obesity

The Key to Weight Management

September 19, 2019 by

Here’s the only thing you need to know about losing weight.

EO > EI

Energy Out grater than Energy In

That means you need to use up a lot more energy than you take in.

Note that Energy Out takes the first position. To start losing weight you need to do more physically than you are now. The more you do the better but only if you can sustain the activity.

In addition to increasing mobility and exercise, focus on the other side of the equation. Reducing Energy In is a case of quality and quantity.

Reduce portion size
– no need to eat too much at a meal especially at dinner
– eat less more often ( graze)
– have smaller breakfast lunch and dinner and snack in-between
– if I want something unhealthy buy a small portion size (more expensive but better)
Remove alcohol
Remove carbonated drinks
Increase unprocessed food
– ie fresh fruit and veg, oats, bran etc
Reduce or remove processed food
– eg frozen meals, take away food, canned meals, fillings, flavours
– better and cheaper to create your own meals
– the more processed the less healthy it is
Re-educate cooking techniques and knowledge
– hunt down healthy recipes
– learn spices and flavours

In summary,

more exertion and exercise;
better food and fluids (no alcohol while losing)

Obesity: Leading Cause of Cancer

September 25, 2018 by

Obesity is not only a public health threat now but is set to become the leading cause of preventable cancer in women by 2035.

That is the latest finding from studies conducted by Cancer Research UK.

They also state that women are more likely to suffer obesity related cancers than men.

Scary.

So, what are you going to do with that information?

Being far too overweight is bad enough in itself. We get sluggish. We feel bad.Our self esteem plummets. Our body starts to get aches and pains as it suffers under the excess weight. It’s a dreadful cycle of increasing inactivity and ill-health as weight increases. For most people, that’s enough to get into action and take control and focus on reducing and losing weight to feel better.

Of greater concern this a new finding that obesity is set to overtake smoking as the leading cause of cancer, especially in women.

Cancer is already linked to around 13 or more types of cancer including thyroid, breast, pancreatic and more. But how does being obese contribute to that?

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/styles/cruk_wide_resp_breakpoint_one/public/large-161011-how-excess-weight-causes-cancer-blog.jpg?itok=HUKPYX0M

Please understand this: it’s not just that obese people GET cancer: being obese CAUSES your risk of getting cancer. Your chances increase exponentially.

If you’ve ever had the experience of someone around you suffering cancer you know how ugly a disease it is. The prognosis is scary and the treatment regimes are decidedly unpleasant – some decide it’s worse than the disease itself. In some cases people recover. In some cases, they don’t.

Here’s the nub: this is preventable!

Take steps NOW to reduce your weight. You don’t need to flip and strain to become thin – just aim to get out of the ‘obese’ category and you will add years to your life. It is within your hands to do something about your weight and minimise your risk of developing cancer in future.

Decide, for your health, to do something now. Before it’s too late.

If you are morbidly obese, speak with your medical professional about the best option for you. Surgical intervention may be a consideration to drop some weight so you can really start to get a handle on changing your long-term behaviours to claw back a healthier life and future. At BEWLT.com we don’t condone surgical interventions AS A SOLUTION but as a way to get people into a state of being able to manage their own weight loss. In our experience, even surgical interventions can be short-lived: we advocate taking personal responsibility for changing habits that can lead to sustained and permanent weight loss.

So, are you going to continue to be obese, bemoan your situation and blame your inability to lose weight on a myriad of issues or causes … or will you step up for your own future health and take stock and do what needs to be done?

And yes, before you say “but you don’t understand …”, this post is from someone who was a lifelong overweighter who was obese for years and lost 30 kgs – so the pain and difficulty is understood. Getting out of ‘obese’ is, however, doable. Head over to YouTube and find stories of real people who have done what you know you need to do – get inspired, get support and get moving.

You are stronger and more capable than you think.

Here’s a couple of inspiring videos for you to get you thinking:

https://youtu.be/Hx9IKBiUPco
https://www.youtube.com/qX9FSZJu448
https://youtu.be/bsam4OKjgxo

If one person has achieved what you want to achieve, it can be done 🙂

Are you obese?

Check you BMI against the scale –

BMI	Classification
Less than 18.5	Underweight
18.5–24.9	Healthy weight range
25–29.9	Overweight
30 and over	Obese

Work out your BMI

divide your weight in kilograms (kg) by your height in metres (m)
then divide the answer by your height again to get your BMI

Or, use this tool to calculate it https://besteverweightlosstips.com/what-is-my-body-fat/

What Causes Obesity Anyway?

October 21, 2014 by mello

Sadly, there is new information from weight loss researchers and nutritionists showing that more than 300,000 people die each year from complications resulting from obesity. Obesity is a major problem in the United States and many other parts of the world. It is fast becoming the leading cause of death and cause of hospitalizations.

Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat (mayoclinic.org). It is where the body accumulates more fat than is being burned by normal metabolism and this causes fat deposits to begin to build up in the belly area, thighs, buttocks and waist. The problem of obesity in children is so acute that some schools have began to offer strictly vegetarian diets to their students and the students have embraced this diet well.

So what causes obesity?

One cause of weight gain is genetics – some people with genetic maladjustment can cause a problem with the way the body processes food.
Another is hormonal influences. An under-performing thyroid gland for example can cause the body metabolism to slow and so accumulate fat.
Some people might have an eating disorder. In the same way that there are eating disorders which cause bulimia, there are disorders that run in the opposite direction and cause compulsive eating and an abnormal appetite. A disorder called Pica for example results in a craving for non-foods (earth, pens, pencils and anything close by). These eating disorders can be treated and the person can resume normal eating habits.
Leading a sedentary life of little or no activity. This is common in the West where people use cars to go even short distances.

The fundamental cause of most obesity is however an energy imbalance. Too much energy taken in by way of calorie-dense foods and not enough energy expended by way of exercise and activity. It seems a simple equation but within that simple in-vs-out model lies a plethora of issues and opinions.

The good news is that being overweight is not necessarily anyone’s fault. They are not necessarily to blame. But taking responsibility for weight gain is a necessary step to taking action to resolve it. Learning about nutrition, nutritional value of foods, product labels, focusing on eating quality fresh foods and less processed foods, certainly less takeaway or pre-prepared food where you don’t know what’s in it or how it was prepared. Being vigilant to what goes in the body. Making efforts to increase daily activity.

Obviously the more obese one is the greater the challenge to overcome it. It is by no means easy otherwise we wouldn’t have an overweight population. It is however achievable. If one person has reduced their weight and gained greater health then another person can do it, and another, and another. Support, knowledge and a big enough reason to make the behavioural changes needed are key.

Why Is Losing Weight Good For You?

October 16, 2014 by

Who does NOT know that there are huge benefits that accrue from losing weight?

If we know the health benefits, why don’t we just lose weight? Of course, if it were easy there would not be a multi-million dollar industry attached to it because we would all lose any weight we wanted on demand!

Because it is not easy, it’s hard to stay motivated to shed those unwanted and unhealthy pounds and that makes yo-yo dieting a reality: lose a bit, gain more, lose a bit, gain more again.

Sometimes to stick at a new diet we need a reminder of the significant advantages gained from losing excess weight.

Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

There is a three in one benefit from losing weight right there.
It is a fact that heart disease and stroke are one of the primary reasons for disability and death in both men and women in Western countries. In some countries, heart disease is now the leading cause of death in women.
People who are overweight are more likely to have elevated levels of cholesterol in their blood stream as well as triglycerides (also known as blood fat).
Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart.
Sudden death can occur from heart disease and stroke, and usually this strikes with very little in the way of warning signs or symptoms.

It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere five to ten percent, you could positively decrease the chances of having or developing heart disease or a stroke. Naturally, your heart functions would also improve and your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride count would decrease.

Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is a debilitating and dangerous disease. At best it is tedious to monitor. It is life-threatening and unpleasant complications arise from having it.
Both types of diabetes, type one and type two are linked with being overweight.
To those who already have diabetes, regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling blood sugar levels as well as reducing the medication you may be currently taking.
Increase your physical activity any way you can. You could simply walk, jog or dance. It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose that unnecessary weight.

Weight loss helps reduce your risk for cancer

Being overweight is linked with a number of forms of cancer.
For women, the more common types of weight-related cancer include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, ovary, breast, and colon. This is not meant to scare you, this is only to keep you informed.
Men are at risk too from developing cancer if they are overweight. These include cancer of the colon, prostate and rectum.

Extra weight and a diet high in fat and cholesterol should be avoided as much as possible.

Weight loss reduces sleep apnea

It could even eliminate it altogether.
Sleep apnea is a sleeping condition where one temporarily stops breathing for a brief period and then the heart needs to kick-start the breathing again putting excess strain on the heart.
Sleep apnea is also associated with heavy snoring.
Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and in chronic cases could result in heart failure.

Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating the symptoms and possibly the problem itself.

Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis

If you carry a lot of weight, you will know that this weighs on your joints – knees, hips and lower back.
These body parts have to exert double, if not triple, effort to carry you throughout your waking, walking and moving life.
This could cause further tension and stress on these joints.
Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of osteoarthritis.

Factoid: a ten percent reduction in weight takes 50% of pressure off the knees. And that could mean no replacement knee surgery for some!

Being overweight seems inconvenient, uncomfortable and demoralizing. But think about the physical consequences of what it is doing to your body. This amazingly functioning machine that you are destroying by not addressing your weight. Do yourself a favor. When motivation to lose weight wanes, think about what you are doing to your body – much of the damage unseen – and keep moving forward!

image credit:http://123rf.com