The Journal of the "American Medical Association" states that over 324,000 people a year die from illnesses directly caused or worsened by obesity.
According to the "Journal of Health Affairs", being obese increases health care costs by 36% and increases medication costs 77%.
The Centers for Disease Control states that obesity is linked to: some forms of cancer, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, gout, osteoarthritis, gallstones, strokes, infertility, complications of pregnancy, and depression.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, obesity will soon take over as the #1 cause of preventable deaths behind tobacco use.
So, how do you get the weight off and keep it off? Almost all nutritional experts agree that the fad diets do not work. Yes, you may lose a large amount of weight, but you will not keep it off. The problem, especially in the United States is that we are a "I want it Now" society. People want to lose weight that it took them years to put on in a matter of weeks.
When you see the advertisements in the supermarket magazines such as "I lost 20 lbs in one week you must realize that this is physically impossible without cutting off a limb!
Figure on an average weight loss of three pounds, anymore than that is exceptional.
You must be on a balanced nutritional program that you will be able to maintain after losing the weight and the biggest secret which is hard for people to realize is that you need to eat less portions, but more often. The optimum is to eat every 3 hours.
While it is possible to lose a good bit of weight with just proper nutrition you will realize better results by adding exercise to your program. It only makes sense, the more calories you burn the more fat you will lose.
The most effective means of weight loss is to reduce the number of calories you eat or drink while you increase the number of burned through exercise or any kind of physical activity. One pound is equal to approximately 3,500 calories. Therefore, to achieve weight loss you can either cut back on the amount of food you take in, increase physical activity or by ideally doing both.
Let's say your goal is to lose a pound a week. If that is what you want to do, then you would have to consume 500 less calories each day for one week. If you did not want to cut back on food, then you would have to burn up the calories by exercising for a week.
It is not hard to consume calories. When you think of it, one slice of pizza is equal to about 230 calories while a can of pop is equal to approximately 150 calories. If you decide to splurge for breakfast and have a jumbo banana nut muffin then you will be gobbling down 580 calories, and if you are hungry for lunch and have a quarter-pounder with cheese you are wolfing down 500 calories.
When you do activities throughout the day to burn off those extra calories, they are added to your basal metabolic rate. This will help determine the total number of calories that you would burn every day. If a 170-pound individual spends 45 minutes walking briskly, he or she can expect to burn about 300 calories. When you do housecleaning chores that will help you shed about 200 calories and cutting the grass for about 45 minutes will net about 275 calories.
How fast can you lose weight: If you have done your research, most experts agree that you should lose weight to the tune of about 1 pound each week. They all agree that you should modify your eating habits and combine that with regular exercise. That is the most effective weight loss method over the long term. It is also a good way to make sure that the weight you have lost stays off.
I am sure that you know of all of the fad and starvation diets that have come and gone through the years. Sure, people may lose weight rapidly, but it will not be possible to sustain this weight loss for long. When your food intake is restricted severely, that is, you must eat below 1,200 calories a day; the body begins to go into a starvation mode and reduces its metabolic rate. Therefore, it makes it very difficult to lose weight.
Also, if you severely limit your caloric intake you may have hunger pangs, headaches, mode changes and may even suffer from hypoglycemia. These symptoms may result in binge eating and thus you may gain weight in the long run. You cannot go on a starvation diet and hope to lose weight. You will only gain back what you lost and then some to boot!
Therefore, the best way to lose weight is to do it gradually. The slower it comes off, the less likely it is that it will come back. Couple eating nutritiously with a moderate amount of exercise, and you will see the weight come off.
Both Teahupoo & Daniel Millions are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Teahupoo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Vegetarian Diet, Supplements and Build Muscle. Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author to many online and offline businesses and has over 25 years experience in the fitness and nutrition industry. For. Teahupoo's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.
Daniel Millions has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Cars and Writing. , and. Daniel Millions's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.