learn their long-term side effects. Sometimes, the side effect may not show in 10 years or 20 years. If a drug is safe for use for 1 year, it doesn't mean it is safe for 5 years. Second, it is more common than we'd like to addmit that medical and clinical study results are often fabricated, misinterpreted and misrepresented. Pharmaceutical companies directly and indirectly sponsor many studies of their own drugs. They pour a lot of money into so-called independent labs. The funding of these labs may be at jeopardy if their results are not in favor the drugs they are asked to test.

Even more disturbing is that very often, these big pharmaceutical companies kill or surpress studies that show negative impacts of their drugs. In the era of big corporate profit, these companies put their bottomline on top of consumer safety. On the Alli website, it seems the side effects of this magic pill are so mild. But can you trust that is really true? I can't!

If you lose pounds by taking Alli, are you going to be hooked for the rest of your life or are you going to change your lifestyle as the long-term weight loss solution? If you are going to change your lifestyle, you may as well do it NOW instead of relying on these weight loss drugs.

High Blood Pressure & Obesity

2007-09-30T11:28:00.000-05:00

As many as 50 percent of overweight men and women with high blood pressure may have hypertension as a result of being overweight, researchers reported
today at the American Heart Association's 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

Researchers in Italy found that about 50 percent of overweight, hypertensive adults, ranging in age from 29 to 65 years, achieved normal body weight and blood pressure after six months of treatment with a reduced-calorie diet.

"This is important because it means that in these patients with elevated blood pressure who were overweight, the blood pressure was not a form of essential hypertension but was hypertension secondary to body weight," said Roberto Fogari, M.D., lead investigator of the study and professor of medicine at the University of Pavia, Italy.

The study analyzed 210 overweight men and women whose systolic blood pressure was more than 140 mmHg, but less than 159 mm Hg, and whose diastolic blood pressure was more than 90 mm Hg, but less than 99 mm Hg. The study patients, who had never been treated for high blood pressure, were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) 25 to 29.9 kg/m2. An individualized reduced-calorie diet was designed for each patient and reflected their specific food preferences.

"The diet's main aim was to reduce calories to reduce the weight of each patient," Fogari said. About 50 percent of the patients also were treated with orlistat, a medication used with a low-calorie diet to help lose weight and maintain weight after losing pounds.

Quoted from Science Daily

When I was overweight, my blood pressure was way higher than my normal 120/80. Actually my high blood pressure was one of the alarms I had that prompted me to take weight reduction seriously. I have a very close relative of mine who has been having high blood pressure for most of his adult life. He is borderline obesse. I have seen him spending so much time going to the doctor, taking medications, and worrying about his condition. I wish he would have realized that his problem could be alleviated by losing those extra pounds.

Healthy Eating Tips

2007-08-31T08:43:00.001-05:00

1. Timing. Try to eat every 3-4 hours so that you never get so hungry that you’re tempted to overeat at mealtime. Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and post-dinner snack. Don’t skip breakfast or any meal for that matter. You’ll make yourself too hungry and you’ll overeat at the next meal. If you try to starve yourself you’re body will go into starvation mode where your metabolism will slow down drastically, keeping you from losing weight and actually making you more likely to hold onto calories the next time you do eat.

2. Portions. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. An easy guideline for each meal is to have the plate be roughly be 1/4 carbs, 1/4 lean protein, and 1/2 fruits or vegetables at each meal. No second helpings, but if you are really hungry then take more vegetables.

3. Eat slowly. This one is one of the hardest and easiest things to do. It’s hard because the pace of our eating reflects the pace of everything around us, which is fast, fast, fast! So you must make a conscious effort at each meal to do this. Once you do this for a while you will establish a habit and from then on it will be easy. Perhaps before each meal you might want to close your eyes for 15 seconds, take a deep breathe to slow down, and then say to yourself something like “Take it slow. Taste this food. Enjoy it slowly. Release thoughts of work and other worries for now.” Then, when you do eat, take small bites and really taste and enjoy the food. This will give your body time to send your brain the “All Full” signal. If you only do one of these
tips, do this one.

4. Snacks. For snacks have fruit, low calorie popcorn, or nuts (1 handful). Prepare these ahead of time so they are easy to grab. Keep junk food out of the house and you’ll be less likely to eat it.

... ...
7. Sugar. For the most part, refined sugar is not good for you. Try to cut back or eliminate altogether. Blackstrap molasses or honey are better choices. Stevia root is a natural calorie free sweetener you might want to try. You can find it in healthstores. A good one is “Stevia Plus.” When having a sugar craving, have fruit instead.

8. Fiber. Try to get 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Fiber fills you up. It blocks the absorption of sugar and fat helping with weight loss and weight management. Having enough fiber in your diet will keep constipation away and will help lower your chances of cancer, such as colon cancer.

9. "100% Whole Grains." Look for this exact phrase on cereals, crackers, bread, etc., but also check the nutrition labels. Anything else is not going to have as much fiber. Check the fiber count to be sure. Use whole grain pastas and breads. They will fill you up and they are healthier for you.

10. Vegetables. Learn to love them! Find a great book on how to cook vegetables that taste delicious. (Suggestion: "Vegetable Love" by Barbara Kafka) Have salad often. Be sure to measure out your salad dressing to keep from adding too many calories.

... ...

Quoted from "Diet Tips & More for a Healthy & Trim Body"

Detox Diets

2007-07-31T14:40:00.001-05:00

Did you know your colon is weakened by the build up of toxic material found in the foods that you have eaten over the years?

According to clinical nutritionist Thomas Von Ohlen, MS, NC, “many processed foods, such as milk, enriched and bleached flour and sugar, as well as packaged foods filled with preservatives contain toxic elements that slowly build up in the intestine.”

He goes on to explain how this build up causes a hardened, impacted glue which forms within the intestines, decreasing the body's ability to absorb nutrients, lowering metabolic rates and causing unhealthy weight gain and bloating.

When the body cannot absorb the nutrients in food properly, energy levels are lowered and the risk of serious illness is dramatically increased.

Certain detoxification supplements target the toxic build up in the intestines, break it up and flush it from the colon.

Von Ohlen states, "Once these detoxification processes have been completed the body will have more energy, an increased feeling of over all wellness and
a lower risk of potential illness, such as colon cancer, IBS, colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis."

Quoted from "Healthy Weight Loss Starts with a Colon Cleanse" The follow is an opposing view on detox diets:

The body will naturally surround a toxin with fat. So if you get the toxin out of the fat the body will naturally burn the fat. At his clinic in Maitland, Dr. Bolick talked about his nine day cleanse cycle which includes and aloe vera based mineral drink, snack tablets to keep your blood sugar level and water, lots of water.

Say a patient weighs 200 pounds; they drink 100 ounces of water every day. That is important to help flush out the toxins that are going to break loose.

While Dr. Bolick says seems to makes sense, it also sounds a bit too good to be true.
We asked registered dietician Nadane Pazder of Morton Plant Hospital what she thought. "Detox diets are totally unnecessary and probably are unsafe for a number of people" she said.

Pazder says detox diets can strip the body of needed nutrients and lead to electrolyte imbalances. "You have great organ systems in place that are keeping your system toxin free namely your kidney and liver."

But Lisa Lenning, a patient and employee of Dr. Bolick, says she lost 58 pounds and has been keeping the weight off. "My cholesterol went from 288 down to 148. My blood pressure is in the lower side, 110 over 70. The good side effects are I can run around and play with the kids and do things I just couldn't do before" said Lenning.

I was told by an acupuncturist and herbalist that constipation is a major cause of toxin accumulation in your body. Thus, eating a high-fiber diet and lots vegetables helps with bowl movements and reduces the chance of toxin buildup.

Lipodissolve - Danger Ahead?

2007-06-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

The rise of cosmetic fat-busting injections, called lipodissolve, is spurring warnings from doctors who are alarmed about the spread of the pricey procedures, which use concoctions that aren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Lipodissolve, sometimes called medical lipolysis, is touted as a nonsurgical alternative to liposuction. It involves a series of tiny shots meant to melt fat deposits in various parts of the body, including bellies and buttocks.

The treatment, which originated in Europe decades ago, has been taking off in the U.S. on the wings of local ad campaigns. A number of medical spas -- which offer aesthetic treatments like Botox -- have begun doing lipodissolve. And specialty centers are popping up, such as a chain called fig., which operates 11 clinics in the U.S. and plans to open more this year. Fig. declined to answer questions about its business.

But as the popularity of the injections has grown, so have complaints. Last month, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery warned that the shots are "scientifically unproven, lacking any objective data on safety and efficacy." The surgeons' group, which is sponsoring human tests to evaluate one such treatment, urged the public "to steer clear" until more data come in.

... ...

One fact isn't in dispute. There are no fat-busting injectables approved by the FDA. Practitioners use different recipes that are prepared by a compounding pharmacy or in a physician's office. Such custom mixes, using ingredients approved for other uses, fall into a regulatory gray area. One combination used by many practitioners is phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate, or PCDC for short. Phosphatidylcholine is a soybean-derived ingredient in food supplements; sodium deoxycholate is an emulsifier typically derived from cattle bile. Lipodissolve is often described as a form of mesotherapy, which may use different ingredients, including herbs, in its shots.

Quoted from The Wall Street Jounral "Popular Treatment That Aims To Melt Fat Draws Scrutiny" by RHONDA L. RUNDLE, 06/12/2007

Lipodissolve isn't a cheap procedure either. It can cost up to $2000 per body part. No one knows the long-term health effects of lipodissolve. So, everyone who is receiving this trendy treatment is literally a guinea pig. If you are a guinea pig for a medical experiment, you should get paid for it, not the other way around.

Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss

2007-05-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

When to begin?

Beginning your quest to lose those added baby pounds might have to be put on hold for a little while. The best time to start losing weight after the birth of your baby is two to three months later. This gives your body the time to heal, time for your menstrual cycles to be regular again and you can start getting back to normal.

Healthy Food Choices

Just like when you were pregnant, it’s still important to eat healthy for baby if your breastfeeding or not. Whether you are breast-feeding or not, you should eat the following foods to maintain health and support weight loss. Developing a healthy diet before leaping into exercise is key, taking it one step at a time and focusing on slow but steady weight loss.

Energy increasing foods containing starch like bread, potatoes, rice or pasta.
Eat lots of protein like lean meats, chicken, fish, beans, eggs and lentils.
Leafy green vegetable and lots of fresh fruits.
Calcium rich milk, yogurt and cheeses.
Fiber is important and can be added in the form of corn, whole grain breads, beans, apples, pears, oats and figs.
Every mom needs lots of fiber to reduce constipation usually and the foods above are well balanced, providing the basis of a good weight loss plan. Moms who choose to breastfeed should keep tabs on what’s eaten in any given day just in case your baby has any food allergens and avoid products with caffeine.

Exercise!
Some people find it hard to begin exercising and others easier, it’s important to start off easy. Even though you believe that your body may be healed, it may not be and starting off with vigorous exercise can be harmful. Some women do begin exercising with a couple of weeks after the baby’s birth and there’s nothing wrong with a little walking or some mild activities, if you feel like doing it. Gradually build up, increasing your exercise time and your exercise routine week by week. Once you slide into your new routine, you probably find that you not only feel better physically but mentally as well. That’s when you know you are on the right path.

Quoted from: Post Pregnancy Weight Loss: Eliminate Baby Fat

Exercise is not just for the purpose of weight loss. Exercise is more effective in maintaining weight loss when integrated as a part of lifestyle change. When exercise is a part of your life, it lessens depression, stress, anxiety, tension and anger, thus prevents overeating that is often caused by these disorders.

Good Exercise Habits

2007-05-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

Start slow - The biggest mistake that people make when starting an exercise plan is starting too fast or too hard. Trust me, I’ve done it many times. I’ve learned to take it easy, start as small as possible, and worry about endurance or intensity later. The key in the beginning is to make it enjoyable and accomplishable. That’s probably not a word, but it should be. And it is now. Zen Habits are ones that are accomplishable.

Increase but gradually - After getting used to a certain level of exercise, you’ll want to increase it. Don’t just run two miles or walk 20 minutes three times a week for a year. Your body adjusts to the stress you’re giving it, so you need to increase the level once you’ve adjusted. But do it gradually, and only every two weeks or so.

Crank it up - Once you’ve gotten used to exercise, you’ll want to do some higher intensity ones for better fitness and fat-burning. For example, instead of running slowly and steadily, for a long time, try doing shorter bursts of fast running, with periods of rest in between. You can do this for any exercise. Higher intensity increases the calorie burn, and improves performance. But you can’t do it as long, and you shouldn’t do it every workout. Mix it in with endurance workouts.

Schedule workouts - Make appointments with yourself to workout, at a specific time and place, just as you would with any other appointment. And make it the most important appointment on your calendar.

Forget about weight loss - Yeah, many of us would like to lose some weight. But if you’re motivated solely by weight loss, exercise will be a tough proposition. The reason is that you might not lose weight right away. Oh, it’ll come, if you can keep it up over time, but in the beginning you might be disappointed (especially if you haven’t changed your eating habits). Just get into the habit of exercise, and worry about the weight later.

Squeeze it in during lunch - OK, you’re not a morning person. You’re busy. You don’t have time to work out. Well, suck it up, buster, and sacrifice your lunch hour to the gods of fitness. Bring your workout clothes, do a quickie nooner, and be back at work ready to tackle the afternoon.

Rest - It’s important. This is a commonly overlooked factor. If you don’t give your body some rest, you will burn out and get injured. Rest is just as important as the workouts in improving performance and fitness. As long as you’re doing the workouts too and not just the rest!

More Good Habits Here

Weight Loss Market Worth

2007-04-19T11:25:00.000-05:00

The US weight loss market was worth a stunning $55.5 billion in 2006. The projected market value for 2007 is $58.7 billion, and $68.7 billion by 2010, according to a study by Marketdata Enterprises.

The study found that 68% of dieters preferred a diet program they could access from home/online/by phone, and 56% want a plan based on regular (not diet) food. One new trend is diet food home delivery, which has grown to a $800 million business.

One disturbing trend is the record level of bariatric surgeries, which reached 177,000 in 2006, representing a $4.4 billion market.

Weight loss is a difficult challenge. However, simply throwing money at it is not the solution. I lost all 50 pounds the cheap way. No pills, no diet plans, no supplements, no surgeries. Just plain eat-less-move-more!

Dieting Doesn't Work

2007-04-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

"You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but then the weight comes back," said Traci Mann, UCLA associate professor of psychology and lead author of the study. "We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people."

"What happens to people on diets in the long run?" Mann asked. "Would they have been better off to not go on a diet at all? We decided to dig up and analyze every study that followed people on diets for two to five years. We concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back." More from Dieting doesn't work

Dieting only works when combined with exercise and lifestyle changes. In most overweight cases, food isn't the only culprit. Gaining weight is most likely associated with changes of behavior or one's personal life. For me, it was the combination of stress, sleep deprivation and overworking. Food often serves as a means that we use to comfort ourselves. If we don't find the root cause, the pounds taken off by a diet can come back with a vengence. This weight loss program has a good explaination on how to combine dieting with exercise and behavioral changes to accomplish weight loss goals.

Diet Traps

2007-03-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

Dieting is never easy. But why are we so attracted to different diets? Marketers of various lose-weight-quick diets have been trapping us into believing the following:

You can eat all you want.
Lose weight fast! It's easy!
Lose weight without moving a muscle.
Secret formula reduces your body fat.
Magic food that burns calories.

In reality, there isn't such a thing as a magic diet. It is even more dangerous to be trapped in the dieting cycles in which you lose some weight, but gain back more later.

Read more about Diet Hooks from Weight Loss Tips provided by Clinifast.

LA Weightloss

2007-02-23T11:19:00.000-06:00

Watch ABC's 20/20 report about the truth behind the $7/week LA Weightloss scam.

You have seen L A Weightloss TV commercials with Whoopi Goldberg. They claim you can lose weight on a $7/week diet. But when you walk into a LA weightloss center, their weightloss counselors will talk you into buying all the extras, plus you need to pay $500 counselor fee up front. The woman interviewed by 20/20 ended up spending $3200, but gained 12 pounds.

LA Weightloss tactics are simple. They make you feel really bad about your weight, your image and your life. The worse you feel, the more money you are going to spend. There have been a lot of complaints about LA Weightloss.

With so many Americans being overweight, crooks and scam artists, like LA Weightloss see a good opportunity to steal from people. The bottomline - if something seems too good to be true, it is.

Boost Metabolism

2007-01-31T08:52:00.000-06:00

1. Build lean body mass. As we age our bodies metabolism or ability to burn calories decreases. One way to offset this problem is by exercising. Lean muscle burns calories and the more you have the more calories you burn, even while resting.

2. Eat Breakfast. Many people ignore eating breakfast. What they don't realize is that it's the most important meal of the day. Breakfast gives your metabolism a boost and provides a consistent energy supply throughout the day.

3. Sugar is bad. Processed and refined sugar such as found in sweets and soft drinks overload the body with sugar causing many serious health issues including obesity and diabetes.

4. Get a good night's sleep. There is research that shows that people who do not get sufficient sleep tend to gain weight.

5. Drink more water. Water is the lubricant of the body. It also flushes toxins out of the body and keeps the kidneys operating at maximum efficiency.

6. Eat small meals. Eat 5 to 6 small meals per day spaced 20 to 3 hours apart. This gives the body a steady supply of energy and prevents binge eating.

7. Don't miss meals. Skipping meals in order to loose weight is counter productive because it actually slow metabolism and can lead to over eating.

8. Plan your meals. If you have a daily or weekly menu you are much more likely to stick to your plan.

9. Drink green tea. Green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and unlike coffee does not stress the body with caffeine.

10. Include more high energy foods in your diet including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These provide a more balanced energy source and will not cause blood sugar spikes.

Quoted from 11 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

Weight Loss Pills - Scam

2007-01-15T18:43:00.000-06:00

The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it was fining the marketers of four weight-loss drugs a collective $25 million for false advertising claims. Despite that, the pills -- Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, One-A-Day WeightSmart and TrimSpa -- will remain on store shelves."It is resolution time again, isn't it?" said FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras. "We're implementing our resolution to fight back against companies that use deceptive advertising claims." Full Story

These magic weight loss pills are nothing but some multi-vitamin pills. It may give you some placebo effects but at the mean time, it may give you reason to eat more. There are not easy ways to lose weight. Eat less and work your butt off - as simple as that.

Weight Loss Lowers Prostate Cancer

2006-12-27T14:23:00.000-06:00

Researchers from the American Cancer Society and Duke University Prostate Center have found that weight loss may lower a man's risk for an aggressive form of prostrate cancer, whereas obesity may increase the risk.

The study participants (nearly 70,000) were tracked for more than a decade, which enabled researchers to record data of a man's adult weight changes in comparison to his initial weight at the beginning of the study.

The men in the study who had lost more than 11 pounds had lowered their risk approximately 42 percent for developing the aggressive form of prostate cancer in comparison to those whose weight stayed the same during the same time period.
Full report here