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Slowly and slowly more and more people in USA are getting
obese. According to a study it is revealed that about
50% people are found obese in USA. What is Obesity?
What are the causes of obesity? What are its effects?
And what are the guidelines to weight loss?
Obesity
According to an article 'When a person's caloric intake
exceeds his or her energy expenditure, the body stores
the extra calories in the fat cells present in adipose
tissue. These adipose cells function as energy reservoirs
and they enlarge or contract depending on how people
use this energy. If people do not balance energy input
and output by adopting healthy eating habits and regular
exercise, then fat builds up, and they may become overweight'.
Here I would like to mention that Obesity is not just
about being fat; it is now considered a chronic disease
like blood pressure or diabetes. It has serious consequences
on a person's health and is the second leading cause
of preventable deaths in the US.
So how can one decide who is overweight and who is not?
Obesity is determined by measurement of body fat, not
merely body weight. People might be over the weight
limit for normal standards, but if they are very muscular
with low body fat, they are not obese. Others might
be normal or underweight, but still have excessive body
fat.
BMI
What is BMI and how is it related to overweight? 'The
current best single gauge for body fat is a measurement
called body mass index (BMI)'. Higher BMIs are associated
with significant health problems. Experts argue, however,
that being overweight may not be harmful under various
circumstances. For your knowledge I would like to mention
that in general a BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicated being
overweight and obesity is a BMI of 30 and above.
Research
According to research that has been conduced in the
past, it shows that the people who used weight-loss
methods gained one pound weight back which they had
lost in last few months. It is stated in a study that
'every person has an inherited weight range that varies
by about 10% either up or down from some set point.
(For instance, a man whose 'genetically-determined'
weight is 200 pounds would tend to swing from 180 to
220 pounds, but would be unlikely to lose or gain more
than this').
Weight gain or being obese directly invites us to various
diseases. For example most people with type 2 diabetes
are found to be obese. Cancer is also somewhat related
to overweight. Obesity also bring negative effects to
our body parts like muscles and bones, cause eyes and
mouth disorders, sleep disorders etc.
Obesity in USA
According to a survey billions of dollars are
spend every year by Americans to lose weight. Major
portion of their saving goes in to diet programs, diet
foods, books etc. One dangerous trend that has started
here is to skip meals in order to lose weight. What
do you think about it? Do you think by doing this obesity
can be eliminated?
The answer is a straight-forward 'NO'. By doing this,
body loses muscle and bone mass quickly leading to low
blood sugar which is not good for the body. Moreover
skipping meal is an invitation to being overweight.
Solution
You need to eat sensibly and in a consistent manner
if you want to lose weight. Regular exercise is also
a good solution. Include crisp veggie salads in your
meal instead of oily food. If possible steam or bake
you foods. Drink lots of water as it is essential to
all bodily functions and has no calories. Avoid colas
and other sweet drinks, instead drink fresh juices.
Eat slowly and enjoy your food.
Obesity is related to your eating habits in a certain
manner. By eating in proper manner it is possible to
protect yourself from being overweight. Remember one
thing that the purpose of losing weight is to lead a
healthy life, not to become thin.
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