Introduction – Weight Problems
Obesity
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An obese person is regarded as someone who is around 20% above their ideal weight or someone whose fat weight in the body is more than 30% of their total weight.
Introduction – Weight Problems
Simply put if you consume more calories than you burn or use up, you will gain weight. People’s metabolisms are different, which means that different people will burn calories at different rates. That is why you get slim people who can eat a horrendous amount of calories but never seem to put on any weight. These types of people have very fast metabolisms.
Overweight people have an increased risk for health problems. Fat carried in the waist and in the abdominal area, characterised by the “apple shape”, is associated with an increased risk for heart disease, cancer. high blood pressure and diabetes.
It is not easy for an obese person to lose weight and keep it off but it is possible!
The most common causes of obesity are:-
The most common causes of obesity are:
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Traditional Treatments
There are a number of things that people can do to lose weight. All of them tend to involve discipline and control, so the motivation factor has to be high. Other factors that are influential are things such as family, conditioning and genetic influences.
Weight Loss Plans
Most commercial weight loss plans only provide a short term answer. Many people quickly become dissatisfied with the restrictive diets that most programs offer. Some of these programs provide very low calorie diets and require weigh-ins. Others require clients to purchase their pre packaged low fat meals or meal replacement drinks, both of which tend to be expensive. In the short term these pre packaged meals and drinks tend to work but for maintaining long term weight loss nothing is generally taught.
If you do start a commercial weight loss plan then be sure to include a regular exercise regimen and take nutritional supplements to make up for any deficiencies in the plan. If you suffer from other illnesses then always consult your doctor before starting any plan.
Ultra Low Calorie Diets And Fasting
Logic tells us that if we eat a very small amount then we should start to lose weight quickly. Not necessarily so. You see, when you drastically reduce your food intake your body goes into survival mode and lowers your metabolic rate so you burn fewer calories over a given period of time.
In circumstances where fasting or low calorie liquid diets are necessary they should always be supervised by qualified medical personnel.
Burning More Calories
Do you want to be successful in controlling your weight? Then eat low fat foods and burn more calories by exercising. The body burns calories 24 hours a day. Any activity burns more calories than sleeping or sitting. Exercise burns the most calories. It melts away unwanted inches and pounds. Losing fat is a slow process that requires appropriate habits for both dieting and exercising. Exercise is the key to successful and permanent fat loss.
Overweight people burn fewer calories than fit people. They have lower metabolisms. Their bodies are less efficient at burning calories and more efficient at storing them. Fit people burn extra calories before any can be stored as fat in the body. Overweight people store extra calories as fat. Exercise changes metabolism. Regular exercise allows overweight people to lose fat and control their weight.
What activity, how often, how hard, and how long are important questions to ask when adding exercise to your lifestyle. The most effective workout program includes both aerobic exercise and strength training. The combination yields faster fat loss at any age. Aerobic exercise increases metabolism. Strength or weight training builds muscle. Muscle rids the body of excess fat by burning fat for fuel. Heart rate, speed, strength, and metabolism all improve as one gets fitter and trimmer.
The phrase, “no pain no gain,” is simply not true. Avoid pain. Do not try to whip yourself into shape in just a few weeks, because it does not work. It takes months to achieve permanent fat loss in a healthy way. Quick weight loss through dieting alone is not just fat loss. It is really a combination of water, muscle, and fat loss. The bathroom scale cannot tell the difference. That’s why it is important to adapt regular physical exercise into your lifestyle.
It takes time to achieve weight loss and fitness goals and a lifetime to maintain them. An active lifestyle that includes daily exercise burns more calories than a sedentary lifestyle, which stores more calories as fat.
Get a medical checkup before starting any exercise program. Beginners should work with a certified exercise leader. This ensures that a safe and proper workout program is prescribed for their health condition.
Alternative Methods
Chinese Medicine
Treatments will vary according to your body type and lifestyle. Talk to a qualified practitioner of Chinese Medicine and you will be advised the best course of action.
Herbal Therapies
These can be used to stimulate your metabolic rate, flush out the liver and kidneys and offset craving for sweets and hunger pains. One such preparation is Weight Loss plus from Liberty Health.
