Excess weight increases a person’s risk of more than 50 different medical conditions that affect all the major systems of the body. One of the most common is type 2 diabetes, which can lead to serious complications in the heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes.
A Harvard study that combined data from more than 50,000 men (participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study) and more than 120,000 women (from the Nurses’ Health Study) revealed some sobering statistics about weight and health. The volunteers provided their height and weight, as well as details on their diets, health habits, and medical histories. Researchers tracked the volunteers over more than 10 years, noting the occurrence of illnesses and comparing those developments with each subject’s BMI.
Obesity increased the risk of diabetes 20 times and substantially boosted the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and gallstones. Among people who were overweight or obese, there was a direct relationship between BMI and risk: the higher the BMI, the higher the likelihood of disease.
You can protect your health by losing weight and keeping it off. Weigh Less, Live Longer: Strategies for successful weight loss can get you started. It will help you determine the cause of your excess weight and tailor a plan to your particular needs. It also provides details on popular weight-loss diets, organized self-help programs, weight-loss supplement ingredients, weight-loss surgery, and steps for keeping the weight off.
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Comments: 9
Here is the actual breakdown of the diet:
Per day:
6-8 servings of grains and whole grain products
4-5 servings of fruits
4-5 servings of vegetables
2-3 servings of low fat and fat free dairy products
2 or less servings of meats, poultry and fish
2-3 servings of fats/oils
Per week:
4-5 servings of nuts, seeds and legumes
5 servings of sweets and added sugars
The benefits of such diet that encourages up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, which are foods abundant in antioxidants, phytochemicals including polyphenols, carotenoids, high content of the fiber; extend beyond blood pressure reduction.
Nothing processed meaning raw cane sugar instead of bleached processed sugar, same with flour and making sure nothing is pre-made and ready to cook. I eat very little red meat, maybe once or twice a month; pleanty of turkey, green veggies and high alkaline-based foodstuffs. The list is on my fridge in case I forget . . . ummmmh, need more brain food !
sharing the light from EPN Womens Health, Click Here
Save a Life, Stroke Signs
Also an article on diet might help reduce the risk of stroke here:
Plus, if you exercise you can trade exercise for a low-fat fudge pop or something, so I try to walk about 45 minutes each day.
What really bothers me though is that so many workplaces (including mine) are practically set up to make workers obese. We are confined to a small cubicle, can't move except on our breaks, and are rewarded with high-calorie, high fat food we don't need. Most people who are hired on gain 15-20 pounds the first year. That's messed up. Half of us are working this job for the health insurance, so what kind of sense does it make? Zero.
I want to lose 30 more pounds and I feel confident I will. Being afraid of dropping dead is definitely good incentive to make changes.
life coach