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

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Food Cravings: Use EFT to Learn Patience

Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More

Why Did Your Diet Fail You? Or Did You Fail Your Diet?

Are you someone who has, in the past, been on... Read More

EFT for Weight Loss - How to Stop Eating from Fear of Not Getting Your Share

Do You Sometimes Eat Because You're Afraid You'll "Miss Out"... Read More

Weight Loss Surgery: Successful Patients Embrace Four Stages of Growth

Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is often viewed as a quick... Read More

Weight Loss Online -- The Fastest & Easiest Weight Loss Plan

My first article provided steps for fast healthy weight loss.... Read More

Break Your Weight Loss Plateau

How to Break Your PlateauToday is a typical morning like... Read More

Weight Loss With Bontril: Smooth Sailing On The Weight Loss Ocean

As many of us know, it's the first few days... Read More

Does Fat Free Really Mean Free Of Fat?

Do you know what the words really mean on food... Read More

Why Weight Loss Products Dont Work

Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More

A Revolutionary Product Called Hoodia Part 2

The rediscovery of the wealth of the wonder drug Hoodia... Read More

Weight Gain = Poor Quality of Life

Gaining up to 20 pounds over four years can significantly... Read More

South Beach Diets and Fast Food Franchises

Franchised Business Models and American Diets could be at odds.... Read More

Five Serious Dangers of Low Carbohydrate Diets

CancerCoronary heart diseaseStrokeOsteoporosisMajor Depression from Brain StarvationHeadlines.WASHINGTON, Jun 22, 2004... Read More

Youll Need Total Will Power To Undergo Weight Loss

How much will power does it take in order to... Read More

When Cellulite Attacks!

Cellulite is a recent addition to the English language. In... Read More

Losing Weight: The Simple Science of Losing Weight

Are you committed to losing weight and keeping it off?... Read More

Fighting Obesity - My Pyramid Dietary Guidelines

If you are fighting the battle of the bulge (overweight... Read More

Fire Your Diet

*Do you truly believe that not eating or cutting back... Read More

Weight Loss Secrets from Hollywood Movie Stars ? LA Personal Trainer Speaks Out!

In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More

Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #14

You know what is so amazing? We get to keep... Read More

Diet Pills And Safe Weight Loss: A Quick Guide To Diet Pills

Serious diet pills are intended for people who are overweight... Read More

Fit or Fat?!

"Hey, you have reduced now, compared to the last time... Read More

The Truth About Low Carb Dieting

Every day you walk down the street it is becoming... Read More

Breast Cancer - Another Obesity Victim

Obesity raises the risk of various types of cancer. And... Read More

Atkins Diet in UK

The most recent shocking news related to Atkins diet UK... Read More

Which is Better? Exercise or Dieting?

If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on... Read More

Weight Gaining

I learned about gaining weight when I heard the question... Read More

Avoid Commont Fitness Pitfalls

While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More

The Culprit of Obesity in Children - Inactivity

It was bad enough hearing almost daily that obesity in... Read More

Emotional Eating

Yesterday, out of the blue, without any foreboding gossip or... Read More

Protecting Your Spine and Lower Back While You Lose Weight

When most people begin a Weight Loss program or diet... Read More

How Music Can Help You Burn More Fat

Browsing one of the Russian websites I have recently found... Read More

The Seven Secrets of Weight Loss

When embarking on a weight loss program people will almost... Read More