Healthy B.P.M.

When I read Dr Sanjay Gupta’s post on How do I get people to care about obesity? I wondered whether people think that all this talk about America and the rich countries in the world going fat is a joke. Does anyone really care?

I think it’s easy not to care as long as it’s not your problem. But if you are a compassionate sort of person you might want to know why the developed world is turning into generation X-large. Too much of the sedentary life and too much unnecessary food intake are the primary reasons. Children are also victims of this disturbing trend. A war on obesity is only as necessary as a war on smoking,drugs and excessive alcohol abuse.

It’s not about being ’size-ist’. It’s about saving yourself from unnecessary diseases like diabetes,blood pressure,prostate cancer and degenerative arthritis. Isn’t the idea of a life filled with unnecessary suffering enough to motivate people to get into shape instead of lobbying for the right of the flab?

How do I get people to care about obesity?, a war on obesity

It’s that time of year when you become honest with yourself and assess your year. An honest assessment is crucial if we want to make changes in the coming year. As far as your diet plan went, did you stick with your goals or did you indulge on a variety of fad diets only to give up in a matter of weeks?

Maybe this 2007 you could make a simple decision.

COMMIT.

It’s like a relationship people. If you stick with your life, it works. If you consistently eat healthy and sensibly and exercise everyday, you’ll be a new person by 2008. Commit to a sensible life and the calories will burn off.

fad diet, 2007, commit, calories

Here’s why you think eating healthy is just too much a waste of time:

-You are under the impression that healthy food is expensive. Not really. The trick is to buy ONLY healthy food and not to stock up on the junk food you could get via coupons.You don’t always have to buy organic foods; try normal foods like regular fruits, greens, wholegrain bread instead.You can actually save on money if you stop buying soda pop,candy and burgers.

-You don’t have time to cook. Cooking meals everyday is such a pain,especially if you are a lousy cook. But give it time. Do some reading and collect recipes from your friend and the internet and you’ll find yourself enjoying your creative frenzy in the kitchen.

-You’ll have to stick to meals once you switch over to healthy foods.No constant munching and guzzling down coke. It’s kind of a scary feeling for people who eat food like they breathe to stick to salads and cereal. But it’s worth it. What’s the use of eating so much and feeling unhealthy?

Read these links too:

http://www.obesityscam.com/myth5.7.htm

http://calorielab.com/news/2005/10/14/healthy-diet-need-not-be-more-expensive/

junk food

Jelly bellies are bad to look at and difficult to carry around. On top of that, the big belly is a big source of trouble- cancer, diabetes, blood pressure are some of the diseases that obese people have to watch out for. A good indicator of fat is measuring waist circumference. For women if it goes beyond 35 and for men if it goes beyond 40, then it’s danger zone.

Subcutaneous fat is the unwanted fat that springs up in the upper arm,thigh,and hip regions. The fat around the belly region is called visceral fat and is by far the most dangerous. Fat reserves are linked to chronic inflammation leading to subsequent cardiovascular issues. Read this for more:

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/waist.htm

Research has proven that removing this fat artificially does not cut down cholestorol. You have to lose the weight by exercising and eating healthy. Aerobic exercises help most; so walking everyday,eating plenty of fiber,wholegrain bread and cereal,drinking eight glasses of water and keeping a food diary(for motivation and also to identify negative food patterns)will help.
Read these links for more:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12919730/site/newsweek/

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/14/gupta.answers/index.html

obese, cholestorol, aerobic exercises

I’ve often noticed that people want to justify their physique. In case you are fat, you have faced the ‘I am fat’ syndrome everyday of your life and if you are skinny you have the ‘I wish I was fat’ syndrome. Okay so you’ve been made fun off once or twice and none of the clothes fit. But the bottom line is you seem to be ashamed of what you look like. It really is about you and not about how the world sees you.

Which is why i liked Susannah Jowitt. She revels in her obesity. She celebrates her body and she does exercise although the weight doesn’t seem to be coming off. A very important aspect of fitness has to do with your mind. Self pity doesn’t help.Once you are positive, then exercising and eating healthy can help you stay on the right track.

Read Sussanah’s story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8126-2491892,00.html

Susannah Jowitt

You have followed every fad diet in the planet. But the weight is not going off. It could be because you don’t like living on the olive oil based diet or the cabbage soup diet. You don’t like counting your portions or measuring the size of your plates. You keep forgetting to make entries in your brand new food diary.It could also be that you focus so much on your diet that you don’t exercise at all.

Solution:

-Invent your own diet; customize your meals to your taste preferences. That could be a fun exercise. The place where you live and the local produce will help you figure out what is worth cooking.

-It’s a good idea to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.

-Following some of grandma’s healthy recipes will also help.

-Buy some low-calorie cookbooks and mix and match ingredients at your will.

-Exercise EVERYDAY…at least go for walks. Preparing all those meals will make you hungry!

invent, low-calorie cookbooks

Get a note book and jot down your crazy food habits every day. A food diary contains:

The quantity of your food intake:Measure the food you eat. If you have had three cups of ice cream write it down.

The kind of food:Did you have a burger or cheesecake?

The time:It’s hard to write down the timing of every meal and every drink that you have.But following this regimen for a while helps you understand the number of times you eat unnecessarily and not out of real hunger.

Your state of mind:Sometimes unhappiness can trigger of eating sprees.When you create a record you know when your moods influence your appetite.

Read this link for more:
http://familydoctor.org/299.xml

Behavioral modification is one method that some people use to lose weight.

Introspection is a hard thing to do. Looking at the mirror is bad enough. Self-examining your eating habits, being honest about your calorie intake and conscientiously exercising is harder. But it’s worth it.

Behavioral modification programs include:

-Self-monitoring of food
-Checking your weight everyday
-Writing a food diary or a blog:)
-Stimulus control. If eating chocolats triggers off eating for you,stay away from chocolate
-Consuming a minimal intake(1200 calories)
-Consuming a low-fat diet
-Exercising EVERYDAY
-Making sure that your family and friends are by your side.
-Destressing yourself. Shed weight not tears. Even if you are not happy with your progress keeping a positive attitude is extremely crucial for any possible future improvement.

behavioral modification, calories