Obesity Crisis In America: The Plot Thickens.

 Obesity Crisis In America: The Plot "Thickens".(Pun Intended)

 It has been my quest from the beginning : Get each and every American involved in fighting the obesity crisis that faces America.This national threat involves the quality of life of millions of Americans.It cuts deep into the pockets of each and every citizen as medical costs skyrocket.The average American is already footing the bill for all the consequences of the obesity crisis.I found this article on Web MD that describes a plan of action.It might just work if the whole population becomes involved.

New Weight Loss Plan for U.S. Obesity Crisis

Plan Would Cut Fast-Food Ads/Sales, Promote Activity and Healthy Foods

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

 http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20120508/weight-loss-plan-for-us-obesity-crisis

May 8, 2012 -- Obesity in America is a crisis that threatens national security -- and urgent action is needed, says the Institute of Medicine.
The IOM's plan: Totally change the way Americans approach exercise and nutrition.
How? By asking every single American to become involved, says Daniel R. Glickman, chair of the IOM committee that issued the 478-page plan. Glickman, former secretary of agriculture under President Bill Clinton, is executive director of congressional programs for the Aspen Institute.
"When you have a national epidemic of this size, it is in the hands of every individual to make this happen," Glickman said today in a presentation to the CDC's Weight of the Nation Conference in Washington, D.C.
"When people understand the consequences of not taking action, they will understand," IOM committee member Christina Economos, PhD, of Tufts University, said at the meeting. "This will require bold actions from all sections of society."
The IOM report "issues a blunt, strong challenge that the obesity threat is imminent and enduring to our children and to our nation. It holds everyone accountable," said James Marks, MD, MPH, senior vice president for health at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the IOM study.
Part of this "threat" is economic. The estimated cost of obesity is $190 billion a year in the U.S., Marks said at a news teleconference. And part of the threat is that the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese are at risk of diabetes, cancer, and early death.
What can we do about it? The IOM report spells out a detailed, extensive, and expensive plan. The plan calls for individual, community, school, and workplace action. It also calls on government to confront entrenched interests in revising agricultural subsidies, restricting the advertising of sugared beverages and fast foods, and regulating restaurants that offer calorie-dense foods to children.
"These things all must be done and done now if we are going to roll back this problem," Glickman said. "The question used to be, 'Can we reverse the obesity epidemic?' The question now is, 'Will we?'"

The IOM Obesity Plan

On the face of it, the IOM plan is simple. There are five main goals:

1. Make physical activity an integral and routine part of life.
2. Create food and beverage environments that ensure that healthy food and beverage options are the routine, easy choice.
3. Transform messages about physical activity and nutrition.
4. Expand the roles of health care providers, insurers, and employers.
5. Make schools a national focal point.

As usual, the devil is in the details. For each of these broad goals there are distinct proposals. And as committee members made clear, it's an integrated plan. It won't work if policy makers act only on one part and not on others.

Making Americans more physically active includes:

• Improving communities to create access to places and programs where people can be active in safe, fun ways.
• Ongoing, high-visibility programs to promote physical activity.
• Requiring child-care providers to offer 30 minutes of physical activity for each half day of care.

Creating healthy food and beverage environments includes:

• Ensuring that chain restaurants decrease offerings of calorie-dense foods to children and increase healthy options at competitive prices.
• Setting nutritional standards for all foods and beverages sold or provided by the government, and ensuring "that these healthy options are available in all places frequented by the public."
• In low-income communities, limiting the concentration of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, and encouraging or attracting supermarkets and other healthy-food outlets.
• The president should create a task force to review agricultural policies, including farm subsidies.

Transforming messages about physical activity and nutrition includes:

• Federal funding of a sustained program of "culturally appropriate messages aimed at specific audiences." The messages would urge things like taking a daily walk, drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages, and learning how to read the new front-of-package nutrition labels.
• An "or else" threat to the food, beverage, restaurant, and media industries: They must "take broad, common, and urgent voluntary action to make substantial improvements in their marketing aimed directly at children" and teens. If a "substantial majority" of these "marketing standards" have not been met within two years, government should set "mandatory nutritional standards for marketing" to this age group.
• A single standard nutritional labeling system for all packages and store shelves. Chain restaurants must provide calorie labeling on menus.

Programs to promote physical activity include:

• Standards of care for health care providers for prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of overweight and obesity for children, teens, and adults.
• Requiring health insurers to cover obesity prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Encouraging employers to encourage "active living and healthy eating at work."

The focus on schools includes:

• Changes to federal law to require all schools to have a grade K-12 physical education program with regular proficiency evaluations.
• State funding of daily physical education at school for all students.
• Ensuring that schools have strong nutritional programs that shift away from obesity-promoting foods and beverages (sugary beverages, fatty foods) to fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber grains.
• Teaching kids "food literacy."

Will any of this really happen? Glickman is optimistic.
"We have reached a tipping point," he says. "You see the federal budget deficit, and the biggest part of the problem is health care costs. We can't sustain that. ... We have enough good ideas now about what the right things are to do. And we need to do them all, not just focus on one thing."

Obesity Crisis In America :Costing Taxpayers Millons.

 Obesity Crisis In America Costing Billions:The Facts.

 The average American turns away when seeing an obese person approaching.This attitude of "see no evil " and " do nothing" , is costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. I found this article highlighting the cost of the obesity crisis in America.Any thinking person will come to the conclusion :The obesity crisis in America is a national problem,not just the problem of the obese population! This calls for an intervention on a national scale.The solution to the obesity crisis can be for instance : exploiting the culture of competitions like "The Biggest Loser."Reality shows where obese people share their experiences of loosing weight and how it changed their lives.More attention given to practical and sustainable weight loss products made specifically for obese people.I am surprised that this has not happened.OR is it just a matter of turning a blind eye and hoping the problem will disappear?

"The heavy price of obesity in America: By the numbers

Nationally, nearly 36 percent of adults are obese, and businesses are spending billions to make everything from bathrooms to sports stadiums easier for them to navigate

posted on May 2, 2012, at 9:12 AM

http://theweek.com/article/index/227428/the-heavy-price-of-obesity-in-america-by-the-numbers

 

The U.S. spends an extra $4 billion in gasoline every year to drive overweight passengers on the road. 

The obesity rate in America is skyrocketing, and according to new statistics from the Campaign to End Obesity, along with increased health risks and health care costs for those struggling to control their weight comes a huge economic toll on the U.S. With hospitals widening bathroom stalls for severely overweight patients, and the Federal Transit Administration testing new steering and breaks on mass transit systems because of an increase in the number of heavyset riders, the estimated national cost of accommodating obese citizens is approaching $190 billion a year. Here's a look at some unexpected financial costs of obesity, by the numbers:
$190 billion
Estimated economic cost of obesity in America, or twice the amount previously estimated, taking into account everything from "wider stadiums seats to sturdier, floor-mounted toilets," says CBS News. The calculations were published in the Journal of Health Economics.
400
The new minimum seat threshold, in pounds, for commuter subway trains in New York
1 to 2
Additional inches added to seats installed at venues like Yankee Stadium
35.7
Percentage of U.S. adults considered obese
17
Percentage of U.S. children aged 2 to 19 considered obese
3
Factor by which the number of obese Americans has increased in the past 50 years
5.9
Extra sick days obese men take every year compared to their coworkers
9.4
Extra sick days obese women take every year compared to their coworkers
$3,792
Annual cost to workplaces due to lost productivity for every obese male worker
$3,037
Annual cost to workplaces due to lost productivity for every obese female worker
$1,152
Extra medical expenditures every year for an obese male
$3,613
Extra medical expenditures every year for an obese female
20
Percentage of extra medical costs, roughly, that obesity adds to the U.S. total each year
938 millionExtra gallons of gasoline required to transport overweight passengers in the U.S. "Some costs of obesity reflect basic physics," says Reuters. "It requires twice as much energy to move 250 pounds than 125 pounds. As a result, a vehicle burns more gasoline."
$4 billion
Extra cost of gasoline required to drive overweight passengers on the road every year
$5 billion
Extra cost of gasoline required to fly overweight passengers on airplanes every year."

Obese African American Children .

The obesity crisis in America  seems to affect more African American families than white families.One of the reasons why it is more widespread in African American families, is poverty.By just making a few lifestyle changes the percentage of debilitating illnesses decline steeply.The cure for obesity amongst African American families in my humble opinion does not lie with the government ,but by each family member making better choices.Choices like less carbohydrates and more exercise.Obese African American children will produce obese adults,creating a downward spiral.First lady Michelle Obama ,has become involved in the obesity crisis:

"Op-Ed: Adult obesity rate for African-Americans 10 percent higher than the national average

Posted on April 19, 2012 by admin

http://overcomeobesitynow.org/op-ed-adult-obesity-rate-for-african-americans-10-percent-higher-than-the-national-average/

While urging all youngsters to eat smarter and exercise more, first lady Michelle Obama called attention to the disturbing reality that, as she told an NAACP Convention, “African-American children are significantly more likely to be obese than are white children.”
The disparity, however, doesn’t stop with children. The most serious instance of obesity among Americans of all backgrounds is among people from 45 to 64 years old. Within this age group, the obesity rate for African-Americans is almost 10 percent higher than the national average. That leaves African-Americans of all ages disproportionately vulnerable to obesity-related diseases and shortens our lifespans.
And here in the South, the impact of obesity is all too real. Throughout Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, obesity disproportionately affects the poor, racial minorities and rural residents. The rate of adult obesity in Alabama has soared to more than 32 percent in recent years, and the state is second only to Mississippi as having the largest obese population in the U.S.
When it comes to addressing obesity and its associated health problems, African-American adults need more choices tailored to their needs, not one-size-fits-all solutions. We need an all-of-the-above approach that includes new drug therapies and acknowledges this as a medical crisis impacting our community.
Because it’s widespread. More than 44 percent of African-American adults are obese, compared to 32.8 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Not surprisingly, obesity contributes to a disproportionate incidence of serious diseases among African-Americans.
A greater percentage of African-Americans suffer from heart disease and diabetes than whites. And with hypertension, the contrasts are even starker: High blood pressure afflicts 45.7 percent of African-American women and 43 percent of African-American men but only 31.3 percent of non-Hispanic white women and 33.9 percent of non-Hispanic white men.
The impact of those numbers on African-American families throughout Alabama is obvious and painful. Most likely, folks who grow up with obesity become seniors who are also affected by the condition. Consider that African-American life expectancy is only 70.2 years, compared to an average of 76.6 years for the entire population.
Obesity has a lot to do with that. It is an important reason why African-Americans are less likely than other Americans to live long enough to enjoy their retirements. Other mutually reinforcing problems are inequalities in earnings, savings and access to quality health care.
Because African-Americans face so many obstacles toward staying fit and keeping healthy, there is a need for a full range of remedies to keep adults from becoming overweight, overweight adults from developing morbid obesity and those with weight problems from developing serious health conditions that are debilitating and expensive to treat.
The good news is that seemingly small reductions in weight can contribute to huge and hopeful improvements in adults’ health. A modest five to 10 percent reduction in body weight can save someone between $2,200 and $5,500 in medical costs over the course of a lifetime, according to a study conducted by Stanford University and the RAND Corp.
In order to lose weight and keep it off, healthier diets and more exercise are, of course, crucial. But drug therapies can also be helpful to reinforce — not replace — healthier habits. Among other benefits, the availability of anti-obesity drugs may encourage middle-aged and older patients to overcome the stigma surrounding obesity and discuss the issue with medical professionals.
It goes without saying that drug therapies must not only be available, but affordable and accessible as well. As with so many other health-care services, there are widespread disparities in the use of anti-obesity medications. While more likely to suffer from obesity, African-Americans are 39 percent less likely than non-Hispanic whites to make use of drug therapies.
The nation needs more pharmacologic research about obesity, accelerated drug development and expanded efforts to reach out to the communities in greatest need of the widest range of remedies for this health emergency.
If we know a relatively small amount of weight loss can lead to big changes in outcomes, it’s time we move forward on all those fronts.
More options will mean more African-Americans in Birmingham and across the country tackling this nationwide epidemic. It will mean more families that remain whole, and better lives for the people in the people in them."

Obesity Problems In America

Obesity problems in America are finally getting the attention that it deserves. Houston is taking the forefront in trying to shake their "Fattest City in America " image. Lan Bentsen is the driving force behind the movement to try and promote healthy lifestyle choices and exercise.His take on the whole matter is that a healthy parent is the answer for the health of the children of America.Rightfully so.A healthy parent sets the example and so the obesity crisis in America can be stopped.

Parents Can Help Solve Obesity Problems.

Effort to 'Shape Up Houston' starts at the Medical Center

By Cindy George

Updated 11:36 p.m., Wednesday, April 18, 2012

 http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Effort-to-Shape-Up-Houston-starts-in-the-3493043.php

"There's a new plan to help Houston beat the bulge that earned us the "Fattest City in America" distinction again this year.
Shape Up Houston, an effort to address the obesity epidemic in the Bayou City, kicks off Thursday with a "health rally" in the Texas Medical Center.
The project was conceived by businessman Lan Bentsen, who lost 25 pounds last year and has become an anti-obesity evangelist who doesn't sugar coat - for obvious reasons.
This isn't about gimmicks, but strategies to help change lifestyles through exercise and better nutrition, Bentsen said. And while his ultimate target is childhood obesity, he believes no effort can solve that problem without dealing with the two-thirds of Texas adults who are overweight or obese.
"It's really hard to fix a kid if you've got an obese parent at home," Bentsen, son of the late U.S. senator from Texas and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, recently told the Houston Chronicle editorial board. "What I see is an opportunity to change the dialogue of this city and its perception of what is healthy and what is allowable. It's going to involve a lot of impolitic discussions. At some point in time, we're going to have to start saying 'People are fat. We've got to do something about it.' "
According to 2009 estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harris County has about 800,000 obese adults - and that doesn't count another million who are overweight. Being too heavy opens the door to chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
Support for program
Bentsen approached hospital CEOs and gained support for Shape Up, which will start with the 92,500 people who work in the Medical Center. A University of Texas School of Public Health study evaluating the outcome of the first six months of the initiative will focus on programs at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital-Texas Medical Center and Memorial Hermann - with more than 40,000 employees combined.
"It's the first time the TMC wellness coordinators have collaborated on this scale," said Sherry Fultz, assistant vice president of human resources at Texas Children's. St. Luke's CEO Margaret Van Bree said she views Shape Up "as an incentive - a way of leveraging some of the work we've already done."
Bill Baun, wellness officer at M.D. Anderson, where 400 employees bike to work, said he believes Shape Up will make a difference for Medical Center employees and the Houston community.
"It's very exciting to think that the largest medical center in the world is stepping up and saying we can be healthy together," he said.
Individually, the institutions have robust worker wellness programs offering everything from on-site medical clinics, health assessments, fitness centers and personal training to massage therapy and wellness coaching as well as management programs for stress, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Shape Up initiatives will include walking maps outlining routes of 1, 2 and 3 miles in the Medical Center, "no fry days" to help folks avoid fried food and "rethink your drink" campaigns promoting beverages with less sugar and fewer calories.
"To help create healthier employees and a sense of well being helps us all," said Michele Hunnicutt, director of Methodist Wellness Services.
On Monday, Memorial Hermann offered its first day of on-campus exercise classes for employees. The 12 options every week include yoga, kickboxing, a walking club and Zumba, a fitness program inspired by Latin dance moves.
"This is a great way for us to show our employees that we want to advance their health and to try to get employees to be engaged and take care of themselves," said Cathy Montgomery, Memorial Hermann's clinical nutrition director and wellness program leader, who joined the Zumba class.
Other Shape Up partners include the Harris County Hospital District and Baylor College of Medicine.
Challenge issued
Bentsen's challenge to the Medical Center: "Can they demonstrate a long-term healthier lifestyle to the city of Houston?"
Last year, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs reported that businesses in the state spent $9.5 billion in 2009 because of obesity in direct health insurance costs and indirectly as a result of absenteeism, reduced work productivity and disability.
Through a new organization called Shape Tomorrow, Bentsen said he plans to approach business, faith and nonprofit leaders later this year, then officials at school districts to specifically address childhood obesity."

Can you think of a better name than "Shape Tomorrow" ? This movement can certainly help to stop the childhood obesity problems in America!No more staying away from work,No more low productivity,No more disability!

Using Gastric Bypass to Cure Obesity.

 Using gastric bypass to cure obesity seems to have caused nation wide interest,but should this be a national strategy to cure obesity? Do the promoters of a gastric bypass really cure obesity?By making the stomach smaller of the obese person you have not cured obesity,you have simply made it impossible for the patient to binge on junk food!After a gastric bypass the patient becomes violently ill if he/she continues with their old eating pattern!Surely the price of a gastric bypass makes it impossible for every obese person to afford it.Common sense would have the obese population change their eating habits out their own free will, and not go for gastric bypass surgery that forces them to do so.

Gastric Bypass For The Whole Family?

Why the New Surgical Cure for Diabetes Will Fail!

Mark Hyman, MD

Practicing physician

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/gastric-bypass_b_1382236.html

"Two seemingly groundbreaking studies, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Type 2 diabetes, or "diabesity," could be cured with gastric bypass surgery. The flurry of media attention and medical commentary hail this as a great advance in the fight against diabetes. The cure was finally discovered for what was always thought to be a progressive incurable disease. But is this really a step backwards? Yes, and here's why.
No one is asking the most obvious question. How did the surgery cure the diabetes? Did the surgeons simply cut out the diabetes like a cancerous tumor?
No. The patients in the studies changed their diet. They changed what they put in their stomach and that's something that doesn't require surgery to change. If they had surgery and they didn't stop bingeing on donuts and soda they would get violently ill and vomit and have diarrhea. That's enough to scare anyone skinny. If I designed a study that gave someone an electric shock every time they ate too much or the wrong thing, I could reverse diabetes in a few weeks. But you can get the benefits of a gastric bypass without the pain of surgery, vomiting and malnutrition.
Most don't realize that after gastric bypass, diabetes can disappear within a week or two while people are still morbidly obese. How does that happen? It is because food is the most powerful drug on the planet and real, whole, fresh food can turn on thousands of healing genes and hundreds of healing hormones and molecules that create health within days or weeks. In fact, what you put on your fork is more powerful than anything you can find in a prescription bottle.
The researchers asked the wrong question. It should not have been, "Does surgery work better than medication?" but "Does surgery work better than intensive lifestyle and diet change?"
Astonishingly, the researchers just compared surgery to medication, which has been proven over and over not to reverse diabetes, and often promotes progressive worsening of the diabetes. Patients who go on insulin gain weight, and their blood pressure and cholesterol go up. And in recent studies, those who had the most aggressive medical therapy to lower blood sugar had higher rates of heart attack and death.
These two new studies on gastric bypass should have included a treatment group that had intensive lifestyle therapy as well as medical therapy or surgery.
Lifestyle change and changes in diet work faster, better and more cheaply than any medication and are as effective or more effective than gastric bypass without any side effects or long-term complications. These changes are not easy, but then neither is gastric bypass.
A recent study entitled Reversal of Type 2 diabetes: normalization of beta cell function in association with decrease pancreas and liver triglycerides proved that diet alone could reverse Type 2 diabetes. The bottom line: A dramatic diet change (protein shake, low glycemic load, plant-based low-calorie diet but no exercise) in diabetics reversed most features of diabetes within one week and all features by eight weeks. That's right, diabetes was reversed in one week. That's more powerful than any drug known to modern science, and is as or more effective than gastric bypass. But since it was a diet study, it got no press or attention. Other research proves that intensive lifestyle therapy can achieve the same results.
We don't have to heal with steel, we can heal with meals.
As I write this, new guidelines and insurance coverage for this new surgical diabetes cure are in motion. But this is a grave mistake. One in four people over 65 years old, nearly one in five African Americans and almost one out of 10 of our whole population have Type 2 diabetes. By 2050, there will be one in three Americans with Type 2 diabetes.
Recommending gastric bypass as a national solution for our diabetes epidemic is bad medicine and bad economics. If the nearly 30 million diabetics in America took advantage of this new miracle cure at $25,000 a pop, it would cost three-quarters of a trillion dollars ($750,000,000,000). If we paid people $100 a pound to lose weight, we would still be better off. To treat the nearly 400 million diabetics around the globe, would cost $10 trillion. Does this make any sense?
Shrinking someone's stomach to the size of a walnut with surgery is one way to battle obesity and diabetes and may be lifesaving for a few, but it doesn't address the underlying causes. And many will regain the weight because they didn't change their understanding of their bodies or relationship to food.
Clearly, weight loss is critical and important for obtaining optimal health. However, what we are finding in patients who have gastric bypass surgery is that even a dramatic change in diet in a short period of time creates dramatic metabolic changes.
All the parameters that we thought were related to obesity, such as high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation and clotting, are dramatically reduced even without significant weight loss because of the rapid effects of dietary changes that control which genes get turned on or off. This is called nutrigenomics -- the way food talks to your genes. While weight loss is important, what's more important is the quality of food you put in your body -- food is information that quickly changes your metabolism and genes.
Unless we address the root causes -- what we eat, our sedentary lifestyle and the social and environmental conditions that drive obesity and disease -- we will have tens of millions more diabetics lining up for stomach stapling! The only ones to benefit would be the bariatric surgeons, the makers of the surgical instruments and the hospitals who are paid handsomely.
To paraphrase President Clinton, "It's the food, stupid!"
My book, The Blood Sugar Solution, is a personal plan for individuals to get healthy, for us to get healthy together in our communities and for us to take back our health as a society. Obesity and diabetes are social diseases and we need a social cure, not a surgical one.
My personal hope is that together we can create a national conversation about a real, practical solution for the prevention, treatment and reversal of our diabesity epidemic.
To learn more and to get a free sneak preview of the book go to www.drhyman.com.
Now I'd like to hear from you...
Do you think we should promote a gastric bypass as a national strategy to deal with the diabetes epidemic?
How have you reversed diabetes with food?
Have you had gastric bypass and did you maintain the weight loss? Or gain it back?
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD"

For more by Mark Hyman, M.D., click here.
For more on diabetes, click here.

As always a good article.What amazed me most is the statement that "what we eat, our sedentary lifestyle and the social and environmental conditions that drive obesity and disease -- we will have tens of millions more diabetics lining up for stomach stapling! The only ones to benefit would be the bariatric surgeons, the makers of the surgical instruments and the hospitals who are paid handsomely."

Come on Americans,take action and change back to the basics as described in this article.

A Solution For The Obesity Crisis In America:Give A Hand Up Not A Hand Out.

Do not be an innocent bystander any more.This is the message of this article.After a morbidly obese man posted a video making a plea for help , Phil Mc Graw  from the Dr Phil show reached out in an effort to help him.The man who is so obese that he cannot stand for a long time,fears for his life because of his obesity.Is this not a wake up call for all of us:Why do we not become involved in the life of someone who has obviously been rejected and forgotten.Why otherwise is he all alone just watching TV all day?

 A MORBIDLY obese man who made a tearful, videotaped plea for help on YouTube is getting help from Phil McGraw. 

 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/tv/morbidly-obese-man-robert-gibbs-plea-for-help-to-save-his-life-answered-by-phil-mcgraws-dr-phil-tv-show/story-e6frexlr-1226292532932

                                           Morbidly Obese And Fearing For His Life!
                                         
"McGraw's Dr Phil show reached out to Robert Gibbs, 23, of Livermore, California, after he posted his three-minute video.
Gibbs mentioned the program in his clip, which has been viewed more than a million times and inspired more than four dozen recorded responses from viewers offering diet tips and encouragement.

A crew from 61-year-old Phil McGraw's show was scheduled to come to his house and film him today, Gibbs said.

On the YouTube video, which he made the day before his birthday on Friday, Gibbs did not specify what kind of help he needed - just that he hoped someone knowledgeable about weight loss would see it and get in touch with him.
He also said he feared he would not live long enough to see his nephew and niece grow up or to have a family of his own. He estimated his weight to be between 272 to 318 kilograms (600 to 700 pounds).
"I'm making this video because I don't know what else to do,'' he said on the video.
"For everyone who is just going to make fun of me I really don't care. It doesn't matter. This is my last chance, my last hope, one of them at least.''
Gibbs declined to be interviewed by the AP because he said he had an exclusivity agreement with Dr Phil.
Along with suffering from diabetes, Gibbs has sores all over his body and cannot stand for more than a few minutes at a time, KCBS-TV said. He spends his days watching television.
Chris Powell, a fitness trainer on the US reality show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, also has expressed interest in working with Gibbs along with former contestants from the US version of The Biggest Loser."

"The Biggest Loser" seems  to be the go to guys when you are obese and want to lose weight.I hope Robert Gibbs' story will have a happy ending. If any one has advice for him ,watch the video on You Tube and leave a message.If you have been on the obese path and were able to make a turnabout, share your experience with some one who is in the same boat as you!This might just mean the hand up they were looking for.

A Solution For Obesity: Exercise And Stop Blaming The Kids.

 One of the solutions for obesity will be exercise.Many parents blame their kids' after school activities for not doing something themselves.The excuse is that there is not time left after hockey, soccer and other extramural activities.Putting your children first is a good thing.But putting yourself out of the picture is not right.There should be a balance in looking after my kids and looking after me.After all a healthy mum and dad, who sets the example by also exercising ,is what any child would be proud of.!However hectic the schedule,be sure to make time for yourself!

Don't use kids as your excuse not to exercise

The great thing about having active kids is that our family is protected from America’s youth obesity epidemic.

CRAIG HILL; Staff writer

Published: 03/25/12 12:05 am | Updated: 03/25/12 7:06 am

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/25/2081432/dont-use-kids-as-your-excuse-not.html#storylink=cpy

"The great thing about having active kids is that our family is protected from America’s youth obesity epidemic.
The downside is it seems every spare minute is filled with soccer games, basketball games and swim meets. It’s almost a daily occurrence that my wife utters a phrase that begins with “We don’t have enough time.”
(My stock response: “Hey, you’re the one who wanted kids.”)
It’s easy for kids, especially active kids, to become an excuse to put off exercise. You might even feel kind of noble about it. You are, after all, putting your kids first, right?
I’ve met about a dozen people over the last year who lost 100 pounds or more. Almost all of them say it’s that overly self-sacrificing attitude that helped get them in trouble in the first place.
Putting your kids first shouldn’t mean not working out. It ought to mean adapting your workout.
Taryn West, wellness coordinator for the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living, says one good way to do this is to split up your workout.
“A lot of people have it in their mind that if they can’t do their entire 45-minute workout at once then they shouldn’t do it all,” West said. “That isn’t true. Sometimes it’s easier to find time in your day if you split up your workout.”
Three 15-minute workouts are still 45 minutes of exercise. Sure, you’re not building the cardio endurance you would if you did the exercise all at once, but it’s still quality exercise.
West says this approach is also good for overweight people trying to transfer out of a sedentary lifestyle. “It’s a nice way to get back into the game,” she said. “A lot of people adhere to the workout program better when they split up.”
Recently I took this approach in an attempt to reclaim a slice of a Saturday. I wanted to get in a 90-minute workout, but I simply didn’t have a block of time that long.
So, while the kids were fighting over the last breakfast waffle (picture a full-contact version of those old “Let go of my Eggo” commercials), I was squeezing in a 15-minute core workout.
After two basketball games in two different towns we returned home for a late lunch where I sneaked in about 45 minutes of weight lifting.
Next we shuttled my son to a friend’s house and I took my daughter to the pool for swimming. While she cranked out laps, I watched from above while churning out intervals on an exercise bike.
We were home in time for dinner before diving into our evening plans.
Was this ideal? No. But if I had waited until I had enough time on a Saturday to do it all at once the kids would probably be in college.
“I really encourage this,” West said. “... Working out in chunks is better than not working out at all.”
THE ARISTOFATS
Registration for the Pierce County Matchup team weight-loss competition remains open until March 30. More than 900 people have already registered and have shown no shortage of creativity when it comes to picking team names.
Some examples: Aristofats, Hugh and the Heifers, Lollapaloser, MuffinSTOPpers, Not-So-Thin Blue Line, The Fat and the Furious, Serious Weapons of Mass Reduction and No More Man Boobs.
For more information on the competition visit PierceCountyMatchup.com.
TIPS FOR EATING BETTER
March is National Nutrition Month and MultiCare dietitian Claire Kjeld recently passed along some tips for eating right.
1. Take the time to enjoy your food. “Eating too fast or when your attention is elsewhere may lead to eating too many calories,” Kjeld said.
2. Downsize your plates, bowls and glasses so don’t pile on too much food. Also, portion out food before you eat.
3. Eat more nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fat-free or 1 percent milk and dairy products. Kjeld says, “make half your plate fruit and vegetables.”
4. Cut back on foods like cakes, cookies, ice creams, pizza and bacon that are high in solid fats. “Use these foods as occasional treats,” she said, “not everyday foods.”
5. Drink water instead of sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks packed with calories.
Kjeld recommends using ChooseMyPlate.gov as a resource for developing and maintaining a balanced diet. The website can help you determine how many calories you need per day to reach weight-loss goals. The website’s SuperTracker enables users to track what they consume and gives personalized eating plans.
For more eating tips from Kjeld, visit blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure.
Craig Hill’s fitness column runs each Sunday. Please submit questions and comments via craig. hill@thenewstribune.com, facebook.com/adventureguys or twitter.com/adventureguys. Also get more fitness coverage at blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure and thenewstribune.com/fitness.

Similar stories:

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/25/2081432/dont-use-kids-as-your-excuse-not.html#storylink=cpy"

 A solution for obesity is sooo simple.Parents...set the example and start exercising!

Childhood Obesity Is An Epidemic

Childhood obesity is on the rise and someone has to stop it. Children spend more awake hours at school than at home.Although parents should become involved in training their children what to eat ,this article involves the school as a role player in fighting childhood obesity.The school nurse, in particular, can play an important role in educating and mentoring of the obese child and the parents of that child.

The Changing Shape of America's Youth: Combating Childhood Obesity Using the School Nurse.

By Kayla J. Moneyheffer

"Drive past a playground where children are playing and one thing is clear: the children of today come in all different shapes and sizes. The unfortunate reality is that an increasing number of these children are at a higer risk of early death because of childhood obesity. Despite being preventable and treatable, childhood obesity is an epidemic (CDC, 2011). Are children armed with the knowledge required to combat this ever-growing trend? Who is responsible for teaching children what is unhealthy? Healthy lifestyle information must be integrated into elementary school children’s curriculum to prevent childhood obesity. As this paper explores, school nurses are in a position to be at the forefront of collaborating with educators to teach students and their parents how to make better nutrition and exercise choices.
Obesity occurs when fat accumulates in adipose tissue and the organs, and is a disease “that promotes disability, decreases productivity, and shortens life span” (Ahima, 2011). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2011), childhood obesity has been on the rise since the 1970s. From 1971 to 2008, the percentage of obese children ages 6-11 rose from around 5% to over 20% (CDC, 2011). According to Murphy and Polivka (2004), “Obese children have a higher risk of developing serious chronic conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and hyperlipidemia” (p. 40). This is frightening considering heart disease, cerebrovascular events, and diabetes mellitus were among the top eight leading causes of death in the United States in 2007 (CDC). With the numbers rising, it is imperative that children and their parents are educated on how to both prevent and treat childhood obesity.

School age children today are living in a technological world, greatly affecting the rise of childhood obesity. Their access to TV, video games, and social media is increasing, therefore decreasing their time for physical activity (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009). Fast food, sodas, vending machines, and processed foods are easy ways for children to make choices about their food without the guidance of a parent (MMWR, 1996). Portion control and calories are not being monitored when these types of foods are being chosen over healthy alternatives (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009). Meanwhile, parents attribute the rise in childhood obesity to a lack of control over their children’s food choices, peer pressure, heredity, poor habits and portion control, and low socioeconomic status (Murphy and Polivka, 2007). A child’s health is dependent on decreasing energy intake (calories consumed) and increasing energy used (calories burned) (CDC, 2011).

An untapped resource for combatting obesity in a child’s life is the school nurse. It has been over 100 years since the introduction of school nurses. Their roles have changed substantially over the last 25 years, mostly in part to the integration of special needs students being placed in public schools and a higher incidence of children with chronic illnesses (Broussard, 2004). The National Association of School Nurses (2010) provides the best explanation of the current role of the school nurse:
“School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and life-long achievement and health of students… School nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self advocacy, and learning.”
School nurses are responsible for obtaining health histories, screenings (vision, hearing, scoliosis, etc), medication administration, providing care for emergency injuries and illnesses, education, and coordinating with other faculty within the school (Healthy Schools, 2008). In a School Nurse Sample Job Description (Healthy Schools, 2008), the school nurse is called to make visits to the child’s home to help coordinate care with families and educate parents and children to take initiative in bettering their health. This job description places a lot of responsibility on the school nurse, and clearly refutes the notion that they only supply ice packs, Band-Aids, and Tylenol to children on a daily basis.
The roles of the school nurse contain the criteria needed to implement an in school program whose goal is to decrease the incidence of childhood obesity and equip children with the knowledge and tools necessary to make it a lifelong lifestyle. By recognizing their role, school nurses can integrate a specific plan into what they are already doing on a daily basis. School nurses are required to “provide ongoing health counseling with students, parents, school personnel, or health agencies,” (Healthy Schools, 2008) so why not counsel every student at once? In the long run, this may give the school nurse more time to spend with children in need of medical interventions related to illness and injury because teachers will collaborate with health education. A study conducted by Murphy and Polivka (2007) revealed that parents want to know the status of their child’s health, including their BMI. The study also revealed that parents feel that childhood obesity could be prevented and treated by school treatment programs, counseling for themselves and their child, and integrating proper nutrition into the classroom.
Traditionally, the elementary school year is from August to May, which means school nurses have the opportunity to impact the lives of these children for about nine months of the year. With the implementation of year round school, some schools will be adding more days to their school year (Huebner, 2010), giving school nurses an even greater opportunity. School nurses have the educational background and resources needed to assess children for obesity, set goals, and implement a plan (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009). This combination of expertise and seeing the children on a daily basis gives school nurses the platform needed to reverse the trend of childhood obesity.
School nurses should organize a plan to educate children on the ideal picture of health and wellness. Implementations can be small, but will have a large effect on students who suffer with obesity. Results will be evaluated yearly and progress will be reported to the students’ parents. It is important that parents are informed and involved in the process so that the lifestyle changes have a better probability of becoming habit for the children. Nurses need the support of parents and other teachers in order for this plan to succeed.
Every child would benefit from education regarding proper nutrition and exercise. The school nurse would put together a monthly newsletter that would highlight various health promotion topics. Prior to school registration a letter explaining the program would be sent to parents of children in Kindergarten through fifth grade. The newsletter would outline the goals of the program as well as the screenings that will be done at the beginning and to evaluate progress. Newsletters sent during the school year would include information on family activities that involve physical activity, upcoming after school activities, appropriate serving sizes, and healthy meal and snack ideas. The information provided would be concurrent with the season and would all be low cost so that no family was excluded.
Education is the focus of the program, however without evaluating and reevaluating students, it would be difficult to see the effectiveness of the teaching. To accurately track and treat childhood obesity, baseline data needs to be collected at the beginning of the school year. The school nurse would be at registration, weigh and measure every child and enter the information by grade level or individual classroom, depending on the size of the school. The CDC offers a “Children’s BMI Tool for Schools” that can store 2,000 children’s height, weight, BMI, and BMI percentile (CDC, 2010). This tool separates the BMI percentiles by sex and places the data into categories: Underweight (< 5^th percentile), normal BMI (5^th-85^th percentile), overweight or obese (> 85^th percentile), and obese (> 95^th percentile). Larger school systems may need volunteers from the community or teaching staff to enter measurements. The school nurse will then further evaluate the children that are above the 85^th percentile by checking blood glucose levels and blood pressure to monitor for diabetes and hypertension.
School nurses will collaborate with educators to integrate proper nutrition and fitness information into the curriculum. They would meet at the beginning of the school year and the school nurse would teach and provide educators with the information to pass on to the children. Obviously not every aspect of their education would revolve around food, however with a few small integrations, healthy food will become a part of an elementary student’s every day vocabulary and they will become familiar and comfortable with it. The goal would be once or twice a week the students have a worksheet focusing on healthy lifestyles or introducing a new concept. The easiest and most logical place for fitness to be encouraged is at recess. Most children play without being told to, but teachers would watch for those not playing and try to encourage them by initiating a physical group game."

Proper nutrition and healthy activity can curb the childhood obesity epidemic.Why do we not give it a try?

Fighting Obesity By Changing Brain Chemistry.

Obese people are usually depressed.We thought that it was because of their weight problem.Now it seems to be not that simple.By eating the wrong foods we also bring the vital brain nutrients under threat.The brain does not get the necessary nutrients and rewards us with a state of depression.So not only do we get fat,we also become depressed. Eating  a diet of mainly fast food will result in obesity and depression.I found this very interesting article about the topic of brain nourishment to stop obesity.

Key to good health? A proper diet for the brain

March 23, 2012 by Meghan Berry in Health

"(Medical Xpress) -- When a psychiatrist sets out to write a diet book, he doesn’t have a slimmer waistline in mind. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and coauthor of The Happiness Diet (Rodale, 2011), believes good health and happiness are achieved when the brain is consistently fed all the nutrients it needs for optimal cognitive and emotional functioning.

The modern American diet—or MAD, as Ramsey calls it—fails to nourish the brain. Heavily processed foods loaded with sugar and toxins have given rise not only to America’s obesity epidemic, but also an epidemic of depression, which Ramsey contends is even more dangerous. Studies show that obese people’s brains actually age faster than those of people at a normal weight, and excess weight has been linked to dementia.
“The Happiness Diet focuses on nutrition from the brain’s perspective with a primary goal of improved brain health,” said Ramsey, 37. “While weight loss happens on this diet, the main goal is brain growth.”
Ramsey and his coauthor, Tyler Graham, a journalist who specializes in health and fitness, based their diet on nutrients they deemed the “essential elements of happiness.” They include vitamin B12, used in the production of brain cells, as well as magnesium, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, said to improve memory, counter seasonal depression and promote strong neurons. Even cholesterol, which forms a crucial protective layer around the brain, gets a nod.
Ramsey, a practicing psychiatrist on the Upper West Side, always asks his patients what they eat. He believes this is the closest thing to primary prevention in psychiatry. When people eat too few calories, they can be depressed and irritable, so when patients are willing, he helps them overhaul their diet.
“Just eating kale and salmon won’t give you bliss, but by promoting stable, positive moods, better focus and concentration, and improved energy, people will engage in their lives in ways that promote feeling their best,” Ramsey said.
Today, an average person on MAD eats three pounds of sugar every week. In order to make the switch to the Happiness Diet of organic and whole foods, Ramsey said “carbage” and “bad mood foods”—primarily sugar-laden foods, industrial fats and factory-farmed meat—must be cut. He also urges readers to steer clear of artificially flavored foods and foods labeled “low fat” and “fat free.” When fats are extracted from foods, they’re usually replaced with refined sugars, which are less satisfying and have no nutritional value. “Basically, don’t eat stuff out of a package,” he said. "

As you can see" bad food leads to bad mood ". If we constantly feel unwell ,we will not make the right choices concerning healthy foods.We will rather go for a quick fix .That is where the downward spiral towards obesity starts.

Five Steps To Fight Childhood Obesity.

 To fight childhood obesity ,parents will have to get involved.The steps to be taken are really common sense.what parents do not know that setting a good example is where child hood discipline starts."Monkey see monkey do "or "don't tell me what to do, show me."Having only healthy food in the house and avoiding Mac Donald's and  the other  fast food industry leaders will be a good start in teaching children that a "quick meal "every day might be the beginning of a life time of childhood obesity.

Fight Childhood Obesity.

GIANINC Supports Michelle Obama’s Childhood Obesity Initiative, Offers Five Tips for Parents to Promote Healthy Lifestyles for Children

Dr. Hillel Mazansky urges parents to join the fight against the childhood obesity epidemic

Since Michelle Obama launched her Let’s Move! initiative to tackle America’s childhood obesity problem, Let’s Move! and the Childhood Obesity Task Force have estimated that one in three children living in America is overweight or obese. GIANINC founder Hillel Mazansky, a physician who specializes in guided imagery and nutrition, applauded Obama’s efforts, saying that the growing problem of childhood obesity has been neglected for too long. He now counsels parents and children in the San Diego area about obesity and offered five tips for those who are trying to keep their children healthy.
“The rate of childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, and will continue to rise unless immediate, focused action is taken,” Mazansky stressed.
Mazansky was so impressed with Obama’s initiative that he sent her a YouTube video expressing his support and desire to help.
“This epidemic needs to be stopped,” Mazansky said. “Not only are these children at risk for other major diseases, but they suffer from psychological conditions as well. They are tormented by their classmates, and they cannot participate in sports activities due to physical limitations. This often leads to psychological problems and more compulsive eating.”
To treat children suffering from obesity, GIANINC uses a combination of nutrition and guided imagery, which is a medical hypnosis technique that involves visualization.
“We have to attack this epidemic from the brain, mouth and stomach,” said Mazansky. “GIANINC empowers these children to help themselves by providing them with a customized, nutritionally sound diet and performing guided imagery to get to the root of why these children are compulsively eating.”
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, if one parent is obese, their children are 50 percent more likely to have a weight problem.
“This change needs to start in the home,” Mazansky said. “Parents have a large influence on their children. We all need to fight obesity together as a family.”
Mazansky offered five tips to parents to help promote a healthy lifestyle for their children:
1.    Remove the television from the house
2.    Set an example for children by eating healthy foods
3.    Limit time spent on video games and the computer
4.    Play outside with children
5.    Get children involved in sports and other activities outside of school
“If parents are willing to do these five things, you will see obesity rates start to dwindle,” said Mazansky. “We are all to blame for this epidemic; it is all of our responsibility to work together to fight it.”
For more information about GIANINC and childhood obesity visit http://www.gianinc.com."

The obesity crisis in America is spiraling out of control .Join hands with your children and fight childhood obesity by taking the 5 simple steps listed in the above article.

Fat Gene : Myth or Fact?

The discovery of a fat gene -- Many people won't be pleased! The people who said :" you are fat because you are lazy. "Researcher think they have found a mutant gene that leads to an unstoppable appetite.Carriers of this gene do not know when enough is enough,they just keep eating! Truth be told I do not even think the obese population will be pleased.They can now safely blame it on their genes.With that "see I told you so,I cannot change"attitude, the ball is safely in the hand of "my genes"!But all is not lost.I watched a program the other night of a teenager who turned from obese to thin .In his case he had a faulty mechanism in the hypothalamus.He would even eat out of trash cans to feed the never ending craving for food!His parents came to the rescue:They simply locked away all food.Now he is a normal person,with no extra weight.The only difference is ,all food is kept away from him!The Fat Gene making your life hell ?Get outside help and get it fast!

Fat Gene No Longer a Laughing Matter!

   'Fat gene' identified by scientists

Medical researchers have discovered a gene mutation stops people's brains from recognising when they are full

19 Mar 2012 Abbie Smit 

"Medical researchers have discovered a gene mutation stops people's brains from recognising when they are full A ‘fat gene’ has long been considered to be a myth and an excuse people use to explain obesity, but at long last scientists believe they have indentified one.
Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center in America believe a mutation in a particular gene can result in gluttony and uncontrollable eating habits.
It is thought the affected gene stops certain signals being sent to the brain, which means it doesn’t recognise when the body is full.
There are now hopes the discovery will revolutionise treatments for obesity.
To read the latest edition of Healthcare Global, click here

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After eating, insulin and leptin hormones are released which are supposed to trigger a satiety response in the brain.
However, the researchers are claiming a shortened version of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene prevents these hormones from reaching the brain.
As a result, people with the mutant BDNF gene never feel full or satisfied after a meal, prompting them to continue eating.
This theory was proved during an animal study which investigated the effects of both short and long versions of the gene.
In mice, those with the mutated short version of the gene ate up to 80 percent more food than those with the normal longer version.
Commenting on the findings, Baoji Xu, one of the study’s senior researchers, said: “This is the first time protein synthesis in dendrites, tree-like extensions of neurons, has been found to be critical for control of weight.”

“If there is a problem with the Bdnf gene, neurons can't talk to each other and the leptin and insulin signals are ineffective, and appetite is not modified.”
He added: “This discovery may open up novel strategies to help the brain control body weight.”
“We have opened the door to both new avenues in basic research and clinical therapies, which is very exciting.”"
The results of the study have been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The Healthcare Global magazine is now available on the iPad. Click here to download it.

A Cure for Obesity:Turn Off The TV And Start Walking.

 I walking briskly for an hour a day, could cure obesity wouldn't you give it a go?If you are in any way genetically predisposed to develop obesity, this is the "quick". fix An hour per day might not seem like very "Quick" to you ,but on the other hand, would you rather be obese in ten years time?Just walking for an hour per day will cut your tendency to become obese in half !Personally I do not think that it is the only cure for obesity,the cure for obesity starts when you make a decision to stop doing the things that has caused the problem in the first place.The loss of a loved one ,depression ,feeling inadequate,feeling helpless,etc etc.Identify what  the trigger was that started you on the path to obesity.Start working on that and-- hit the road!

A Cure For Obesity: Walk!

Turn Off the TV and Start Walking

Genetic tendency toward obesity significantly reduced with brisk walking

Reviewed By: Joseph V. Madia, MD

By: Tara Haelle

Published:  Mar 15, 2012 08:32 am

"Some people are at higher risk of obesity because those are the genes they were dealt. But walking instead of watching TV can cut their risk of obesity in half.
Though it may seem obvious that exercising instead of couch potato lounging would ward off obesity, a recent study reveals that swapping one habit for another can even alter the extent to which your genetics have a say over whether you become obese.

Walk briskly for an hour each day to ward off obesity.

Lead author Qibin Qi, Ph.D., a post doctorate research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues conducted a large study of men and women from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses' Health Study, respectively.
They gathered information regarding the 4,564 men's and 7,740 women's TV watching and exercise habits for two years before each person's body mass index was measured. The body mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to their height; 30 or greater indicated obesity.
Then the researchers gathered data on the genetic predisposition of the men and women to become obese based on 32 established factors. They assigned values per amount of BMI to each factor to determine the extent to which a person's genes contributed to their BMI.
Those with high levels of exercise were 53 percent less likely to show BMI increases related to their genetic factors, and those who watched TV 40 hours a week were four times more likely to show BMI increases from their genetics than those who watched only an hour or less of TV each week.
"In our study, a brisk one-hour daily walk reduced the genetic influence towards obesity, measured by differences in BMI by half," Qi said. "On the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle marked by watching television four hours a day increased the genetic influence by 50 percent."
Because the general public cannot yet get their genome tested for a predisposition toward obesity, Qi suggested that patients' family histories may provide clues to a person's likelihood of becoming obese.
There is still little known about the genetic tendency toward obesity, according to Qi, so more research is necessary to understand how they influence a person's weight.
What is clear, is that brisk walking will reduce the likelihood that a person will become obese, and camping out in front of the television will only increase that likelihood.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions."

Whether you are predisposed to obesity, it seems, is not a cut and dried fact .Fact is ,walking for one hour per day ,is a small price to pay in finding a cure for obesity.

What Are The Causes Of Obesity?

To find a cure for obesity we must know: What are the causes of obesity ? .What causes the love affair with food? How do obese people stop binge eating?What good or bad experiences do we associate with food?If we know the causes  of obesity we can also find a cure. I found this well researched article in my inbox.The writer explores all the emotions involved in binge eating and also suggests how to change negative thought patterns that you might be stuck in.Read it and see if you can see yourself in any of the scenarios the writer creates.

 Breaking Free Of The Binge Eating Cycle - By Rebecca
Cooper.

"We develop patterns of behavior early in life. We start associating certain events with certain behaviors. One such pattern is our behavior with food. Being fed by our parents when we were young may come to represent being cared for or being loved. On the other hand, not being fed when we were hungry may have produced a deep insecurity about whether there would be enough food in the future.
Food can also serve as a distraction. For instance, we may have been told at the doctor's office that if we didn't cry when we got a shot, we would be rewarded with a lollypop. Therefore, we focused on getting the lollypop instead of feeling the fear or pain of the needle. We effectively blocked the pain and focused on the reward, the sugar. Is it any wonder that later in life when we experience pain, emotional or physical, that we think a candy bar will make us feel better?
We may associate happy occasions, holidays, and celebrations with food. We then look to food to recapture the feelings of togetherness, love, and joy that we felt on those special occasions. We may have been told we can have dessert if we are good or if we eat everything on our plate. Thus, dessert became a reward, an acknowledgement of success. We trudge through a hard day at work knowing a reward awaits us at the end of the day.
We can also use food to procrastinate; to avoid some action or responsibility that needs to be taken care of or just to get through the mundane, boring tasks of daily life. We may even recognize that food has become our best friend and our source of comfort. But inside, we feel like we have an empty hole inside us, and no amount of food seems to make us feel whole and complete.
We pick up so many associations between food and behavior early in life. Some are life enhancing, and some have become subconscious, core beliefs that interfere with our life today. We may be using food to cope with the stress in our lives. But, in time, our destructive eating behavior actually makes the stress worse. We find that we have less time and less energy.
Because we automatically use food, we cannot discover what is truly disturbing us. If we are not conscious of these associations, the first step in changing them is awareness. We can't change something if we are not even aware of it.
What Is Disordered Eating?
People with disordered eating have developed the habit of relying on food to cope with life situations. They use food as a means to displace or "stuff down" uncomfortable feelings or thoughts. They may use food to avoid some part of life by grazing or eating all day. This is called compulsive overeating. Some may binge, eating large amounts of food in a short time. Binge eating usually starts in response to a diet. Others may restrict their food intake with a rigid diet until they become so malnourished that they cannot think clearly or function physically, and until their long-term health, or even their life itself, is endangered. This is anorexia. Still others may overeat, and then get rid of the food. This is bulimia.
Disordered eating is not just about food. The primary thing that keeps a person trapped in the illness is FEAR: fear of getting fat, fear of rejection, fear of being found out, fear of abandonment, fear of being controlled, or fear of feeling. By concentrating on the illness, weight, diet, or body image, one can avoid the fear and numb the feelings.
A mental obsession with food, weight, diet, or body image has profound effects on our self-esteem, relationships, finances, daily activities, and quality of life. People often become depressed or anxious because of their eating patterns.
The Cycle
At the beginning of our eating disorder, we successfully managed to block out troubling feelings by occupying our mind with thoughts of food or thinness. The problem with this is that as our feelings get stuffed down over and over again, the internal pressure builds. We don't exercise other methods of coping, and soon food becomes our only coping mechanism. We become hard-wired to turn to our disorder whenever a feeling comes up.
After a while we have no room for any more feelings. We may find ourselves reacting to everything around us by turning to food. We don't acknowledge our pain, so we don't do anything to alleviate our growing desperation. We think food is the problem, when in fact, we have substituted food for a deeper problem--and it's just not working anymore. We find ourselves trapped in a cycle with no way to break free.

Breaking the Cycle
In recovery it is important to realize that we have done the best we could up to this point. Negative self-criticism about previous actions only perpetuates the cycle. The solution is to recognize that there is a relationship between our emotions and our eating behaviors. Destructive eating behaviors are just a symptom of the problem, not its root cause.
To get down to the root cause, we need to identify why we are turning to food or to an obsessive restriction of food. Then we can take action to deal with this underlying cause. You can break the cycle at any point--and the cycle does break. All you need to start recovering is the willingness to change, to open your mind to a different approach.
Our thoughts are the first link to our actions. If we want to reach out our hand, our mind has to tell our arm to move. So we must identify the thoughts that trigger the unwanted act of eating when we are not physically hungry or denying ourselves food when we are hungry. Armed with this knowledge, we can find suitable substitutes. Starting with small steps, through the use of repetition, we can form new habits.
So GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK! You have spent too much energy negatively criticizing yourself in the past. Why do you fail to acknowledge the many good things you accomplish in a day? It is time to start congratulating yourself for things well done!
At first, you may want to start out simple. Tell yourself, "Hey, nice job of brushing those teeth!" or "Wow, good driving!" on the way to work. Take moments throughout the day to congratulate yourself for things you do well.
In time, these repetitive affirmations will begin a new cycle of behavior. This practice of nurturing or "reparenting" yourself will help you become more attuned to your internal dialog and avoid those negative influences. You can work with yourself instead of against yourself. The body was designed to work in conjunction with your appetite by eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. You can get back in touch with this innate ability.
Focus on the intention to live your life with confidence and self-acceptance. Find things to appreciate and enjoy. Positive self-talk can break the cycle and free you from the need to use food as a substitute for living a full life."
** To comment on this article or read comments about this article, go here.

About the Author:

After years of experience helping clients recover from the effects of dieting, obesity, eating disorders, addictions, and disordered eating, Rebecca can share some facts that can restore our society to sanity regarding food, weight, and addiction.
Ms. Cooper is the SelfGrowth.com Official Guide to Eating Disorders and has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is a California licensed therapist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist.
She started the first transitional living residence for women recovering from eating disorders. She is the Founder and President of Rebecca's House Eating Disorder Treatment Programs™ located in Orange County, California, where she heads up a team of psychologists, therapists, registered dietitians, exercise physiologist, psychiatrist, and a medical doctor.
Rebecca is the author of the Diets Don't Work® Structured Program, a step-by-step program for disordered eating. This innovative program is successfully being used by recovery homes, therapists, and clients.
She is also CEO of 21st Century Wellness, Inc., and is President of the Orange County Chapter of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals.
More information can be found at http://www.selfgrowth.com/guide/rebeccacooper.html

How To Fight Obesity ?

There is only one way to fight obesity, this is the opinion of this article writer. Education towards better choices concerning healthy food and more exercise .Her take on the matter is ,"Fight Obesity With Education." If obesity is the No2 cause of preventable deaths,why are we not "preventing"?How do we prevent obesity?By taking responsibility ,collectively as well as individually.Why should I become involved if I am not obese?As you may or may not know ,millions of tax payers dollars, are being used in the fight against obesity. It affects the health systems, making it more expensive for everyone.It even affects the military institutions.More sick leave for soldiers, not being able to do basic duties because soldiers are obese.I must say this sounds like a full scale crisis.Do not claim "innocent bystander" status. Do something!

Fight obesity with education.

• Author: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Brittney King, Kearney
• Posted: March 13, 2012 at 1:00 pm   

I am a concerned student who is becoming more aware of the health problems that face our country. Obesity — having a BMI of 30 or higher for adults — is one that has startled me after learning many of issues that coincide with it.

For starters, obesity is the No. 2 cause of preventable deaths that occur in the United States. There are more than 60 million Americans above age 20 who fall into an obese weight range.
While some may find this unnerving and upsetting, I see it in a positive way. As stated above, obesity is preventable. With so many people suffering from it, we have a huge range who we can help. The more we can inform about this, the more we have a chance of helping.
Nutrition plays a large role in the way each person chooses to live. Proper nutrition is key in maintaining a healthy weight, and incorrect nutrition can be the downfall. There are a few simple things Americans can become more aware of which can aide in their healthy lifestyle goals.
To start, many people highly overestimate portion sizes. Another key component is knowing our levels of hunger and satiety. We need to listen to our bodies when they tell us that they are full. The same goes for hunger.
Exercising along with this helps our bodies to utilize the foods we are consuming and can help lead to a healthier lifestyle.
By taking the time to inform ourselves, we can greatly change the growing obesity epidemic and gain a healthier America. Watching our portion sizes, stopping when full and exercising are small steps that can lead to a huge change. Along with feeling better, it will help reduce the risks of many types of cancer, heart disease and stroke. We need to take control of our lives and make a change for a healthier America.

Fight Obesity.