What has happened in three decades to so drastically change the picture of obesity?
Overweight is linked primarily to three factors: poor diet, lack of exercise, and genetic
predisposition.
We are a mobile society.
Americans have a love affair with the automobile. When cars became affordable for most families and gas a relatively cheap resource, many of us were able to move a distance away from work or school. Instead of walking to school, work, church, stores, and the library, we began to drive everywhere.
We are a sedentary society.
Televisions, computers, and video games have taken the place of many healthy outdoor activities. The average “screen time” for an American child today is 5.5 hours per day. Adults log in just as much if not more time. An increased amount of sedentary time partnered with an increased amount of calories
will result in weight gain.
We have many more food choices today.
How many times have you gone to the store and felt overwhelmed by the dazzling array of choices in cereals and breads, soft drinks, boxed and frozen
foods? There are so many options available today that it’sometimes time consuming and difficult to make the healthiest choice.
We are subjected to frequent advertising and marketing.
Restaurants and food producers compete fiercely for theAmerican dollar. And we in turn want the most for our money. Thus, the birth of “super sizing.” As a result, many of us have simply forgotten what a normal serving size looks like: portion distortion.
Asthma, Diabetes, Gallstones, Cardiovascular Disease, Sleeping Problem, Psychological Problem and Orthopedic
Problem.
Follow the seven rules of eating
Defying our biological resistance requires
dedication and commitment. You are fighting your fat cells, hungry beasts who demand being fed. The daily food choices you make can help you control their demands and lose weight. The seven things that have the most impact on your hunger and weight are:
- Eat Very Little Fat – Go as Low as You Can Go (<20 g per day)
- Control Sugar Consumption
- Eat Lean Sources of Protein, Emphasizing Plant Proteins
- Consume Low-Density Foods (e.g., soups, vegetables)
- Eat Fiber-Rich Foods (at least 30 g per day)
- Eat Your Calories – Don’t Drink Them
- Stay Calorie Conscious
Eat Well but Choose Right
Many overweight people find themselves so enamored with certain foods that they cannot imagine no longer eating them. They will say they “crave” chocolate or “love” ice cream. Because many of the most calorie-dense foods are associated with happy events, such as parties, birthdays, and holidays, we have made associations that equate cookies, cakes, and ice cream with love, happiness, friendship, and family. Some foods even have a tranquilizing effect on us, calming us when we feel angry, stressed, or upset. There are some
supplements that help you achieve this goal. However, that calming effect is short-lived, but the effect on our weight continues long after period of indulgences.
Move Your Body
Remember our discussion earlier about hunter-gatherers and how this biological legacy sets us up to store fat? This biological legacy also sets up to gain weight if we do not move our bodies. Without physical activity our muscles strength begins to diminish. Less muscle means less efficient burning of calories. Less efficient burning of calories means we are prone, once again, to storing fat. We put energy in our bodies in the form of calories, and we expend it through activity. Small changes in your activity can add to your fat-burning ability, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a little farther away at the mall can add to your
fat-burning potential throughout the day. You burn approximate the same number of calories walking three miles as you do running three miles, so you don’t have to become a marathon runner to see results through activity
Plan and Self-Monitor Daily
We’ve all heard the rule about never grocery shopping while you are hungry. Unplanned things seem to pop into the shopping cart. Not planning what you will eat throughout the day or week is like going grocery shopping when you are hungry. Planning in advance your meals and snacks will
help you avoid situations where you are very hungry and unprepared – sudden hunger ‘emergencies’ can result in impulsive drive-through visits or eating whatever is available so quickly you forget to count it as part of your daily intake. Planning is the first step in the most important part of any
successful weight control plan: self-monitoring. Study after study has shown it: weight controllers who write down what they eat and when they exercise are the most successful in losing and maintaining weight. Those who self-monitor generally lose more weight, have fewer set backs, maintain weight for longer periods of time, and maintain weight during highly stressful periods when food temptations abound, such as holiday gatherings.
Finally, Understand and Manage Stress
Most people who struggle with their
weight certainly understand the role that stress plays in their patterns of eating. The goal of any serious weight controller is to learn how to deal with stress in new ways and to make sure that if you do overeat when under stress you do not choose foods that will put you back in a weight-gain spiral.
We are the future, and it is unacceptable to be at risk for obesity and health problems with being overweight and stop this problem right now before it goes farther and make more damage to society in the future.
There are some
products that will help you achieve your goal faster, here are some videos about those products:
