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Fighting Obesity in America

April 26th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

There is a large portion of America who endures anxiety based on depression. For many of these individuals the depression causes them to crave food as “feel good” or security blanket. Unfortunately, the cravings are typically for foods and drink that forces their bodies to store fat.

The persistent depression stems from depleted levels of serotonin. Serotonin affects a person’s mood, the way and amount people sleep, cravings for food, sexual desire, ability to handle pain and many other bodily functions. Serotonin is considered the happy hormone because it has the ability to provide individuals with a sense of well-being.

fighting obesity

It should be noted that the top selling drugs in America are the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. These include Paxil, Zolft, Paxil, Prozac and others. These drugs are considered anti-depressants and based on information provided by IMS health, 200 million prescriptions were issued by physicians in 2008.

During times when the body is low in serotonin, the body instinctively knows that the intake of overly processed food and drinks like candies, potato chips, sodas and pizza will result in the brain producing a quick burst of the “feel good” hormone, which is why these foods are referred to as “mood foods” or “comfort foods”.

Junk foods are responsible for the rise in excess weight gain and obesity, which is now becoming a global epidemic. This appalling endemic has contributed to America being the world’s fattest country and it is a serious threat to the well being of our society.

For a very long time, doctors/fitness trainers and nutritionist have told the public that the consumption of fat is responsible for our excess weight gain problem. Eating fat doesn’t incite an insulin reaction from the body and it is impossible to store fat without the presence of insulin.

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At the time the low fat movement gained traction in the United States, the average citizen consumed more than 500 calories per day. That totals 183,000 calories per year and 52 pounds of fat. When we eat fat, it provides us with a feeling that “we are now full”. So, eating fat with every meal results in a slowed or lengthier time it takes for food to be converted into blood sugar or glucose. This prevents the overproduction of insulin, which as we know is the fat storing hormone.

Unwittingly, Americans have been self-medicating their depression with junk foods because it provides a short-term sense of relief. The quick fix however, has resulted in fat storage. However, the long-term fix would be the prevalent realization that low levels of serotonin are the true cause of the need to “self medicate” or intake loads of junk food!

Break The Cycle of Obesity in America

March 17th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

We are all aware that Obesity in America has become epidemic over the last 20 years. So how can we help ourselves, our families and most importantly, the real victims of this crisis – our obese child?

There are ever-increasing health risks for obese people in America today. For children who are currently overweight and putting on weight year after year we simply must get to the root of the problem within each family and provide help.

If you or your child is overweight or obese, you may feel powerless to change; however, you can take positive steps that will help your family reduce excess weight starting today! The key is, you must accept where you are and begin to motivate yourself to make it better.

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Here’s your first important step:

  • Start With One Big Change
  • Start in your kitchen cupboard by eliminating all or most of the refined sugar in your diet.
  • That may be a big pill to swallow for many of us. Why? Refined sugar is not just the white sugar you have in your sugar bowl; it is in many of the products we eat each and every day and contributes to the cause of obesity in America.
  • They are very addictive and that’s the problem. We want more and more. Try peanut butter, spaghetti sauces, jam, cereals; not to mention the tons of baked goods that line our cupboards. These come in the way of High-Fructose process sugar substitutes.
  • Children who do not know why they should eat natural healthy foods and limit their intake of sweets and processed foods. We have to make the change for them.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Stop buying these refined sugar products (until you lose weight and reach your goal).
  • Get rid of the products that are currently in your home.
  • Buy all-natural products and no-sugar-added products (avoiding artificial sweeteners in favor of naturally sweetened products).
  • Pack your child’s lunch using wholesome food. Give them variety and enough snacks so they will not go in search of treats.
  • Be sure to follow-through – have a weight loss goal and stick to it.

If the weight loss goal is for you personally, be determined to stick to it. If it’s for your child – join in and eat healthy as a family. You will be supporting your child and setting a healthy eating standard at home.

Eventually you can add in some sugar to your diet, but only when you have reached your goal; and in limited quantities. You want to aim for a sugar-reduced lifestyle. Introduce some fun activities for your child and some light exercise or walking for yourself; just be sure to check with your doctor.

Yes we can begin to break the cycle of Obesity in America by taking the first steps at home! You will reduce excess weight, get healthier and have a happier child!

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I Need Help Losing Weight

March 14th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

Have you ever said to yourself I need help losing weight? If so then you absolutely cannot afford to miss out on this article as I will be sharing exactly what you can do in order to not only lose weight but how you can keep it off as well. Over the next few minutes you will discover the answers to your I need help losing weight questions; by learning what to drink, what to eat and how to work out properly.

Knowing what to drink:

The sad truth is many of us do not even realize what we put in our bodies when it comes to drinking. We just find something tasty or something delicious and order right up. Have you ever thought to ask yourself just how many calories might be in that drink? A lot of our favorite coffee shops and other drive through drink spots have lots of drinks that are 400 plus calories. To put it out there you may be consuming 1/5th of your daily caloric intake (if you go by the daily 2000 calorie diet) for one drink! So to know how to drop weight fast drink flavored water instead of buying some ridiculously high calorie drink.

Proper Exercise:

A lot of people mess up on this part; they think that just because they went on a treadmill for an hour that they should be dropping weight fast. The key to fast weight loss is to push your body constantly. Being on a treadmill with it preset to one or two different speeds is not only boring, but it’s not challenging either. Try doing some high intensity bodyweight workouts, they’ll kick your butt and will save you on time as they can be completed in less than a half hour.

I need help losing weight tip – Knowing what to eat:

In order to truly lose weight and keep it off you will have to start making conscious decisions to eating healthy. Watch what you put into your body because a double cheeseburger with fries and a pop is not going to help you. If I was in your shoes I would be picking out foods that are high in fiber. Fiber is a great for boosting your metabolism and cleansing the system. Whenever possible look for high fiber fruits, veggies, and grains.

Do not tell yourself that I need help losing weight, instead follow the advice in this article and read my resource box for more information on how you can lose weight and keep it off.

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Reduce Your Stomach Fat By Avoiding These Foods

March 9th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

No one in this world can boast of a perfect body. Not even the so-called Miss World or Mr. World can claim that all the parts of their body are in perfect shape. That being the case, you and I need not worry about not having a perfect body. It is an impossible proposition. But, we should all live a healthy life. A healthy life is not guaranteed if we have fat belly. If we are not affected by any major ailments even if we have a fat belly, we are definitely lucky. So, it is dangerous to take stomach fat lightly. In order not to gain stomach fat, we should avoid certain foods. Let us have a look.

- Though you have a weight-losing program, you should abstain from eating baked foods like pound cake, doughnuts and so on. The trans fat that are present in such baked foods will harm your health to a major extent. Further, the excess carbohydrates of these foods will not go away from your body. They will be converted as fats and your body will start storing them. Another dangerous quality of the refined carbohydrates of these foods is that they are very quick in breaking up and getting into your system. Therefore, your stomach fat will increase very fast. After some time, the body will also lose its ability to shed fat, however hard you try.

- The second food you should avoid is the butter you spread when you eat your bread. Butter contains trans fat, saturated fat and also pure fat. It supplies enormous amount of bad fats to your body. Bad fats can lead to plaque formation on the walls of arteries that supply blood to your heart. So, it may lead to a severe stroke or heart attack. Therefore, it is imperative that you should reduce the quantity of butter you use drastically.

- You must also avoid using fat milk and should replace it with skimmed milk. Fat milk, if taken excessively, will increase your stomach fat and cause obesity.

Experts are of the firm opinion that those who crave for fatty foods do so because they are driven by emotions. Especially, when you are alone or undergoing a severe bout of stress or boredom, you tend to eat more of fatty foods. So, the only prescription to combat such a situation is to avoid being alone. You should also learn to manage your stress levels by practicing yoga, deep breathing or meditation. Of course, you can get rid of your boredom by learning a new hobby or involving yourself in a social cause, etc.

Another factor that may induce craving for fatty foods is lack of sleep. If you do not have a good night’s sleep, the next day you may feel that your energy levels are sagging. You may have a misconception that by over-eating or eating rich and fatty foods, you can get over this lack of energy. But, the truth of the matter is that it worsens the situation.

Craving for such rich and fatty foods can be overcome if you change your eating routine. By splitting your large meals into smaller meals and eating them at regular intervals, you will not have such cravings. You should also drink plenty of water whenever you feel like eating these foods. Water will reduce the acidity levels in the intestines and so, your craving will also reduce.

So, by avoiding the dangerous foods listed above and by taking the other steps suggested, you can easily get rid of your stomach fat and keep serious health problems away.

Categories: Obesity Tags: ,

Are You Sick and Tired of Being Fat, Sick and Tired?

February 24th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

Being fat is always a problem. Having a bigger belly than most of the other parts of your body is an even bigger problem. Just imagine a life wherein your belly would prevent you from seeing your feet. For some people, this would this hilarious. On your end, it would be the most embarrassing situation.

With the right diet routine and exercise program, you can be on your way to losing the belly problem that has hampered your entire life. Men are more particular about this part of their body. They want women to swoon when they see their six pack abs rather than sway when they see that fat belly. Women may also be conscious about the fat belly as men want to their women to have a flat stomach that is sexy and attractive to look at.

The stomach is usually composed of two major types of fat. One of them is the visceral fat that is found deep in the recesses of the human body. It is a fat that will protect most of the internal organs of the human. The second fat is the subcutaneous fat that is just found immediately under the human skin. This is the kind of fat that can be visible as it wobbles and moves around when you jump up and down. Scientists and medical experts state that the fats stored in the surrounding belly area are the visceral fat. Many researchers claim that when you do the right exercise and diets, you will lose the pounds on that area as quickly as you lose weight. The reason is that the visceral fats are those that are highly active. Thus, it has the highly metabolic nature that you can easily burn and get rid of.

There is no other way to lose that belly fat except to eat right and exercise properly. With a good combination of weight training and aerobic exercises, the body will loosen that excess pounds. Exercise routines that focus on the area concerned for around 30 to 40 minutes per day for two to three times a week will not speed up the process. It should be a full body workout that will help the cardiovascular and resistance functions of the body. Crunches, sit-up and other abdominal training are useless for those that want to lose the belly fats. Burning fat with such routines will not lose the excess weight that makes you belly big. The human needs to burn up the stored fats within and get rid of the fats that make the belly look huge.

Belly fat is stored fats that are not burned for energy purposes. You need to work out the entire human body to let the fats convert themselves to energy and make you feel lighter and fitter. Eating the right kind of foods will also do wonders for the belly diet. The first step to getting rid of the flab is to eat the right kind of foods that do not store excess fat in the body. Take in the lowest amount of calories that you can. This way you only have to convert as less fast as possible. New and revolutionary ways to eat less are often falsehoods just trying to sell themselves. A consistent and working method should have a good start of eating right and ending with the perfect exercises that will use the stored fats and energy in the body.

Reshaping for a Better You

February 21st, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

People-both men and women-die to have the perfect figure. Some go through rigorous exercise and painstaking diet routines just to achieve an hour glass figure for women and a v-shaped body for men. Everyone wants to have a flat stomach and a body that knows no bulges or bumps. Is this really possible? Perhaps if you have really good genes and you don’t eat anything except carrots. Then again, pizza tastes really good.

You don’t have to worry about achieving all this and working so hard to do so. As a matter of fact, you can achieve an hour glass figure in three minutes and lose a few inches off your waist without necessarily skipping dessert. Ardyss International, a health and wellness company, recently introduced shaping solutions that will enable its users to achieve the perfect figure that they have been so long wanting to achieve.

The key product of Ardyss International is the Body Magic garment. Others argue that these are just girdles that will loosen in a couple of years. This is not true because Ardyss garment is actually designed by Orthopedic Surgeons to ensure that the reshaping garment will be able to change the body structure as desired. There is a wide range of reshaping garments offered by Ardyss Body Magic, most of which can alter your body shape by hiding unwanted bulges to make the wearer look more attractive. The reshaping Ardyss Body Magic works like a mould that once you put it on, your body is sure to shape to look better, if not best.

You don’t need special occasions to wear the Body Magic garment because they are very comfortable to wear. The fabric used in the reshaping garment is ultra lightweight and it feels almost like skin so you won’t even know you’re wearing it. Unlike other girdles and corsets that are easy to spot despite the suit that you wear and very uncomfortable, Ardyss garment can be worn while working out, tending to your garden or going to work.

The best thing about the garment is that it is comes in custom sizes. Yes, you read it right. The garment can fit anyone because you can have your own Body Magic customized to fit your shape. No matter what your body size, there’s one that is sure to suit you.

So what will people notice when they see you wearing the Body Magic reshaping Garment? A slimmer you and they will always wonder how you did it in just a few minutes.

Depression and Obesity

February 12th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

Stresses, anxieties, bad diet choices, lack of exercise – these are the first steps towards obesity. But not only this, the Bad Four potentially lead you to depression disorder as well.

When you start gaining weight, you become depressed by the fact itself. You feel guilty, ugly, lacking self-confidence, feeling like you’ve lost control of your life.

If you’re depressed and on antidepressant drugs as part of depression treatment, they also can contribute to you gaining weight, so you better check with your doctor to make sure you are on the right medications.

overweight depression

Also one of the symptoms of depression is gaining weight because you can’t stop eating as you feel in need of comfort.

Being overweight causes you to withdraw from your friends and family and from your community as people often judge you by your weight. There is a whole social stigma surrounding obesity – overweight people are harder to find a job, to participate in community activities, to live full life as they become less mobile. No wonder obesity and depression are often found together.

There are plenty of things you can do to help with your obesity causing depression OR depression causing obesity:

1. Seek help from the specialist for your depression. Get to the roots of your problems and take back control of your life by fighting them.

2. Don’t diet however ridiculous it sounds. Harsh dieting will only make you more depressed especially if you give it up and start to feel guilty because of your failure, you will also lack some vitamins and minerals essential for fighting your depression (vitamin B, fish oil, etc.)

3. Try to reduce your calories intake to 1500 per day instead, by replacing very calorific items by low-fat substitutes, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthier choice of sweets. It will allow you to lose your weight slowly but healthily instead of yo-yo dieting. Mexican online pharmacy

4. If you over indulge, do not feel guilty but create a system of counter-balances, – long walks for a chocolate binge, big house cleaning for a huge pizza, etc. You will do your important exercises, burn your calories, speed up your metabolism and feel happier and more energetic.

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5. Exercise anyway, it will release happy hormones into your body and will make you feel generally better about yourself. Just find something you enjoy.

6. Don’t feel like you should stay on your own in your fight, involve you friends and relatives, join a group or online forum. Sharing your battle and finding support from others who go through the same will be an enormous help.

7. Drink plenty of water, it will fill up your stomach, make you feel less hungry and more hydrated. It will also do wonders for your skin!

If anyone has any experience fighting depression and obesity, please share it with us.

Lap Band Success

January 14th, 2011 Dan Hicks No comments

Would you like to change your ideas about losing weight and getting healthy from thinking about failing yet again to thinking about how you can do it this time? Do you understand how a shift from thinking about what you haven’t done, or what you can’t do to what you have accomplished can be a motivator? Would you like some ideas about how a successful lap band patient has accomplished this change in thinking and lost 250 pounds?

I mentor other lap band patients. I have questions asked of me that have me stopping and thinking hard, as well as those that bring me back to the time when I had the exact same questions and concerns. I was asked by someone why she wasn’t excited about her 80+ pound weight loss. She talked about her friend who had surgery and just gained 10 pounds, her doctor who told her relapses (weight gain) were normal, and her husband who seemed to be poised waiting for her to fail again like she had done so many times before. Sound familiar? Boy, it sure did to me.

Celebrate! Lap band surgery has helped me start living life to the fullest again.

I think in this past year I have finally stopped touching my body from head to toe when I wake up, not sure if the old, fat me, or the new, normal me is going to be there. Now I just reach for the space between my husband and I in bed, a physical space that hadn’t existed. Then I know that I don’t weigh 424 pounds any more. I listen to the people in my support network who have also had surgery lament about the few pounds they have gained, or how they are eating way too much. It is a familiar song when the days get short, the rain starts and it is comparatively cold here. We all share how we are going to get back up on the horse, plan our meals, work our plan and then miraculously (not really – we actually do the work) our weight is once again stable where we want it. I have had to learn that “normal” people have weight fluctuations. For me, the range is a five to ten pound window. It’s really hard not to fixate on weight all the time, not to remember the heartbreaking failures I have suffered over many, many years. I learned over the past six years that the world is not out there expecting us to fail. Those around me seem to be my biggest cheerleaders, anticipating my success. I make sure of that!
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I had one of those moments we call non scale victories yesterday when I changed the sheets on my bed. OK, what in heaven’s name could I possible get out of changing bedding? Well, it went something like this- seven years ago I paid someone else to change my sheets – I couldn’t do it- the physical challenge was more than I could handle. Five years ago when I started taking more household responsibilities as I was able to move around more freely, changing the sheets became a job that my husband and I did together since neither one of us particularly liked doing it but we both loved the feel of crawling into a bed with fresh linens. Yesterday, I jogged up the staircase to my bedroom and changed the sheets while I was waiting for my husband to get his gym clothes together so we could head off for our workouts.

Did you get it? Rather than have to plan the ENERGY to get this household chore done, I just did it in the midst of doing several other things. Life is normal (whatever that means) for me and I don’t have to worry about having the physical stamina to do these simple tasks that others take for granted. This is miraculous when you think about it and talk with other people who are just starting on this journey. Life is no longer about planning how to get the mundane handled, it’s about living – sharing good quality time with family and friends, growing that circle and not worrying about gaining all of my weight back, but focusing on making good healthy choices so I can continue enjoying living. If I am human and make a few bad choices I can go back to the basics and use my lap band to help me make better choices tomorrow, and I do.

So to those of us worried about regaining weight, or failing again like so many times in the past, I suggest celebrating your successes each and every step of the way. Notice what is different each day, or if not each day then once a week. Find something positive in your journey and share it with a friend, your significant other or on line. It can only help you feel more secure in who you are becoming. Self confidence is definitely something that can be lacking in most of us who have spent our lives obese. We have to learn how to be self confident. It takes time. Be patient with yourself.

Obesity Is Good For Capitalism

December 21st, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

By feeding America and the rest of the world unhealthy foods, it means big bucks.

First, excess carbohydrates along with process foods become addictive. This leads to over eating which results in one becoming overweight.

Besides increased sales for grain and starch producers, food manufactures that refine wheat and corn products, family restaurants, and fast food establishments… it is also good news for clothing manufacturers and retail stores.

Although the new thing today for acceptance of being overweight to a point of obesity, the diet industry greatly appreciates the newfound and repeat business it is enjoying.
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Drug manufacture’s sales are increasing exponentially as obesity develops into type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, etc.

Having a large global market with a few dollars from each person in some fashion or another works out to big and obscene profits. No wonder a behind the scene campaign of lying, cheating, and betraying everybody who needs to eat is going on every second of every day. This is called “Greed” at its best.

There are two types of victims here:

1) those who can afford to eat properly, and

2) those that cannot and must eat the food that is available.

The group that can eat properly, but do not may have a legitimate reason for eating wrong (maybe they do not know they do not know); and the group that can only eat what is available (whether they know or not know what is correct) is unacceptable.

Now, here is the catch 22 for the American people: when shopping at a large supermarket that carries up to 50,000 items in the store, if the decision was to only buy the correct foods, it would be disastrous and eventually bankrupt that supermarket. Why? Because not be buying grains, starches, and process foods would be the norm.

However, on the other side of the fence is the obesity and chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, etc. as a result of this eating habit is going to not only bankrupt our country but the rest of the world. Moreover, I am not just referring to the economy, but the health of the majority of individuals throughout the world.

This is why I believe that everyone, both business and humans should face up to this and work together solving the inevitable dooms day before it is too late.

I know that there are many creative and intelligent people in the world that can find acceptable ways to get a handle on this epidemic and turn it around while replacing bad foods with good foods.

One last thing: if the business community cannot operate a business for profit without greed as the main factor for motivation, then they must use greed for finding a way to process foods that are good, with being the first.

HCG Weight Loss Diet

December 8th, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

If you are looking for solid information on the HCG weight loss diet you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been a family practice doctor for 26 years and I have researched this diet for you. I will use simple terms that you can understand so don’t let the lack of medical terms fool you.

The HCG diet was invented a number of years ago. When first invented the HCG was given by injection so the program was less popular. Now HCG is readily available in liquid drop form so it has gained some momentum.

The premise of the diet is to take the HCG as directed and only eat 500 calories for 21-28 days. You heard me right 500 calories a day. To give a simple example that is less than 3 sodas. Now does that sound healthy to you?

The HCG is supposed to help reset the hunger center in your brain so when you are done you will eat less. HCG falls under the herb, vitamin non FDA regulated supplements. This means that you may claim anything you like and you don’t have to back it up with proof. So there are no medical studies and no one has an explanation of how this magic resetting of your hunger center actually occurs.

The old adage if it sounds to good to be true it probably is, applies here. Eating 500 calories a day can actually be dangerous to your health. Your body is stressed in a severe starvation mode. You could not only burn fat but you might burn muscle and even organ tissues if your body feels it needs the calories to survive.

If you”re looking for a program that is safe and effective and has a 2 week rapid weight loss phase please see my Bio box. You may certainly count calories and exercise to lose weight; but if you were looking at the HCG weight loss diet I assume you’re looking for a safe structured program.

In conclusion th HCG weight loss diet is potentially dangerous with a prolonged 500 a day calorie ingestion. No one knows if the drops resets your hunger center so you maintain any weight loss and avoid another yo-yo of your weight upward. If you want a program that a doctor approves of check out My # 1 Recommended Diet Program in the resource box Today.

Good luck in your fat burning weight loss efforts and please do it safely so you may reap the health benefits you desire.

Categories: Obesity Tags: ,