Basic Approaches To Weight Management
Being over weight is usually being 20 percent or more over the normal weight for his or her age, sex, build, and height. According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a person’s weight is healthy if it falls within the acceptable range for his or her height and age; if the pattern of fat distribution does not place the person at increased risk for certain diseases; and if the person has no medical problem for which a physician recommends that he or she lose weight.
What is important, is not how much a person weighs, but the percentage of body fat. For women, fat can account for as much as 25 percent of body weight; 17 percent is a healthy percentage for men. Females are designed biologically to carry a higher proportion of fat tissue to ensure that there is plenty of food for pregnancy and nursing, even if food is scarce.
On average, we humans carry around 30 to 40 billion fat cells. All those excess calories we don’t use up as immediate energy, are stored as fat. If we lived in ancient times, and had to still hunt and gather food, those stores of fat would be essential for our survival in times of famine.
Some researchers even believe that our seemingly innate love of high-calorie food may be a remnant of a survival tactic from ancient times, when we needed to store food for energy. But today, storing energy as fat isn’t necessary for most people. Most people wait maybe 3 to 4 hours between meals and snacks and instead of remaining a survival mechanism, the stored fat is now more likely to have a negative effect on health. As fat accumulates, it crowds the space occupied by the internal organs, and puts a lot of stress on extremities and organs causing or complicating many physical problems.
Being overweight can increase the body’s resistance to insulin and can make the body more susceptible to infection, and increases the chances of developing diabetes, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, kidney disease, stroke, and other serious health problems that can result in premature death.
The most common causes of obesity are poor diet and/or eating habits and a lack of exercise. Other factors that can lead to obesity include glandular malfunctions, diabetes, hypoglycemia, emotional tension, boredom and a simple love of food. Obesity has also been linked to food sensitivities and/or allergies. Food your body cannot use or that is a poison to your system is stored in the tissues and causes water retention. Ironically, poor nutrition may be an important factor in obesity. When there is inadequate intake of certain essential nutrients, fat is not easily or adequately burned and can accumulate in the body.
Here are some basic approaches to weight management:
*Reduce caloric intake to 1,200 calories per day.
*Exercise – Walk, Swim, Dance, Jump, Ride a Bike – MOVE!
*Do not use diuretic herbs and nutrients to reduce water – this is a temporary weight loss and throws off your electrolytes which can slow your metabolism.
*The use of lipotropic vitamins, which have the ability to reduce cholesterol and fat, works only is the diet is low fat and low glycemic.
*Eliminate all white flour, white sugar, white salt and white rice from your diet. All these ingredients breakdown very quickly in the system, and overloads the body with carbohydrates that the body cannot use at once, so it is converted to fat and stored.
*Replaced processed ingredients with ingredients that not only take longer for the system to break down, but provide better levels of nutrients also
*Whole wheat flour offers the body lecithin, antioxidants, fiber and vitamins that normal processing eliminates. FlourBlend is a blend of whole flours, vitamins, minerals, herbs and fibers designed to lower cholesterol and gives half the carbohydrates of normal processed white flour, with more protein and fiber.
*Stay away from artificial sweeteners, these will only make you hungry and does cause some damage to the liver or pancreas. Try our Natural SugarBlend, which offers better taste and performance in cooking, because it is natural and slow absorbing, keeps the blood sugar steady, increases the uptake of calcium and aids in colon health.
*Using Sea Salt, and mineral salt can be a better alternative to regular table salt. You use less and crave salt less if you use these e alternatives, you also receive the benefits of trace minerals in trace amounts, and these trace minerals can help in preventing some stroke and cardiac problems.
*Brown rice offers a great many benefits to the system, and paired with beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains, provides a complete protein for the body to use. Brown rice also is a rich antioxidant, one of the best the world has to offer. It also provides lecithin and an abundance of wonderful fiber that aids the small intestine, the colon and the large intestine.
Permanent weight loss requires a lifetime commitment to a healthier lifestyle in general.
D.S. Epperson is the top formulator for Home Blend Gourmet / South Pacific Health, a leader in the functional food industry in the U.S. With 20 years of experience in Nutritional Biochemistry, she has written reference books on botanicals and manufacturing of medicines from botanicals, and published articles on health, fitness and foods. She has formulated over 240 formulas and inventions for health, the environment and agricultural uses, and continues to research and study microbial advantages in nutraceuticals and functional foods. For more information or to view the articles that she has written: sugarblend.com
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Getting Through the Holidays Without Gaining Weight
Now that the holiday season is here, holiday foods and meals take center stage. And this is as it should be. Food is a terrific celebration of friendships, of family and of love. These celebrations do not have to lead you to unhealthy eating habits. With a little advance planning, you can really enjoy your food and the holidays. Remember that the mental attitude you bring to the table is as important as what’s on the table.
1. Plan Ahead. Without thinking about what is likely to be served, the best intentions fall by the wayside faster than you can shake a drumstick. If you absolutely cannot pass up the cornbread or cinnamon buns warm from the oven or Aunt Fay’s amazing apple cake, then you need to decide what and how much you will eat so someone does not have to roll you out. If you’re going to eat the apple cake that’s fine, but remember to eat fewer quiche and pastry puff appetizers when you arrive and to pace yourself throughout the meal.
2. Strategize. So if you’re not eating puff pastry appetizers, what are you going to eat? If you’re going to someone’s house for the holidays or if it’s in your home, serve something that is good to eat like a salad, lots of vegetables and maybe shrimp cocktails and take larger portions of those and smaller portions of the rest of the meal. Eat your vegetables first. They’ll fill you up, leaving less room for the more calorie-packed stuffing, mashed potatoes and pie.
3. Relationships first, food second. Yes, the holidays have wonderful foods – everywhere. But the reason you’re gathered together with relatives and friends, rather than eating alone is to be in contact with people. Focus on the people and what you’re doing instead of strategizing how to get those last potato puffs before Aunt Harriet does. Let Aunt Harriet have it. Besides, if her mouth is full, it will keep her from gossiping and give you the opportunity to connect with people you care about.
4. Eat small meals throughout the day. Do not make the mistake many people do of eating virtually nothing during the day to "save" extra calories for the big meal. You’ll end up hungry and eat things you don’t particularly like. Eat high-fiber mini meals for breakfast and lunch with snack (think whole fruit) in between to prevent an all-out binge.
5. Slow down. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register fullness. Put down your fork and talk to your neighbor.
6. Water, Water, Water. We often eat, when we are really thirsty. Drink water before, during and after the meal so you are well hydrated.
7. "Let’s toast the Holidays!" Although it is important to drink liquids, alcohol dehydrates you, acts as an aperitif and loosens your resolve to eat healthfully. Calories really add up – and not just from the alcohol. Studies show that when we drink, we eat almost 20% more than our teetotaling friends. For an easy option, consider a wine spritzer or save the first toast for when the turkey is served, and sip four ounces instead of the usual eight.
8. Go for a walk. Instead of watching football on the couch all afternoon – eating the chips and dips during time outs – why don’t you gather everyone for a long walk? Taking a 45-minute walk could use up almost 250 calories. This is a wonderful holiday tradition you could start. If nothing else, you’re not home eating the leftovers.
9. Talk kindly to yourself. Banish the mantra, "I always gain weight over the holidays." Instead say to yourself, "I am giving myself the gift of health. I can eat and enjoy any food I want in moderation." Or as diet Dr. Gullo says, "Thin tastes better."
10. Enjoy the season of celebration. Remember the holidays are about coming from a place of gratitude. Now especially this year, we have a lot to be grateful for. Treat yourself well with friends, with loved ones and yes, with foods.
Helene Haber, HHC is a board certified health counselor who specializes in nutrition and whole health. She designs personalized wellness solutions for women of all ages looking to enhance their lives, get their bodies back in shape and their health back on track. I invite you to contact me at [email protected].
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