Defeating Overweight & Obesity (part 1)

Understanding that a person is “FAT” is the first positive step forward to reduce it. In the coming few posts in this section, I will be telling you ways you can really improve your fitness and looks.

Eating Habits: First and foremost, set your eating habit right. Take meals only 2-3 times a day. If you want to eat something in between meals, then try to reduce the amount you consume in the next meal. This way you can substantially maintain your proper dietary habit.

The time at which we eat is one of the most important things to be considered. Our body needs to get accustomed to any changes we make. Therefore, don’t abuse your body by eating here and there, one after the other, anything that comes your way. Make a choice for yourself. Learn to say “No” when someone offers you a rich chocolate or a burger.

Eating pattern is also very important, though many people would not notice its impact on the overall body weight. Make it a habit of eating slowly and with full concentration on the food. This is specially important, because, when you eat slowly with concentration on food, you tend to eat less. It means, eating while reading or watching television or working on the computer should not be done.

So, friends, make a journal of your own and keep a note of all the tips you will see in the coming weeks and start implementing them immediately. It has been observed that compounding information on a large scale does not help the reader, so follow the steps one-by-one and you’ll be better off in  a few months time.

Cheers :)

U.S. Obesity Epidemic Continues to Grow

From Yahoo

The very latest from yahoo health. Some interesting statistical analysis on obersity in the US. The study is authentic since it has been carried out by CDC.

…….The number of U.S. adults who are obese increased almost 2 percent between 2005 and 2007, a new report found.

In 2007, 25.6 percent of adults reported being obese, compared to 23.9 percent in 2005, according to the finding in the July 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"The epidemic of adult obesity continues to rise in the United States, …………," Dr. William Dietz, director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said in a news release. "We need to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, engage in more physical activity and reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in order to maintain a healthy weight."

Obesity was most prevalent in the South, with 27 percent of residents classified as obese. In the Midwest, the number was 25.3 percent; in the Northeast, 23.3 percent; and in the West, 22.1 percent, according to the report.

In terms of age, among those 50 to 59 years old, 31.7 percent of men and 30.2 percent of women were obese. For those 19 to 29, 19.1 percent of men and women were obese.

Breaking the numbers down by race/ethnicity and sex, obesity prevalence was highest for non-Hispanic black women (39.0 percent), followed by non-Hispanic black men (32.1 percent).

Education levels play a role, too. For men, obesity prevalence was lowest among college graduates (22.1 percent) and highest among those with some college (29.5 percent) and a high school diploma (29.1 percent). For women, obesity prevalence was lowest among college graduates (17.9 percent) and highest among those with less than a high school diploma (32.6 percent).

None of the states or the District of Columbia has met the "Healthy People 2010" goal of reducing the prevalence of obesity to 15 percent or less, the CDC said.

"Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. These diseases can be very costly for states and the country as a whole," Deb Galuska, associate director for science at the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, said in a news release.

The CDC defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) of 30 or above. An adult who is 5-feet, 9-inches tall is considered obese if he or she weighs 203 pounds……

Clearly, a thing to watch out for.

In the coming days, i’ll be giving you some really helpful tips to reduce body weight and the risk of other associated illnesses. So, keep checking.