Healthy B.P.M.

Babies are in an enviable poistion right now because they are the only ones privelaged enough to have fat-based products. So babies can have yoghurt and full cream milk without worrying about the calories.

Why can babies have more fats? Well they grow terrifically fast, tripling their birthweight in the first year and growing as much as ten inches long. Their brain is growing rapidly too and 60 per cent of the brain is made of fat.

But parents be warned. Don’t fatten up your baby all that much as it could get them into trouble later on.

Read Why Babies Need Full-Fat Foods for more

childhood obesity, baby food, fat, calories

Is childhood obesity such a serious problem? Statistics say that it is. What is the reason for such a high rise in obesity amongst kids?

-Kindness
-Sweetened beverages.
-Trans fat filled food.
-Sedentary childhood.

Kids might not live as long as their parents do as they are more prone to chronic obesity-related diseases. Now that’s a reason to worry. Check out this article:
Obese kids creating generation that will live shorter lives than parents

obesity, childhood obesity, trans fat

The food labels based on your average 2000 calorie diet are not working. People are still getting obese, in fact more now than any other time in the history of mankind. When you look at the label, you don’t really think about all the contents, do you? Plus do you know how many calories you need to burn when you have restaurant food?

Labeling isn’t working probably because:

-No one has the time to analyze the details.

-People eat out a lot.

-Physical activity is on the decrease.

-Reduced caloric intake doesn’t have the benefits of exercise.

This is a great read: Food Labels Won’t Cure Obesity

What do some doctors do to help children who are over weight? Put them on prescription drugs. Check out Alex Waith’s story. Since he was over weight at a young age and was moving toward a higher risk of succumbing to Type 2 diabetes, he was put on a dosage of Adderall, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder.

Alex lost weight as the drug suppressed his appetite but his family did not seem to be aware of the dangerous side effects of taking a drug of this sort. There is a risk of cardiac arrest and psychic disorders. Although Alex is fine now, the question is why should he be treated for Attention Deficit Disorder when he has a completely different problem to deal with?

Is the ADHD(Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) drug an easy way out? A short term solution with unhappy results? The debate is on. It’s up to parents to be aware of what they are getting their kids into.

childhood obesity, Adderall, Attention Deficit Disorder

It’s strange that teenagers who diet have more chances of weight gain. The reasons for this are simple. Dieting leads to abnormal eating patterns like binge eating and appetite suppressing methods like smoking. The teenager’s goal is usually short term and so dieting makes a reverse impact especially for those who have a tendency to put on weight.

The problem with any kind of diet is that it’s so restrictive and teenagers usually get stressed out under any kind of limitation. What parents and the education system could do is to try and inculcate some kind of eating values that focus on health rather than weight. If you eat healthy foods, steer clear of supermarket goodies and do some kind of physical exercise, chances of your being the right weight are way higher.

teenager, diet, binge eating, weight gain, obesity

What do women talk about when they get together?

It seems fat talk is in. Women like to speak in a self-degrading manner when it comes to their bodies and if they continuously do that, their social standing among friends goes up. At least that’s what research says. While one woman will say I’m fat and sigh, her friend reassures her with No you look great. It seems to be an important part of female friendships.

Now if you happen to be skinny, it’s another story. It kind of gets awkward to sit in a room full of big-breasted women who worry about how big they are. Then you get that sinking I’m -flat -feeling and somehow no one talks to you about bra size and the bizarre vocabulary that comes with being woman.

I loved this story If I hate my ass enough, will you love me? on Pandagon.net

What do you think?

fat talk, obesity, skinny, body image

Bobbi c of Earthly Garden alerted me to a fantastic lead on some ground-breaking news related to obesity. It seems plastics can make you fat. The environment is changing rapidly and it’s only natural that pollutants around us. They make us lethargic, tired, asthmatic and now fat.

Some of the pollutants found in fungicides and plastics seem to be endocrine disruptors. They affect your reproductive system and cause your body to pile on the pounds. The worst part is that it seems the hormone triggers are hard to reverse.

So the next time you go out, the air you breathe in literally can make you fat.

Read Chemicals May Play Role in Rise in Obesity

pollutants, obesogens, fat, obesity, plastics

What kinds of foods should pregnant women eat?

What eating for two really means takes a look at some of the myths associated with being pregnant. Does your pregnancy diet measure up? - a blog post on Blogging Baby made me think about how some moms dread pregnancy because they have to put on weight. Those who have been on diets all their life are suddenly faced with the prospect of gaining weight.

It’s scary especially if you have multiples. Then you have to be take a double dose of all those supplements, gorge on milk and health foods and address all those cravings associated with pregnancy.

Consult your doctor before you take up any kind of exercise(even yoga) because gaining weight is the norm during pregnancy and it’s not the time to knock off calories. You should be active but don’t try to be your own doctor.

pregnancy, obesity, weight gain, nutritional supplements, exercise

I loved Jimmy Moore’s (in the 30-in-30.blogspot.com blog)fantastic post on the intuitive knowledge of children when it comes to dieting. When I read All I Really Need To Know About Diet I Learned In Kindergarten, I was thinking that’s absolutely true. When you are a kid you never finish your meals. You never eat more than you need to and you eat several times in a day. You only eat when you are hungry. Moms don’t seem to understand that and try to get their kids to eat the entire meal. Kids eat in smaller portions and they play enough to get all those calories incinerated!

Kids have a lot of in-built wisdom. They never do too much of anything though we may think that they do(why some kids are obese is a different issue altogether). I think they are more tuned to their body’s needs than we are. Maybe we have to start listening to ourselves a little better.

Jimmy Moore, 30-in-30, kindergarten, weight, obesity, exercise

The ups and downs of your life affect your weight.

When you get married, you usually gain weight. For one thing you are happier, more relaxed and oblivious of dieing norms. Then when you have kids, you know what happens. Maternal bliss and calories go hand in hand.

Now suppose all that happiness falls like a tonne of bricks, if you divorce the weight could actually go up. When you eat alone, you don’t tend to think about calories. A friend of mine told me how he would embark on binge eating when he was under stress- be it in relationships or at work.

When you retire, you are suddenly faced with the prospects of a day without a deadline and you make up for it by clearing the fridge, eating more than you need and resting for no apparent reason.

So every time your life is punctuated by an event, your body is affected. Looks like stress can put on the pounds rather than reduce it.

Read A lifestyle change can bust your diet

stress, lifestyle, marriage, divorce, retirement, binge eating

Some interesting reasons that you still don’t lose weight despite all your efforts:

-You exercise but don’t sleep enough.

-You don’t eat small portions; just fill the plate and gobble.

-You eat too fast.

-You don’t drink enough water; water actually helps curb that appetite!

-You’re starving.

Don’t believe me?

Read 7 weight loss mistakes for more.

weight loss, fitness, exercise, calories, obesity

The bundle of joy has arrived and suddenly you notice things about yourself that haven’t really bothered you for the last couple of months. You are fat, especially if you’ve had a Cesarean you feel really big and you want to shed it all. But wait for a few weeks before you sprint into action. Your entire body will go into healing mode after pregnancy and your wound need time to heal. If you are breast feeding your body will need those fat reserves.

What you could do after six weeks is walking, kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor and light resistance training. Stay away from junk foods and try not to be glued to the television al that much. It;s not good for you or the baby.By the time your baby becomes active you will see the pounds disappear quickly!

Check out what the experts have to say on Working out After Having a Baby

post pregnancy, weight loss, fitness, exercise, kegels, walking

Obesity is always in the news. Check out this post Obesity prompting early puberty in girls by Sarah. Girls who are obese have chances of an earlier puberty. The enriched foods that we have fallen prey too are playing havoc with hormones and children are forced to grow up way before they should.

What about obese couples who want to start a family?Studies have revealed that obesity can come in the way of conception. In case of overweight men, semen quality and levels of reproductive hormones could suffer. Ovulation, conception and early fetal development suffer in an overweight woman. Obese couples have to wait longer to start their families than trimmer couples. Studies were conducted on couples who were already on the way to having a family; so there is no link between sterility and high BMI that has been established.

It’s just another reason for couples to work out and plan dieting regimens together.

Read Fertility Impaired in Overweight and Obese Couples

obesity, childhood obesity, puberty, pregnancy, sterility, BMI

Have you ever wondered why some people shy away from having heir pictures taken? Well maybe you don’t want to look fatter than you are. Take the Academy Awards for instance. Bad camera angles could endanger an actor’s career. Taking pictures in open spaces without the right kind of lighting could increase the chances of you sporting a fatter tummy. Telephoto lenses play games with your overall width and sometimes you could appear slightly pudgier than usual.

You’ll love this story:
Smile and say “Fat”!:Why does the camera add 10 pounds?

picture, photograph, Academy Awards, red carpet, camera angle, fat, lighting

Menopause is a difficult time in a woman’s life. While the lucky few breeze through this period without much difficulty, many women experience all kinds of physical and mental changes. Weight gain, especially around the abdomen, is part of the woman’s aging process. More than hormonal changes, lifestyle norms are clearly responsible with weight gain. As you grow older you are more likely to have a sedentary lifestyle. Your kids have grown up and you don’t really want to try as much as you used to.

Check out The 35 symptoms of menopause in the Fefyfomona blog. Weight gain figures among a list of many others. If you do have the tendency during the peri-menopausal stage, you can start exercising on a daily basis. Aerobic exercise and strength training can help you to lose weight and also improve your mental state. Eating a diet high in fiber and calcium and cutting down on fat also helps.Don’t go on a crash diet but watch your food intake and keep a food diary.A good support system as in supportive family or friends makes this transition easier.

Read Menopause and weight gain

menopause, weight gain, hormone therapy, crash diet, depression, lifestyle, fiber