How to win the battle of the bulge
Many Americans suffer with problems of obesity. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of Americans are now overweight and many have given up the struggle to return to a healthy weight. As your weight increases, the chances of losing it seem to slip away. If you lose only a pound here and a pound there, any chance for significant weight loss seems to be out of reach. You get discouraged and stop trying.
The risks of obesity and being overweight are many.
It is the No. 1 public health problem in America, leading to multiple diseases. Weight-related diseases include hypertension, Type II diabetes, fatty organs, acid reflux, heart disease, shortness of breath, joint pain, lowered immune response, stroke, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and premature death.
The costs of medical care for these diseases has skyrocketed to $147 billion for Medicare and Social Security Disability claims in one year. People who are obese spend 42 percent more on medical care, 72 percent more on medications and 48 percent more time in the hospital. That adds up to as much as $10,000 more per year in healthcare costs.
The factors that can influence excessive weight gain are different for each person. The trajectory toward obesity can begin as early as 5 or 6 years old when hereditary factors and family lifestyle can contribute to the problem. You can inherit certain genetic predispositions for weight gain. However, in most cases heredity can be overcome with a healthy lifestyle.
If the family meals include many calorie-dense foods, you not only gain excessive weight but you are likely to develop unhealthy eating habits as an adult. Family schedules may be arranged around the foods that are fast and easy but also more likely to be unhealthy. If the family eats a lot in restaurants many of the foods tend to be in larger portions and may have too much of the “big three” — fats, sugar and salt — in them. Subsequently the entire family can easily become “biggie-sized.” What about your body? It seems to betray you, too. Your taste buds seem to prefer donuts over broccoli. The taste of processed foods also may be engineered to maximize your consumption.
It doesn’t help that your body is biologically predisposed to store foods for energy. But in modern life you do not need all of that stored food energy that will be enable you to run 10 miles, chase down an antelope, kill it with your spear and drag it back home. Instead you are more likely to eat a bag of potato chips while you sit on the couch, turn on the TV and watch someone else catch that antelope. Women’s bodies tend to gain more weight with pregnancy but many women gain excessive weight during pregnancy and do not lose it. Hormones sometimes play a part in increasing susceptibility to weight gain or slower body metabolism. Some medications also contribute to weight gain.
Don’t forget that an important equationtoo activities. muchpart Most of is Sittingtime Americansthe calorie weight-lossin at sedentary expenditure.work, spendin a car nothing Opportunitiesand finallyto burn forat up home walking, calories. does runningbe very limitedand evenin your moving daily may routine.with Whileall of it thesemay seem obstacles, hopelessit is involves possiblea newto lose psychologyweight. It of Successfulself and food weight utilization. reduction and requires awareness increasedof all knowledgeof the potential threats to your health and a belief in your power to control your life called self-efficacy. All of the factors that can influence weight gain can be managed if you first become more aware of the subtle and not-so-subtle triggers for relapse. This includes our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and the environment. It requires conscious living or achieving a level of mindfulness about yourself that most of us are not accustomed to practicing. Consider the vision you have
of yourself. If you imagine yourself as a healthy person you are more likely to act in ways that are congruent with the way a healthy person acts. You will consciously seek
health-enhancing activities
and be more aware of the choices you make. Use behavior-modification principles to set up your life for managed eating, such as eating slowly, making a food journal and developing alternative ways to manage feelings. Be patient and set realistic goals for weight loss. Weight gain did not happen overnight. Practice healthy behaviors and weight loss will follow. Be aware of the foods you have around you. Certain foods may look good, taste good and smell good but they create havoc with your organ systems. Remove them from your home and surroundings. Become knowledgeable about foods and read labels. Buy more fruits and vegetables. Eat more rationally and less emotionally. Change your view of food. Food must be viewed as a means for sustenance instead of a way to make yourself temporarily feel good, manage stress, conquer boredom or reduce bad feelings. And don’t forget to move every day. Hop, skip, walk, run, jump or dance. Just get your body to experience enough motion to use up some of that stored food energy.
Be patient and set realistic goals for weight loss. Weight gain did not happen overnight. Practice healthy behaviors and weight loss will follow.