School of Weight Loss

Recently Star Jones and Oprah Winfrey made statements about their weight loss. Neither women really wanted to have to say anything in public, but they are in the public eye and people look to them to be role models.

In towns all over America there are fitness trainers who are not as openly in the public as Jones or Winfrey but they do feel the same obligation to the public to look the way they are expected to look. This puts a lot of pressure on someone and creates stress that isn’t necessary.

Take the case of Jenny who can be in any town anywhere. She is a fitness instructor who is going through a rough patch with her personal life. She has maintained her weight for many years and now she is beginning to gain again. Although she has only gained 20 pounds back she remembers when she started losing and had lost over 100 pounds.

Recently on the television show The Biggest Loser one of the contestants was taken off the show because she had gained weight. They then went back on the show weighing 145 that she had trimmed down to, on her own. She was to return to the show one more time, but now she was back up to 200 pounds.

These stories are here just to say that most people are not sure what happens when they start to gain again, but the truth is that struggle with weight can be a lifelong battle. One of the challenges is that the focus is always on how to lose weight but not necessarily on how to keep it off.

All of these women found that being in the public eye brought about more stress. They admit that they often set the bar too high, and then the pressure to keep the weight off became difficult.

Does that happen to the average person? You bet it does, and many people are finding their way back again to the size they enjoyed. One of the things that people are realizing is that they didn’t really deal with the issues that come up with weight loss.

Beyond your ideas of weight loss you also have to deal with the psychological issues that come up. As an example, Marsha was always told by everyone that she had such a pretty face when she was chubby as a youngster. When she got older and decided to do something about it she got those accolades again. She had a difficult time dealing with this because she felt she was the same person, fat or thin.

Losing weight is always difficult if people are watching you and waiting to see how you are doing. This puts pressure in the wrong places and generally will mean that the individual starts gaining again.

What’s the solution? Lose weight because you want to and not because you are trying to appease a public image. Live your life to the fullest and you won’t have to worry about what other people say at all.

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Measuring body weight is a difficult task because all of the measurement tools leave out important information. If you are someone who steps on a scale everyday this can be disheartening because your weight will fluctuate. The reason it fluctuates is because the scale measures your entire body and not just the fat.

Other people turn to The Body Mass Index (BMI) thinking that this will tell them more information. This is another inaccurate measure because it measures your height vs. your fat but it cannot tell the difference between body fat and muscle. So, you are still in the dark.

What people are finding is that this information may not mean a lot when you are working with your body and its weight. These can be a good starting place, but they are only part of the big picture when it comes to working with weight loss.

Here we list the upside and downside of each system so you can be prepared if you use them:

Scales
Scales are the number one tool that most people use to determine whether they have lost or gained weight. Scales cannot tell the difference between the components of your body so it weighs in as a solid substance. Scales are easy to use and you can buy them anywhere. The downside is that the scale cannot tell you the distribution of your body weight.

Body Mass Index(BMI)
The newest way for doctors to determine whether an individual is obese or not is to use the BMI Index. The purpose of this index is to measure the amount of fat on your body. Depending on what they find you can be categorized into being overweight, obese or morbidly obese. The index uses a ratio of fat to height but it cannot tell the difference between fat and muscle. This means that if you have a lot of muscle it will over estimate your body fat; it also underestimates body fat for the elderly who have lost muscle mass.

Dexa Scans
The Dexa scan offers a low-radiation x-ray of the entire body. This has traditionally been used to see osteoarthritis, but it also is very accurate in computing body composition by measuring body mass, bone mass and lean mass. The challenge is that the scan isn’t always covered by insurance, and it can be quite an out of the pocket expense.

Although all of these different ways to measure body fat can be helpful, they are not as helpful as discovering other risk factors. Many doctors use this as just one of the many ways that they determine what to do to help someone lose weight.

Family history, high cholesterol, a tendency towards heart disease or diabetes can all be ways to encourage an individual to lose weight without these other methods. The best idea is to talk to your doctor before you start any weight loss program. They are basically the ones that can tell you what you need to do for your specific body type.

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Most Americans know that obesity is something that plagues the United States. There is so much talk about it and so many news articles that you cannot help but see that this is a problem. Statistics show that at least 10-15% of overweight people are considered morbidly obese. When obesity continues, it creates other health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

For many Americans the idea of losing weight has failed. They have attempted several types of diet programs, they work out regularly, and they have changed their eating habits to accept more nutritious foods. For some reason, none of these things work to lose weight so they follow the final alternative which is Bariatric Surgery.

Although this has become a multi-billion industry for the surgeons who do the surgery, the individuals who elect the surgery still have to deal with learning how to lose weight after the surgery. Weight loss does not automatically happen afterwards, and they still have to watch what they eat.

The challenge for most is that after the surgery there are several psychological things that happen that no one really prepares them for, because the process is different for each person. If you are considering bariatric surgery, here are some things to consider before you do:

Ruen Y Gastric Bypass
Often people how have gastric bypass have challenges because this is a surgery that actually creates a pouch, so that you can only eat certain amounts of food. This cannot be reversed easily and it is something that most people have to live with for the rest of their lives. This can often be difficult when it enters into everyday life.

What Happens After Surgery
After surgery there are times when the individual may find they are grieving the loss of their old life. They can no longer eat as much as they used to and they cannot eat certain foods. The attitude must change in order to have a full life in this new lifestyle.

With Gastric Bypass they will have to limit the intake of food but it doesn’t mean they cannot eat some of the foods they once enjoyed.  Sometimes they will fell depressed when they go to a family gathering when they cannot eat like they once did. However, in the long run the surgery helps develop better eating habits.

After surgery it is also important to add exercise to increase weight loss. With the bypass surgery weight loss is very fast and it is very noticeable. Exercise will help stop flabby and loose skin as well as creating an opportunity to become fit. A good way to start is with an exercise ball and a DVD at home. Once exercise becomes routine walking or bicycling can also be added to create an overall fitness plan.

The bottom line is that when considering this surgery you also have to consider the fact that it is permanent and that you will have to change your lifestyle and your attitude in order to accommodate this new feature.

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Losing weight has been a priority in the United States for many years as children and adults weigh in heavier than in other countries. Exercise is a very important part of weight loss and it is important if an individual wants to live a healthier lifestyle.

Many people worry that if they workout too much they will damage their joints, and it could lead to arthritis. However, a recent study says that a healthy joint will benefit from exercise and it will not damage them.

Normal Joints and Exercise
According to a study by German and American doctors that was published in the Journal of Anatomy, if a person has healthy joints they are not at risk of developing arthritis, if they exercise. In fact, it can only enhance them.

According to Dr. David Hunter, the lead researcher in the study the only people that are at risk of arthritis are those who already have an injury. If they had problems with joints, the individual already had an injury that they may not have been aware of as they continued to exercise. This is shedding light on the fact that intense low impact exercise will not damage already healthy joints.

The study also showed that the exercise was even more important to those with healthy joints because it helped them physically and mentally.  The doctors noted that obesity is the cause of most osteoarthritis and that people should lose weight in order to take the stress off their joints.

Arthritis and Exercise: Is It Safe?
People wonder whether they should exercise if they already have arthritis and doctors say “yes.” The point is that joints are supposed to move, and if you do not move them, they have a tendency to get stiff. In the case of arthritis joints can actually be helped by exercise instead of hindered.

One of the major reasons to exercise joints is to maintain flexibility. An individual can also decrease pain increase strength and lower fatigue, with exercise. Doctors have always said that osteoarthritis benefits from some exercise, and now it is the same for any type of arthritis.

Regular exercise also makes the tendons and the muscles around the joints become stronger. Exercise on a regular basis will also increase the blood flow to the cartilage in the knees and make them stronger.

Won’t Exercise Make The Joints Hurt More?
This is what many people think, but doctors say this just makes them feel better. Muscles become weaker without exercise and stronger with it. This means that if you can create some low impact exercise your body will respond to it better. Also, it is important to set realistic expectations when you are exercising. A mild form of exercise that includes aerobic activity and strength training can be all that you need.

As you work with your joints it is a good idea to talk to your doctor and get help in understanding your limitations if you already have joint injuries. Start with simple exercise like using an exercise ball first and move forward as you can.

And as a final note, be sure to stretch after every workout.  Getting a massage or a little shiatsu every now and then isn’t a bad idea either.

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