Battling Obesity

By Ray Darken

The so called rapid weight loss diet is one of the closest things to a crash diet. One description of a rapid weight loss diet is this - A crash diet is a diet which is extreme in its deprivations - typically severely restricting calorie intake. Meant to achieve rapid weight loss, a crash diet differs from outright starvation only slightly. Crash diets are typically unhealthy and are rarely - if ever - recommended by doctors or dietitians. Crash diets may lead to malnutrition.

When someone discontinues a crash diet, the “rebound-effect” is often experienced. This causes a person to eat far more than normal, causing them to regain both the weight that was recently lost due to the diet as well as additional weight. This is caused by an evolutionary trait of the human race that historically only took effect in times of famine: after a famine ended, people’s bodies naturally craved to regain both the weight that was lost, plus additional weight as well, in order to protect themselves in case of another famine.

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By Bentley Thompson

If you were told by your doctor that you are significantly overweight, would it have been surprizing to you? Most certainly not; you already would (or should) have known. You have been ignoring reality all this time.

In fact, if I am obese and my doctor said otherwise I would have known he/she was telling me a fat lie.

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By Kim Beardsmore

We hear it all the time…lose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs. For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5’10” weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.

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by: Ray Kelly

Shockingly, it is estimated that 22 million of the world’s children under 5 are overweight or obese and approximately one in four American children are overweight. The problem this presents is that these children are more susceptible to pediatric hypertension, type II diabetes, greater risk of heart disease, the extra burden of weight on joints, not to mention, the social effects with peers. The medical community has already indicated a surge in childhood diabetes and of the children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese.

Childhood obesity can be caused by a combination of many factors, but certainly two of the biggest contributors are lack of exercise and poor dietary habits.

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By Gill Webster

It is now known that stress can actually stop you losing weight especially around your middle. Stress can cause your body to secrete high levels of cortisol hormone into your bloodstream, because of your body’s “flight or fight” response to stress. Stress can be either psychological (mental and emotional) or physical.

Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands and is actually important for the regulation of blood pressure, the immune system and many other functions. Cortisol can be good in small amounts but high levels can lead to an increase of abdominal fat, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and can also increase your bad cholesterol levels and decrease your good cholesterol levels.

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For a number of years now I have been “preaching ” (grin) about Dr Barry Sears disease, weight, and inflammation.

Obesity Risk Fat causes Killer Inflammation Response in the Obese and Overweight

Obesity Risk  Fat causes Killer Inflammation Response in the Obese and Overweight
March 10th, 2006  

Fat Cells

Multiple research studies are coming to the same conclusion that excess body fat causes an inflammation response in their body that can be deadly. More →

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Obesity is a condition where natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals is increased to a point where it is thought to be a significant risk factor for certain health conditions as well as increased mortality. Obesity in wild animals is relatively rare, but it is common in domestic animals like pigs and household pets who may be overfed and underexercised.

Excessive body weight has been shown to correlate with various important diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. It is also considered a risk factor for certain cancers. Interventions, such as diet and exercise as well as medication and weight-loss surgery in severe cases are frequently recommended to reduce the risk of developing disease.

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