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Food is a means to an end; the end
is to keep our body and soul together.
If it is not taken in the right proportion and if we
are not selective, we would land ourselves into an unpleasant
situation. Chronic and potentially dangerous conditions
such as diabetes and high blood pressure are greatly
exacerbated by obesity. The truth about food is that
it is required for maintenance only. The problem is
we live in a culture that forces food at us. The tendency
especially among the younger generation is to snack
all day. For many of us there are no meal times.
The question therefore is what is a
healthy weight? Not an easy question to answer. Even
though many people talk about weight, what really matters
are how much of your body weight is fat. The body mass
index (BMI) is an approximate measure of body fat. It
is based on your height and weight. A BMI between 19
and 25 is considered a normal amount of body fat. If
someone's BMI is 25 to 29.9, that person is said to
be overweight.
A person is said to be obese if his or her BMI is 30
or higher. The higher your BMI, the greater your risk
for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis,
and certain cancers. The best way to lower your BMI
is to reduce the total number of calories you take in
and to be more physically active. Long-term success
is not about finding the "right" diet. It's
about identifying your behaviors that have contributed
to taking in more calories than your body needs. It
is also about making a plan to develop healthier eating
and physical activity habits.
Most of us have a wrong notion that diet-pills are a
magic solution to weight loss. Diet pills are effective
when taken under medical supervision in conjunction
with a proper diet and exercise program. Diet pills
are very tempting things if you want to lose weight,
especially if you have tried several conventional weight
loss diets without success.
We can divide diet pills into two types: prescription-only
diet and over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills. Prescription-only
diet pills are diet drugs. Their side effects are monitored
and they may be advertised and prescribed for weight
loss under certain condition and in certain pill-dosages.
Examples of prescription diet pills include brands like:
Meridia (Sibutramine), Xenical (Orlistat), Adipex, Bontril,
Didrex, Phentermine and Tenuate.
The OTC diet and weight loss pills sector is probably
the fastest growing sector of the weight loss industry.
However, these diet pills are classified as food supplements
rather than diet drugs, and are relatively unregulated.
These diet pills are not tested by authorities.
It is essential that we consult a physician when we
are on a diet-pill. The side effects of diet pills are
many. Some anti-obesity drugs have severe and often
life-threatening side effects. In general, stimulants
carry a risk of high blood pressure, faster heart rate,
palpitations, closed-angle glaucoma, drug addiction,
restlessness, agitation, and insomnia.
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