Top 5 Solutions For the Obesity Crisis in America

By Bernard Richards

Obesity is a major health issue affecting the United States today. It is reported that 31 out of 51 US states are reporting an increased number of the obese in their population, and another report made by the Trust for America's Health indicated that two-thirds of adults in the US are overweight, and the children are coming not too far behind as well. What are the solutions to this alarming medical trend?

Obesity is an alarming public health crisis

According to most nutritionists and dietitians, an individual who has a BMI, or Body Mass Index of 25 and above is considered to be overweight, while those who have a BMI of 30 and above already considered obese. Obesity is a truly life-threatening condition. It's often linked with so-called "lifestyle" diseases such as hypertension, sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism, low self-esteem and other factors that lead to a lower quality of life.

Major factors that contribute to the rise in obesity

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is becoming an alarming global epidemic, and it's estimated that around 2 billion people are either overweight or obese. Among the major reasons for the spike in the numbers of the obese are the widespread practice of sedentary lifestyles, which is also coupled by a major shift in diets to junk foods and carbohydrate-rich fast food fare. The WHO states that Americans are among the most overweight people in the planet, and the crisis shows no signs of abating, since more US states are reporting an increase in the numbers of the obese. Obesity rates among adults have already gone up by 20 percent in 47 US states including the District of Columbia.

There's an alarming rise in the number of overweight children

The ever-increasing number of overweight and obese children is also very alarming. A report has suggested that around 25 million children in the United States are either overweight or obese. The southern part of the US has a serious obesity epidemic, and 10 of the 15 southern states have the highest levels of child obesity. Health officials admit that despite the increasing attention to this alarming health trend, obesity is still continuing to grow in the US. And while some policy efforts are being made to address the issue, the United States still very lacks a truly comprehensive program to tackle the increase in obesity numbers.

What are the best possible solutions for addressing obesity?

Most health experts have agreed that there has to be a national-level policy campaign to effectively combat obesity. Drastic action has to be taken by government, local communities and individuals, and there's absolutely no magic or overnight pill for this menace. What is needed is a major shift in norms and eating habits. A lot of emphasis must also be placed on enhanced physical activity to reduce the numbers of the overweight. Here are the 5 major recommendations for effectively combating obesity.

1. A widespread and all-inclusive approach needs to be done to help individuals make healthy choices, and support also has to come from both schools, families, communities, employers, food and beverage companies as well as government.
2. The American Academy Of Pediatrics Has also advocated that physicians must also pay extra attention to the physical activity of their child patients. They also need to promote a child's physical activity level, as well as provide education and better health supervision, and find ways to reduce the amount of sedentary activities at home or in school.
3. Federal, state and local governments must collaborate with private employers and insures to make sure that a comprehensive wellness program is in place in offices and companies.
4. More research should be done to effectively promote healthier habits.
5. A national strategy to combat obesity must also be implemented by the Federal Government.

Despite some of measures being currently implemented by government and the private sector, obesity both among adults and children continues to rise at an alarming pace. It's important the adults and children eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, so that they could contribute to halting the spread of this dreadful health epidemic.

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Treatments For Obesity

By Petra Peach

I'm often asked about the best treatments for obesity and my response is always the same:

Change your dietary habits

The primary reason for weight gain is eating too many calories combined with a lack of physical activity. The simple solution is to eat less and be more active to balance your energy intake against the energy you use.

Whether you are obese or simply carry a few extra pounds, this is the only healthy option and is a three-step process.

1. Eat less.

Cut down the volume of your daily meals and stop "snacking" to immediately reduce your calorie intake. Do this and at the very least you will reduce your weight gain.

2. Eat better.

Let's make it perfectly clear; there is no such thing as a "fat calorie", but there is an abundance of calorie-laden foods readily available and attractively packaged, just waiting for you to eat them.

The secret to weight control is to find the hidden calories in the food you buy. Fast foods are notable for the high levels of saturated fats and transfats they contain.

Don't be fooled by low fat labels either, as it's not uncommon for sugar levels to be increased to improve taste.

Unless you are in a manual job that requires high levels of physical activity, I recommend limiting your daily calorie intake to 2000 for women and 2500 for men. If you can reduce that by 500 calories a day, you will lose weight.

Your target should be to lose around 2lbs a week. It may not sound a lot, but it soon adds up and at this rate its fat you will lose and not muscle mass.

I do not recommend any form of rapid diets, as they are unhealthy, unnatural and unsustainable. In fact I never advocate dieting, only dietary change. We are not looking for a temporary solution, rather a lifetime change that will lead to a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life.

Increasing your fiber intake is also a vital step in your new dietary regime. Fiber serves two purposes in your daily diet, improving you bowel function and satisfying your hunger quicker, for a lower calorie intake.

The average person consumes 8g of fiber per day and this should be increased to around 25g by eating more fiber rich foods. Dietary fiber is readily available from fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, pulses and whole grains.

The final step is to increase your water intake; try to drink 4 pints daily, as this will flush toxins from your body and help suppress hunger pangs.

3. Increase exercise.

Your body was built to do work, but in today's automated world, machines and technology have reduced the need for human muscle power, so it's important to find other forms of exercise to keep us mobile and maintain a high metabolism.

This is simply a question of choosing an activity that suits you best. Walking, swimming, cycling, and most ball games are ideal forms of exercise, for increasing metabolic rate and calorie burning.

By applying these three straightforward steps you will be following the best   treatments for obesity
Petra Peach is a London based Nutritionist working hard to combat the rising tide of obesity both nationally, and globally through the power of the net. For more information check out http://petrapeach.com

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Help And A Solution For Obesity

By Jim Lange

In this article I will discuss the  primary factor that causes obesity. How the cycle of obesity starts, and what you can do to regain control of your health.
In order to understand obesity and what is probably the most important factor effecting obesity, you have to understand the mechanics of how the body functions when you put fuel into it .

You eat, Let's say, a chicken sandwich on wheat bread with mayonaisse and a 20 oz. soft drink . The protein from the chicken is broken down into amino acids, the fat from the mayonaisse into fatty acids and the carbohydrates from the bread into simple sugars (glucose). So far so good, as long as you are not consuming more calories than your body needs you will not gain weight, but here comes the soft drink. A 20 oz. drink with 45 grams of sugar.
Your blood sugar level spikes rapidly, this causes your pancreac to respond by releasing an equal spike of insulin. Insulin forces glucose into the cells at an alarming rate, this in turn causes the release of Free radicals from the cells. The Free Radicals cause the capillaries of your muscle tissue to become inflamed. Your muscle tissue utilizes 80-90% of the calories that you consume but because the tissue is inflamed by the spike in blood sugar, your muscle has just lost most of its' ability to process those calories.

Insulin also blocks fat from being released. Fat is nothing more than a " Reserve Energy Storage Facility" This energy reserve will only be released if it is needed. As long as there is plenty of available energy in the form of incoming calories, that fat is going to stay right where it is. Insulin is only released when food energy is being processed, when the body senses the release of Insulin it knows that the fat reserves are not needed and blocks the release of energy from those fat stores. Now that the tracks on your glucose train have been switched from your muscle cells to your fat cells, these calories are now Uber-calories. They are going right to your Storage Facility.

The calories are now stored as fat because your muscle tissue has lost it's ability to utilize them. After a short period of time, perhaps 30 minutes, your blood sugar level and Insulin level come crashing down as your body tries to balance things out. You are left with a feeling of not only being tired, but a feeling of being hungry again. This is that "carb craving", you just have to eat something, usually another high glucose meal and the cycle starts all over again .
 Most of what we think of as "emotional eating" is really just this vicious cycle.Normally when you want to lose weight you go on a diet, you restrict the amount of calories you take in, but the problem is that this cycle is never really broken. So you fight these cravings while trying to eat less food, it becomes a contest of Biology against Phsycology .The game then becomes, how long can you stand the torment before you eventually give up.
It takes 5 days of low glycemic meals to break this cycle. The first three days require some real determination to get through the withdrawal symptoms, by the fourth day youre' feeling much better and on the fifth day the cravings are gone, you feel great, and you can learn to eat properly without the daily torment.
There are certainly other factors that effect obesity that I will discuss in future articles. It is my sincere hope that this article has shed some light for you on this problem of obesity. You can beat this, you can be free to eat normally, you can change your whole life , just never give up until you get where you want to be. It really is worth it. YOU are worth it.

Before beginning any diet or weight loss program always consult your physician.

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Jim Lange is a health and fitness enthusiast. This year he lost 72 lbs in 9 months by resetting his blood sugar levels and adopting a consistent exercise program. You can check out his blog at http://resetyourweight.blogspot.com/ to get more information, motivation, and tips on weight loss and fitness.

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