Why You Should Burn Body Fat

Are you overweight? Then you probably want to lose some weight. It is obvious that you'll burn body fat by increasing your metabolism. But be sure that what you burn is fat, not muscles.

Some statistics

• After age 25, the average person in America gains one pound or more a year, which means at the age of 50 an average person is 25 pounds or more heavier than he or she was 25 years ago.
• As you age your metabolism is slowing down, causing your body to burn less fat.
• Without exercising regularly, the average American loses a pound of muscle each year.
• A minority of Americans exercise in a significant way, which means less than 50 minutes of exercise per week. Two out of five Americans do not exercise at all.

Motivations for weight loss

• Most people's primary motivation for weight loss is to improve their appearance.
• Other motivational factors are the many health benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Why obesity is dangerous

Reduction of excess body fat plays a vital role in maintaining good health and avoiding disease. Medical evidence shows that obesity poses a significant threat to health as well as to longevity:. Excess body fat is connected to

• heart disease
• cancer
• diabetes
• gall bladder disease
• gastro-intestinal disease
• sexual dysfunction
• osteoarthritis
• stroke

Why is excess body fat linked to heart disease?

• About 4/5's of deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to life-style factors, inactivity included.
• Your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs and to the extra fat throughout your body. Therefore it takes more energy for you to breathe. This extra workload might cause your heart to become enlarged and high blood pressure and life-threatening erratic heartbeats might be the consequences.
• Overweight people often also have high cholesterol levels, making them more likely to develop arteriosclerosis. When blood vessels are so narrow that vital organs like the heart, kidneys or brain don't get enough blood, this becomes life-threatening.
• It might go without saying, but the narrower the blood vessels become, the harder your heart has to pump, which results in increased blood pressure. High blood pressure itself poses several health risks, like heart attack, stroke and kidney problems.

Does excess body fat cause cancer?

• In general, research has linked cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) to excess, actually as a storage place for these.
• Excess fat has been linked to a higher rate of breast and uterine cancer for women
• Excess fat has been linked to colon and prostate cancer for men.

How is excess body fat related to diabetes?

• There is a delicate balance between the relative amount of body fat, the level of blood sugar and the hormone we call insulin.
• Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and other vital organs, and converted to fat as soon as these organs have got what they need of it.
• The pancreas of overweight people often produces more and more insulin. The problem is however, that the body is not able to utilize this to regulate it's blood sugar levels.
• This poor regulation of blood sugar and insulin causes an inbalance in the system, which results in diabetes. This disease may in it's turn cause heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and death.

How Reducing Body Fat Reduces Disease Risk

At an American University, researchers studied a sample of people following a certain weight management program. This study showed

• decreased HDL cholesterol levels
• decreased triglyceride levels
• decreased blood pressure
• increased waist-to-hip ratio
• an active lifestyle can slow or stop the disease process for most people, even those with a history of heart disease in the family.

Other studies have shown that programs that includes

• regular physical activity
• low-fat diets
• stress reduction
• reverse heart disease processes.

while other studies shows that reducing body fat through an active lifestyle and low fat diets mean reduced risk for

• prostate cancers for men
• breast and uterine cancers for women
• non-insulin dependent diabetes for both genders.

So, what shall I do?

You have to change to a new lifestyle, by committing yourself to a long term process that gradually will lead you to a healthier life. This process requires persistence and patience, especially in the beginning. If you stay persistent, your new lifestyle will automatically take over, and it will become natural for you. This process will contain

• moderate, long term fat loss
• aerobic exercise
• strength exercise

Here is the benefits 90 percent of overweight people following this advice has gained:

• improved heart function
• improved blood pressure
• improved glucose tolerance
• improved cholesterol levels
• lowering requirements for medication
• eight times less likely to die from cancer than the unfit
• 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases than the unfit
• eight times less likely to die from heart disease than the unfit people.

But, how can I get started?

The first phase in such a process has shown to be the hardest ? it is here most people drop out. The longer you stay in the process, the more likely you are to succeed. And trust me; after you - by means of persistency and patience - have passed this critical start phase, the fun and excitement you gradually will experience will make the change well worth the effort.

• You must make the decision to commit to this lifestyle changing process
• If you ever feel tempted to skip it for a day or even give up, confront yourself with your commitment, and go on.

How to stay motivated?

Allow plenty of time for the changes. You should give yourself several years for the changes to take place. If you do so, your body will adjust comfortably and the probability of maintaining this healthy lifestyle permanently, will be higher.

About the Author

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net. Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with rapid weight loss with negative calorie food as well as low carb diet.

---

Fast Weight Loss Using Herbs And Spices

I wonder how much it is generally known that the... Read More

South Beach Diet The Review Diaries

The Review Diaries She Unlimited MagazineThere are masses of carbohydrate... Read More

Weight Loss Frustrations? Slippery Slopes ? One Fall And Down You May Go!

If you have ever been snow skiing you know that... Read More

Dieting - Healthy Dieting Tips

If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More

Why Do You Say You Want To Lose Weight?

How many of your New Year's resolution start out with... Read More

High Carbs/Low Fat Diets and Cardio Vascular Disease

For the past 20 years, the American public has been... Read More

VPX ZERO Carb Fat Incinerating Protein - Go ZERO!

It's always great to find a protein supplement with very... Read More

What to Eat After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Many people are under the impression that gastric bypass surgery... Read More

LapBand Surgery: The Rules of the Road, Part 2

The Constant Quest for Restriction; Not enough vs. too muchRestriction.... Read More

Losing Weight: Healthier Wallet

Lose Weight - Get A Break The American Obesity... Read More

Fun, Fun, Fun: The Best Exercises for Quick Weight Loss

The best exercises for quick weight loss in my opinion... Read More

The Culprit of Obesity in Children - Inactivity

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

Five Serious Dangers of Low Carbohydrate Diets

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

Weight Loss: Carbs? Or No Carbs?

Dietitians just plain don't like low-carb or high-protein diets.Whether it's... Read More

Common Sense Exercise: Weight Loss Solutions for the Common Man or Woman

Diet and Exercise. They are the inseparable twins that are... Read More

The Truth About Dieting And Weight Loss

You may not like what I'm about to say, but... Read More

Mindfulness - The Key to Avoiding Overeating

I made myself a sandwich today and thought I'd be... Read More

Just the Cold Hard Facts About Diets, Weight Loss, Exercise and Losing Fat

This is a layman marketer's observations on diets and weight... Read More

Scientific Guidelines for Effective Weight Loss

If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop!... Read More

How High-Carb Diet Plans Treat Carbohydrates

A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some... Read More

Speed up Metabolism

Metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body's motor... Read More

Bodybuilding Weightloss Diet Tips And Strategies

Just the facts on bodybuilding weightloss strategies that work. No... Read More

To Diet or not to Diet, That Should Be The Question!

Diet information is everywhere. In advertisements, on TV, in magazines;... Read More

Weight Loss - Long Term Success Starts In Your Mind

Making the Decision:Whether you are interested losing ten pounds that... Read More

Americas Secret Addiction

America is a nation of self-disclosers, amiably acceptant of our... Read More

The Mini Tummy Tuck Procedure

What is a mini tummy tuck? Officially called a partial... Read More

Fake Weight Loss Programs and Pills: Is Your Weight Loss Program Safe and Effective?

In this age being ignorant is like committing a crime.... Read More

Motivation and Dieting - Whats the Missing Link?

If you are like everyone else who has hit rock... Read More

Eat More Often to Lose Weight

I'm sure you have heard it before, but one of... Read More

Where Diets Go Wrong

When we discover that we are heavier than we want... Read More

Self-Sabotage Snacking After Gastric Bypass Surgery: Why Do We Do It?

LivingAfterWLS reader feedback indicates snacking is the single biggest problem... Read More

How To Get Past a Weight Loss Plateau

Everyone who has ever been on a diet has hit... Read More

Fast Weight Loss - 7 Day Diet Program for Quick Weight Loss

Do you have a big event coming up? Perhaps you... Read More