Weight Loss Surgery in Vermont
A specter is haunting Vermont – the specter of obesity. Despite its hard-earned reputation as a healthy state, more than 57% of the population of Vermont is overweight or obese according to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That’s right: over 280,000 of us adults in our beloved Green Mountain State are overweight or obese, and overweight among children in Vermont is increasing at an alarming rate as well.
And that’s dangerous. Obesity may lead to life-threatening illnesses called co-morbidities, such as diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension. It also wrecks lives through shame, guilt, and other forms of psychological damage.
It’s costing our state big money, too. Health care costs attributable to obesity in Vermont come to over $141 million dollars each year.
Can we afford to ignore obesity any longer? The answer is no. We must fight obesity – to win.
An Illness
Obesity is the condition of exceeding one’s healthy weight – but carrying extra weight is not the whole problem. It is a medical condition that requires comprehensive medical care. While it’s true that a person will lose weight when he or she reduces their daily calorie intake below their body’s daily life-support needs, dealing with obesity as a disease is not as simple as dropping a few pounds. Only those willing to completely change their lifestyle and eating habits can hope to recover completely.
Treatments
Happily, effective treatments exist. A simple, structured program of medically-supervised diet, coupled with appropriate counseling and lifestyle changes, is an effective means of safely reducing weight for the majority of obese people.
Unfortunately, some patients are beyond even these measures. For them, weight loss surgery is the treatment of choice.
About Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery takes three main forms, each a laparoscopic procedure, and all performed with the patient under general anesthesia. The surgical task involves the alteration of the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to limit the amount of food the patient can physically consume. With the adoption of a comprehensive post-op care program by the patient, weight will then decrease, usually dramatically.
Most bariatric procedures are relatively uncomplicated and safe for the majority of patients; however, they do entail risk, including the risk of premature death. Failure to modify one’s diet and lifestyle post-operatively may cause a patient to gain back the weight he or she lost, or to experience other undesirable health effects.
Simply put, weight loss surgery is a tool, not a cure. It is a part of a lifelong medical treatment of obesity, and should not be considered lightly by potential patients. The risks and possible outcomes of these procedures can only be assessed in consultation with one’s physician.
A Healthier Vermont
We can build a healthier Vermont – but only if we work together. Sensible lifestyle changes, along with weight loss surgery when needed, are the tool we need for the job. Let’s do it!
Why you Canât Lose Weight: Seven Blocks to Successful Weight Loss and How to Overcome Them
If youâre like me, youâd sooner write a nutrition book than follow one! If youâve read at least one nutrition or diet book in your lifetime, then you probably know what to eat. You may even have it down to a science: a cup of this, four ounces of that, two tablespoons of this, and so on. Yet when you really want to eat, youâre sitting down on the couch with a bag or box, not your measuring cup.
My extra fifty extra pounds wasnât caused by lack of nutritional know-how, it was caused by uncontrollable emotional eating. You see, we donât overeat simply because we love food – if only it were that simple; we overeat and snack on unhealthy foods out of emotional impulse. Successful weight loss is possible only when we identify what emotional function overeating is playing and take action to fill our needs in healthier ways. I have identified what I believe are the seven primary emotional blocks to lasting weight loss and how to overcome them.
1. The Stress Effect
The number one cause of compulsive eating is stress. When our energy is low from overactivity and burnout, we use excess food to power us through. Eating relaxes usâtemporarily.
Often, our stress is self-created; we subconsciously seek validation from our professional, social, and family obligations. Are you aiming to please at the expense of your own health?
Try this: Adopt a meditation or yoga practice and embrace the silence; allow peace to be your new craving, instead of approval and food. For âeasy-to-doâ meditation, visit http://www.MeditationYouCanDo.com.
2. The Great Escape
Overeating dulls our emotions. The more we eat, the further away our troubles seem to be. Eating starch and sugar causes a secretion of serotonin in our systems, creating a feeling of euphoria and a numbing of our senses. The problem is that the further we escape in food, the harder life becomes; our problems pile up, and our ability to cope diminishes.
Try this: Ask for help from a friend, coach, counselor, or family member to face difficult issues. The sooner you face them, the sooner youâll solve them.
3. Self-Protection Plan
Studies prove that there is a very strong link between obesity and experiences of early childhood sexual abuse. The fact is that when our bodies are violated in any way, it is natural to want to protect ourselves from further harm. Maintaining a large (or underweight) body can also be an unconscious attempt to shut down our sexuality and keep our own sexual impulses in check. We not only construct a physical prison with the intention of keeping others out, but also to trap ourselves in.
Try this: Begin exploring your relationship with your body and your sexuality. Join a supportive dance or exercise group and seek assistance from friends, a coach, or a counselor.
4. Buried Alive!
We use food as a pillow to muffle our inner voices. We all have that still, small voice (God, Spirit, Holy Spirit, conscience, intuition) inside, directing and protecting us. When we listen to it, our lives are relatively smooth and orderly. When we deny it and act from our ego mind, we create chaos. We often bury this voice to avoid the responsibility of following its guidance.
Try this: Affirm daily: âI welcome, embrace, and eagerly follow my inner voice, for this brings me energy, protection, and unlimited good!â
5. Self-Sabotage Solution
Gaining weight and living in a body we cannot stand erodes our self-esteem and self-confidence. We often have a deep-seated belief that we are bad and subconsciously take perverse pleasure in our food lashings. We easily feel guilt for things we have thought, said, and done, and instead of addressing these issues directly, we seek to deliver our own punishment by overeating and gaining weight.
Try this: Start today to forgive yourself for all that you perceive youâve done wrong. Next, when you say or do something that offends or if you make a mistake, apologize and move on.
6. Self-Care Crisis
Emotional eaters take better care of others than themselves. But if you donât take care of yourself, no one else will or can. Eating right is about self-care, not self-control. If you donât make self-respecting choices in your life, you wonât be able to make self-respecting choices when itâs time to eat.
Try this: Spend the evening fixing and savoring a fresh, organic meal at home. Relax, and enjoy the experience!
7. Decrease the Deficit
Most compulsive eaters are compulsive doers. Yet we pay dearly for our âsuper powersâ. At the end of a hard day, we refuel with a binge, telling ourselves that after all weâve accomplished, we deserve it. The fact is that we create a deficit when we try to do more than our bodies and minds can reasonably do in a day. If we have to compensate for all do we by overeating, we are doing too much.
Try this: Identify one activity a week you can cancel or pass to someone else. Everything will get done without your being there to do it.
If you want real answers as to your weight problem, look within. Itâs not because you have the wrong diet, running shoes, or exercise equipment; the food you crave is filling an emotional need that must be addressed and healed in order to have lasting success. When you identify and heal these mechanisms your entire life changes, and with it – the number on the scale.
Weight Loss for Teens: Reality of Fast Weight Loss
Do think there is fast weight loss? Yes. The fastest weight loss a teen can do is to stop eating or to starve until it can be tolerated. It is the worst thing a teen can achieve as an empty goal. Starving can lead to serious health conditions for some self-explanatory reason that eating is a basic need. Not eating for quite longer will definitely not last long, especially for healthy teens with hectic activities. Without explaining further, simply starving is frustrating, tough to do when energy is needed at most during the times of hurdling at school.Talking about real regimen for fast weight loss for teens will lead you to myriads of methods promoted by aggressive sales marketing people in the consumer world. There is simply a drug created for every common ordeal in the face of the earth. Diet pills flood the papers with the promise of ramp model silhouette as endorsed by top showbiz commercial personalities. When an obese teen gazes at a slim lady doing ads of diet pills or delivering some other scripted testimonials, there is a tendency to get lured by the beauty on how they say the ad message. The reality will only be proven by walking and looking around a crowded downtown where you can see people from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes. The ramp models comprise not more than .8% at large. It means the average people are not endowed with such appearance as seen on TV. Wake up! The TV will only show the best part of the stage. There is only a wall separating the re-enacted portrayals seen on shows, but behind is always the gaping reality: not everyone is slim!But teens are becoming influenced by social stigma to look great. It is indirectly associated with being trim all the time. Sometimes it is not the issue of being overweight or not, but you will realize, it has something to do with wrong fat distribution in the body. People of same weight would definitely look different: one may have wide hips, while the other might be endowed with bulky upper body torso. Breasts have weight too. Fats usually hide in favorite spots like the inner thighs, lower and upper abdomen, belly, and arms. When too much fat are noticeable in the said areas of the body, it surely becomes an annoying burden to carry around all the time. Exercise can re-shape the ugly fat concentration, but it takes courage to accept the simple truth that genetic make will always take its course in one’s physiological attribute.For teens aspiring fast weight loss, forget it. Yes, there are fast ways to weight loss but they will only lead to fast rebound of loss body fats if the motivation to permanently keep trim is not seriously thought of. There are accounts of success stories on slow weight loss regiment worked out of strong determination on a daily basis. It is a combination of good diet, exercise, and stress-free indulgence of activities. Weight loss has to be one’s goal in a very realistic sense. Fats are stored in a slow fashion after the food and nutrients have been processed. Therefore, the capability to think at hand is faster before one can pop a high calorie serving of dessert in every meal. Open your mind! The best dieting tool around is centered in one’s brain — the decision you make in every meal.
Very Fast Weight Loss
The rise in the number of fast foods joints that have a lot of saturated fat in the meals, the use of a lot of refined sugar in sodas and other processed foods and eating food with less fiber have all contributed to the fact that there are more people than before who are classified as either overweight or are obese. A lot of other factors cause this to happen such as genetics, overeating and as people age; the metabolism slows down making it harder than before to burn the food that was just consumed. The rate that a person loses weight is commensurate to how it is gained. Rapid weight is not good advisable since it leaves the person with lose skin and the only way to get rid of that would require surgery. Weight loss depends on the condition of the person which includes weight, health, calorie-intake, age, gender, lifestyle, stress level and routine. Being overweight does not necessarily make a person unhealthy. It just makes the person a bit unfashionable. Studies have shown that people who are a bit overweight live longer than those who have normal weight. There is no quick or overnight solution for quick weight loss. Nutritionists and other health experts will say that a person’s weight with proper exercise can actually help lose a certain number of pounds per week The best way to do this is with a low calorie diet and an exercise plan. The first thing a person needs to do is to choose a diet program designed by a dietitian or another health professional. The patient has to be evaluated before any program can be made. The program usually consists of an eating plan and an exercise program that does not require the use of supplements or one to purchase any expensive fitness equipment. The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and lose weight. A good diet should have food from all the food groups. This is made up by 2 things. The first is carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet. The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to lose weight. All diet plans are designed to make the person induce reduced amount of calories into the body. This does not mean that the person has to eat less. It just means that one has to eat smart by choosing the foods that have less calories. This makes it possible for someone to lose weight without the need to eat less. During the course of the program, the person should still consult with the doctor and other health experts to monitor ones progress. There will be times that it is essential to modify the diet plan to further lose weight. It is up to the person already to stick to the program to see that it works.
How To Maintain Your Weight Loss
Once you have started losing weight, it is crucial to think of how to maintain that weight loss in the days ahead.
It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight off is the easy part. Maintaining weight loss for good is where the real challenge lies. If you are like me, you have tried countless diets, only to gain the weight back. People lose lots of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them gain it back because they have focused only on the weight loss. They follow the diet until they get to a particular number on the scale and then, shortly after, they go back to the old lifestyle that made them overweight in the first place. Over time, of course, the weight comes right back.
The truth is, almost everyone can lose weight but only 5% keep it off. These are the Weight Loss Registry’s figures, not mine. The WLR followed highly successful dieters and came up with seven reasons why people were able to keep the weight off.
Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful.
1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.
2. The dieters did not deny themselves–they indulged from time to time.
3. They weighed themselves often.
4. They exercised one hour a day.
5. They added little bits of activity into their daily life.
6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.
7. They ate 5 meals a day.
When I compare my own weight loss success to the list above, I would say I learned how to maintain weight loss due to the following: I do the best I can with what I have available. Sometimes I am not always in a perfect situation with the healthiest choices, but I make do with what is there and I stick to the plan. If I make a not so healthy choice, I don’t beat myself up for it.
I eat YUMMY and whole foods. Using the finest ingredients makes the most delicious meals and has helped me stick to Living Well. If I wanted to indulge, I would make it from scratch using the healthiest ingredients possible. To me, indulging does not mean eating junk.
I use a tape measure to keep tabs on my weight and occasionally weigh myself.
I really struggle with exercising regularly and I have NEVER exercised for one hour a day consistently. I will do heavy housework and other activities around the house to get my heart rate up and I try different forms of exercise all the time because I get bored easily.
I think it is vital to get moving every day, somehow, and it doesn’t always mean you have to be in an aerobics class or on some sort of machine to get your heart rate up.
I eat organic whole foods and healthy oils. I am not sold on the idea that low fat and high carb is the way to go. High fat is not the answer either, but healthy oils are not the enemy. The rights oils will actually speed up the metabolism.
I eat only 3 meals a day and rarely snack. I do better when I don’t snack or graze on food all day. BUT, you may be different. You have to do what works best for you and your unique body.
This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: I think of the health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I really want to enjoy my older years and I want to be healthy. I don’t want to sit in a rocking chair, talking about all my symptoms and the things that ail me when I am in my golden years.
The Weight Loss Registry tips and my maintenance tips are not the only path for everyone, but instead are some ideas you can use to come up with your own way to keep the weight off once you have lost it.
Ultimately, I think it is crucial to focus on your health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle. So many people are in a hurry to lose weight. They spend their entire lives putting on the weight, losing the weight temporarily on diets and just wanting to get rid of it as fast as possible, not taking into consideration their state of health. I know you have heard this many times before, but if you don’t have your health, you don’t have much. Being thin will mean nothing to you if you compromise your health along the way.
Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you! The idea here is to take off the weight and keep it off for good. Even just a couple of pounds a month adds up over the course of a year. And for those that were doing everything they could and continuing to gain weight, just stopping that weight gain is a measure of success.
With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight loss. Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy lifestyle and enjoy yourself along the way. A year from now your body will be thanking you for it!
Christopher Guerriero, is the founder of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach to millions. He is creator of the award-winning ‘Maximize Your Metabolism’ system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREE teleseminars, visit: Maximize Your Metabolism
4 Effective Weight Loss Tips
Are you one of those diet-hoppers that try diet after diet without losing as much as a pound of body fat? Well, hope is on the way for you and it does not involve starting on another type of diet. It simply is accepting the fact that there indeed simple and logical ways by which body fat can be lost. This advice is not rocket science. It is a set of easily comprehendible recommendations that have been ignored in the recent past.The effectiveness lies in the simplicity. An increased rate of metabolism. For sustained and long term weight loss it is advisable that you find ways and means to increase your body’s metabolism. The best and most effective way to do so is by ensuring that your body contains as much lean muscle as possible. Of course the best way to increase the lean muscle mass in your body is through strength training. Strength training imparts a spike to your rate of metabolism such that more fat is burnt as a result. Fat loss is all about maintaining lean muscle. The bodybuilder should know that the amount of fat that his body can burn is directly proportional to the body muscle content. Provided that your muscles are capable of summoning enough strength to power through workouts then the body will also be capable of burning off excess bodily fat. This is to say that the more strong the muscles are the better equipped the body will be at losing excess fat.The effort to increase muscle strength does not go unnoticed. As the muscle mass increases the body will get a more even tone and the muscle groups will now be more exposed as a result of the loss of sub-dermal fats. Don’t forget that you will be increasingly healthy and energetic. Decreasing the daily calorific intake is vital. Weight loss should never be about depriving the body of food as proposed by the many types of diets found all around. If you deprive yourself of enough food the body will supplement its energy sources by breaking down muscle reserves instead of the fat content. This will lower the rate of metabolism. This rate will remain low even when you start eating properly again and as a result fat will not be burnt but rather it will be stored in the body. The best way to reduce the daily calorific intake is by embarking on a gradual decrease of the amount of calories in such a way that the body won’t respond in ’starvation mode’. Learn to walk fast, it helps burn fat. Fast walking has been attributed as being more effective in losing weight as compared to running or jogging. Fast walking is conventional, easily done, a natural body motion, an injury-free exercise, and generally the most comprehensive minimal effort for weight and fat loss. The above listed methods are some of the most basic ways in which you can mange your weight with ease and efficacy.
Top 10 Holiday Weight Loss Tips
The days of festivities, joy, pleasure and plenty of eating and drinking are over and you may be stuck with extra unneeded weight if you weren’t careful about your nutritional intake.
This article will list important do able holiday weight loss tips and supplements that help with weight loss.
1. Take Charge
The first step to weight loss is setting a realistic goal. By using a BMI chart and consulting with your health-care provider, you can determine what a healthy weight is for you. If you plan to lose more than 15 to 20 pounds, have any health problems, or take medication on a regular basis, a doctor should evaluate you before you begin a weight loss program.
2. Are you overweight?
Overweight refers to an excess of body weight, but not necessarily body fat. Obesity means an excessively high proportion of body fat. Health professionals use a measurement called body mass index (BMI) to classify an adult’s weight as healthy, overweight, or obese. BMI describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults. To get your approximate BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time. (Or you can use the interactive BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm.) A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered in the healthy range, from 25 up to 30 is overweight and 30 or higher is obese. Generally, the higher a person’s BMI, the greater the risk for health problems, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). However, there are some exceptions. For example, very muscular people, like body builders, may have a BMI greater than 25 or even 30, but this reflects increased muscle rather than fat. In addition to a high BMI, having excess abdominal body fat is a health risk. Men with a waist of more than 40 inches around and women with a waist of 35 inches or more are at risk for health problems.
3. Change eating habits
Dieting may conjure up visions of eating lettuce and sprouts–but you can enjoy all foods as part of a healthy diet as long as you don’t overdo it on fat (especially saturated fat), protein, sugars, and alcohol. To be successful at losing weight, you need to change your lifestyle–not just go on a diet, experts say. Limit portion sizes, especially of foods high in calories, such as cookies, cakes and other sweets; french fries; and fats, oils and spreads. Reducing dietary fat alone–without reducing calories–will not produce weight loss, according to the NHLBI’s guidelines on treating overweight and obesity in adults. Eat less and move more. Your body needs to burn more calories than you take in.
4. Increase physical activity
Most health experts recommend a combination of a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight loss. Most adults should get at least 30 minutes and children should get 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial and some studies show that short sessions of exercise several times a day are just as effective at burning calories and improving health as one long session.
5. De-stress yourself
The holiday season can be stressful and in some individuals this may lead to overeating due to stress further leading to increase in weight. If you identify yourself as one these people and feel the need to eat in between meals then at least eat healthy instead of munching on chips and cookies etc try veggies and fruits.
6. Don’t skip meals
Otherwise it will encourage you to over eat at the next meal. If you have to snack in between meals try snacking on fruits and veggies.
7. Food Allergies
Make note of foods you are allergic to. Food allergies disrupt metabolism and thus hinder weight loss.
8. Crash Diets Avoid them.
They are mostly self-defeating and serve only as a temporary band-Aid solution.
9. Drink plenty of water
To flush out the toxins from your body.
10. Tips for Eating Out
Choose foods that are steamed, broiled, baked, roasted, poached or stir-fried. Share food, such as a main dish or dessert, with your dining partner. Take part of the food home with you, and refrigerate immediately. You may want to ask for a take-home container when the meal arrives. Spoon half the meal into it, so you’re more likely to eat only what’s left on your plate. Request your meal to be served without gravy, sauces, butter or margarine. Ask for salad dressing on the side, and use only small amounts of full-fat dressings.
No Laughing matter
We’re putting on the pounds at an alarmingly rapid rate. And we’re sacrificing our health for the sake of super size portions, biggie drinks, and two-for-one value meals, obesity researchers say. More than 60 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the number of overweight people has been slowly climbing since the 1980s, the number of obese adults has nearly doubled since then.
Besides the above weight loss tips certain supplements may also help in weight loss.
Some of these supplements are listed below.
1. GREEN TEA (Popular for weight loss, also a powerful antioxidant)
2. Garcinia Combogia
3. Chromium Picolinate
4. Flaxseed Oil
5. Lecithin
6. L-Carnitine
7. Fennel
8. Fenugreek
Dieting Basics – Weight Loss for Beginners
The word “diet” has become defined as a mean for eliminating or limiting a certain foods sources in conventional diets today. The real definition simplified by my own words of diet is, “a prescribed selection of foods.” I believe strongly that this simple definition says everything about what a diet is unlike conventional diets have defined it.
Dieting is not starvation, tormenting, and in other words, a living hell! It can be as 1, 2, and 3.
As most people follow conventional diets, it is proven only 5% will actually lose weight and keep it off. But why only 5% succeed and other 95% fail? They did not follow these three steps.
1. Setting goals and methods of action.
Setting goals are not only for motivation but to give dieters a sense of direction on what they want to achieve. Some excellent question they should ask themselves and write on their goals sheet is what you want to accomplish, when do you want to reach these goals, how are you going to accomplish these goals, and why are they important?
Other question they should write down is why would they give up, what don’t you like about yourself, and when you reach your goals what we be different?
I recommend this to everyone that ask me to help them with some tips on how to stay motivated and the number one tips that does the best is taking pictures of yourself and putting them where you will see them every day.
No this is not a joke as a before and after picture are proven to keep people motivated and reaching for their goals.
In a nutshell, keep your goals sheet with your answers right by your pictures where you will see them every day to help keep you reaching for your goals.
2. Gain the knowledge needed.
Researching about healthy eating, weight loss, and exercise can become a struggle and risky with the health industry pointing you towards unnecessary weight loss supplement, diets, and exercise equipment.
Searching now for several years I have become fond of government site that give out a lot of free information, articles, and study’s that are trustworthy and I like to say, “the real thing.” I have made several weight loss websites available to you on my website for easy access to some of the best information online without having to research. Taking the time to learn about the basics of nutrition, exercise, and healthier living is the key towards success.
One of the best sources I believe and back up 100% is by Tom Venuto, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.” This e-book has become the best selling weight loss book online as its results speak for itself. If you are interested in this book you can review it at http://www.top-weightloss-site.com as I believe you should make decisions when you learn the truth for yourself instead of someone else telling you. I guarantee it is an excellent book.
3. Construct a exercise, eating, and daily planner.
When creating your exercise, eating, and daily planner you need to take several elements and into account. Some things you have to incorporate into your daily planner is the amount of time and money you have to delegate to your goals, fitness level, and schedule.
So let’s recall what the steps just where.
You wrote out your goals and what you want to achieve in how much time, with your questions and answers, and don’t forget about your before and after pictures where you will see them every day. Next, you seek the knowledge to take action correctly and to get maximum results with as less amount of time and money spent.
Last, you created a daily planner that consist of your exercise and nutrition schedules and planners to keep track of what needs to be done to accomplish your desired results.
These three steps have been used over and over again with excellent results and I recommend you try it as well.
Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself on dieting and we hope you take advantage of my latest weight loss news, diets, and inspiration. Good Luck and God Bless!
Exercise and weight loss
The answer is not difficult: the number of calories you burn up during the day must be higher than the number you consume in your meals.
If you burn as many calories as you eat, your weight will be maintained. If you eat more than you burn up, you will put on weight. The recipe itself is simple. But converting it into a program of diet and exercise that will show results is difficult.
For many years it was assumed that physical activity played hardly any role in weight loss program. The amount of physical exercise necessary to lose even one pound of weight seemed to be unreal for an ordinary person to work into a daily schedule of commitments.
Hence, diet seemed to be more important; and as the diet had to reduce calories, most people understood it as a greater degree of hunger. Many weight loss diets consisted only of reducing the amount of food consumed. The result was starvation only, instead of weight loss. However, most people quickly give it up, because nobody wants to starve for a prolonged period of time.
Today we know that nobody has to starve in order to lose weight. Overweight people have to restrain their eating and adjust food they consume to include the right foods and combine the proper kind of physical activity to accelerate weight loss.
What is the role of physical activity in the weight loss process? If you want to lose one pound you have no choice but to burn 3,500 calories.
This seems to be an overwhelming task, especially when you take into account that to burn up 100 calories you must walk vigorously or run one and a half kilometers. Of course, when running, you’ll burn up the calories more quickly. So, if it were for exercise alone, you might quickly come to conclusion that there are more relevant and more pleasant things in life than doing this exercise.
Now, take under consideration what will happen if you combine an exercise program with a low calorie, non-starvation diet. It should be an enjoyable kind of diet and exercise plan leading to 2-3 pound weight loss a week.
Now, if you count your weight loss in a month’s time, you can easily lose 8 to 12 pounds in a very easy way.
Look what happens when you combine physical activity and non-starvation diet.
When you cut down on calories, your body’s first reaction is to suppose (we’ll assume your body can “think” at the moment) that you are going to starve. So, it decreases its metabolism automatically and as a result you begin to burn less amount of calories.
But when you start to exercise, your metabolic rate accelerates again. Your muscles activate again and help burn more calories. Your body starts “thinking” that you are not starving. Therefore, a lot of physical activity along with fewer calories eaten means greater weight loss.
You will probably ask what are those low-calorie foods to consume to make you lose weight. Use your common sense.
Avoid fat, fried foods, as well as sweets. And when you finally get your desired weight, you can eat your favorite food again, of course in moderation.
With regards to what type of exercise you can do to help activate some more your metabolism and burn more calories, you have to do exercises stimulating your muscles, like strength training and aerobic. Should you have any further questions about weight loss, do not hesitate and visit me in my fitness center.
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Walking for Weight Loss and Health
Walking has long been the exercise of choice because it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to lose weight and improve your health. Walking as a cardio exercise can benefit anyone – young or old. For these reasons, walking continues to be popular with fitness enthusiasts everywhere.
No gym membership or expensive equipment is required to enjoy this superior weight-loss tool. An added bonus is getting to enjoy the quiet joys of nature and breathing in fresh air while clearing your mind at the same time. Some testify that walking is the best way to squeeze healthy exercise into a busy schedule.
The beauty of walking is that you have to do it anyway as part of your daily routine. Walking for weight-loss needs to be at a brisk pace in order to provide a truly effective workout.
Many experts now recommend exercise “intervals” where a period of time is spent at a difficult pace followed by a period of time at a slower “recovery” pace. Alternating difficult and recovery intervals can provide an extremely effective fat-burning workout and alleviate boredom. As you can imagine, more calories are burned using the interval method than in simply walking at the same pace for the same amount of time.
If you’re ready to start a walking program, there are several things to consider. By far the most important consideration is whether you are healthy enough to begin the program. Always check with your physician before starting any new type of exercise routine. Your doctor should be able to tell you at what intensity and length you can safely begin your program.
One you receive the “all clear” signal from your doctor, you need to set your goals. Weight loss goals require a different approach than goals intended to gain energy and improve health. Experts now recommend 60 to 90 minutes of activity on most days to achieve weight loss. Thirty minutes will be fine for improved health in most cases.
Don’t despair if you are in the weight loss group and have no idea where to find 60 to 90 minutes a day to exercise. If you are just beginning, even a slight increase in activity will produce positive results at first. In addition, using the interval method of training for about 30 minutes for a couple of your workouts each week can provide a challenging and effective workout.
Other considerations when beginning your program include getting the proper attire. This includes a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothing. A new pair of shoes and walking outfit can be the perfect motivator for jump-starting your new routine!
The next thing you have to consider when starting a walking regimen is your schedule. Regardless of recommendations for the perfect time to exercise, the best time to walk is the time when you will actually do it!
Some walkers prefer to begin their day with a walk to jump-start their energy and ensure their exercise is complete for the day. There is no better feeling than knowing you have met your exercise goals for the day and can do as you please with the rest of it.
Others prefer to end their day with a walk, perhaps after dinner. This is a great way to avoid the “couch potato” syndrome and enjoy nature as part of your evening activities. Evening walks could also prove to be a great way to spend more time with your family. Just be sure to keep the pace up for a good workout – walking with others should not slow you down.
You will also have to consider the environment and weather as well as the safety of the areas in which you will be walking. Look for sidewalks and trails in safe neighborhoods. A great alternative to walking outside during inclement weather is walking on a treadmill if you have one. The added benefit of walking on a treadmill is that you can watch your favorite television program without missing your workout. Also, many walkers head to the mall to get out of the rain or hot weather.
Wherever and whenever you choose to walk, use it as a time to reward and renew yourself. You will reduce stress levels, burn calories and improve your overall health. Enjoy!