Overweight Seen As The Norm, says chief medical officer

Image captionThe number of obese and overweight people has been rising in recent decades

Being overweight is increasingly seen as the norm, England's chief medical officer says.

In her annual report on the state of health, Dame Sally Davies said this was concerning, pointing out many people did not recognise they had a problem.

Parents of overweight children were also failing to spot the signs too, she said.

Dame Sally blamed the way weight was being portrayed by the media and clothes industry.

"I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal weight, particularly in the fashion industry. Yet I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising being overweight.  Larger mannequins are being introduced into clothes shops and "size inflation" means that clothes with the same size label have become larger in recent decades.  "And news stories about weight often feature pictures of severely obese people, which are unrepresentative of the majority of overweight people."

Sugar tax
Dame Sally also reiterated her belief that a sugar tax may be necessary to combat obesity.  At the start of March she told the Health Select Committee it may be needed, although she hoped not.  This caused some controversy as the government's approach has been characterised by working with industry to get them to make food and drink products healthier.  In her report she says this should continue, but if it fails to deliver a tax should be "considered".

She said children and adults of all ages are consuming too much sugar.  Nearly two thirds of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese - classed as a body mass index of above 25. This is about double the numbers in the early 1990s.   But research shows that half of men, a third of women and over three quarters of parents do not recognise weight problems.  Professor Kevin Fenton, of Public Health England, said he agreed with Dame Sally's comments.  "We share her concerns. Overweight and obesity costs the NHS over £5bn each year and is entirely preventable."But Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said he would have liked Dame Sally to take a tougher approach to sugar.  "The report lets the food and beverage industries off the hook. It gives industry no deadline by which to show improvement with the likely result that her words will be quite ignored. How distressing."

Source:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26765078

No More Chips for Breakfast

By SunshineCHI  |  Posted October 9, 2014  |  Elk Grove Village, Illinois

After being overweight for most of my life, I went from 391 lbs at my heaviest down to 245 in December of 2010. Around that time I started a Facebook "fan page" to share my story with others and to help keep myself accountable. When I started Sunshine's Journey to 199, it quickly became apparent that there were countless others like me out there, who had lost hope of ever having success with their weight loss. In addition to sharing my workouts and what I was eating, I was sharing personal bits of my story, which my followers received with open and supportive arms. From being left and cheated on by an ex, to being the only person in a hoodie and jeans in the summer when all of your friends were in tank tops and sundresses; people could relate to me and were even inspired by the idea that if I could make a comeback, so could they. During that time I was working at Curves, helping to empower and inspire women, and it was there that my passion for helping others with their healthy living goals was really born and cultivated. It was also then that I met the "man of my dreams" - and proceeded to put on over 100 lbs in the 3 years that we were together. In early 2013 our relationship went from not great to terrible, and in March of 2013 I went down to Miami to visit a girlfriend of mine. I weighed 365 lbs. While on vacation there, I received an email - yes, an email - that our relationship was over (we were engaged) and that he had moved out of our apartment in Chicago. As you can imagine, I was devastated. How had this happened? What was I going to do? Friends kept asking when I was going to move back to Milwaukee. (My ex and I had moved from Milwaukee for his job). For a few days I honestly believed that 2013 was going to be the worst year of my life. And then it was like a light bulb came on. Absolutely not. I was absolutely not going to let him or anyone else dictate one single day of my life, let alone call 2013 a wash only three months into the new year. Instead, I decided that I was going to make 2013 one of the BEST years of my life. Back in January 2012 I had been one of the Biggest Loser Resort's 10 Year of You winners. Out of thousands of people who entered, 10 of us were chosen to win a 4 week all-expenses paid trip to the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu, CA. I found out on live TV (a morning show in Milwaukee) that I had won. Because I had had that amazing experience, I was motivated to turn my weight and health around after my ex-fiancé and I broke up, and "make good" on what I had been blessed with. My followers had helped to vote me there and I could NOT let them down. But most importantly, I could not let myself down. This past February 2014, we started a weight loss competition at work. I was the one who had started these competitions, and although I had had some success, I never won. I weighed 302 lbs at the beginning of the contest, and was determined to win. I joined X-sport, and started working with a personal trainer once a week. I needed this competitive push to keep me motivated on the days that it was so “hard” to make it to the gym. I work a full time job M-F during the day, and I also work at a restaurant 3 nights a week and on the weekends. But I still made it to the gym - no excuses. April 29th, 2014 the winner was announced - and I, in 12 weeks, had lost 59.3 lbs. I won! But more importantly, I was 243 lbs. and FIT. I could see my collarbones again. My pants no longer had a 2 as the first number of the size! I've been maintaining since then, but my goal is to be 199 by my birthday this December. I will be 37 years old, and I have *never as an adult* weighed under 200 lbs. And then, 8 lbs. later I will have even more cause to celebrate as it will be a total of 200lbs lost! I saw a quote yesterday that made me smile because it is so true when it comes to my weight loss story. "Turn a setback into a comeback". Sunshine's Journey to 199 hit over 35,000 earlier this week. 35,000. I do not pay for followers or run any ads on my page. There are 35,000 people there that are inspired by my story, and that I have given some hope back to. No matter how many times I tell my story, it is that fact that makes me tear up and fuels me through the hard days - the fact that there are people out there who are looking to me for guidance and counting on me to make my goal. I think back to my childhood and teen years and how the internet just was not what is today. We didn't have weight loss inspirations on Facebook or Instagram to seek hope/inspiration from. Being overweight back then was like a dirty little secret that no one talked about. I want people to know that what I have accomplished so far IS possible, but if you want it badly enough, you have to work for it every day. You have to be able to overcome the bad choices and get back on track with that next meal. But most importantly, you need to change your relationship with food and love your body every step of the way. I have always said that I have no interest in being "skinny". I want to be curvy and fit. I want to be able to shop wherever I want to. I want to not worry that I'm going to break a chair in a restaurant or at a family get together. I don't want to eat fast-food secretly in my car anymore. I want to LIVE. 15 years ago I went to Six Flags Great America in Chicago. As my friends and I went to get on the Batman ride, my harness would not close because I was too big. Even after the employees came over to try and help, it would not close. I had to get off of the ride in front of the hundreds of people that were waiting in line, and I was absolutely mortified. Needless to say, I spent the next 15 years avoiding Six Flags, or any amusement parks in general. As a kid I loved rides! And because of my weight, I was limited on what I could do. This summer, I went back to Six Flags. And I fit on EVERY RIDE, no problem. I also wore a bikini in California for the first time of my life! Women who I outweighed by far kept coming up to me and saying that they loved my suit, admired my confidence, and that they wished they were more comfortable in their own skin. I do not look back on my "biggest" pictures with any sort of hate or sadness. It was that big girl who worked her butt off (literally) and changed her life. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that I have gone through this weight loss rollercoaster and my breakup in order to become stronger and inspire others. I have done this with absolutely no “gimmicks”, and without a fad diet. I don’t count carbs or calories. I do however stalk my sugar and sodium like a hawk. No more than 40g of sugar a day, and 1500mg of sodium. I like sweets but don’t love them, so I almost never eat them so that I can save “cheats” for things I do love – like cheese. I am not perfect and of course I have my moments of weakness. But I have learned while changing my relationship with food, which is how I have been able to maintain my weight for the past 4 months. Rather than calling the whole day of meals a waste because I had one bad one, I get back to eating healthy the very next meal. Or I’ll exercise more on days where I do want to indulge. I don’t believe that any food should be completely cut out or off-limits because, let’s face it – you are never going to be able to stick to that in the long term. Never give up - NEVER. You are never too old, too poor or too big to change your life. Try not to focus on the big picture, it can easily become overwhelming. While 199 has always been my "goal weight", at 365 lbs. if I had focused on the fact that I needed to lose 166 lbs. to get there, it probably would have been pretty demotivating. So I concentrated on "baby steps". A 20 lb. goal, or seeing a certain number on the scale. Breaking your journey up into smaller pieces is much better for your sanity and staying on track! I want to inspire the world - I want every person out there to know that they are worth it. We only live once. Make sure that you are truly living, friends. And 199 – I’m coming for you!

A Remarkably Simple 3 Step Process To Help You Stop Thinking About Food

In a past life, you ate like a normal person.

You ate what tasted good and what was available. You weren’t a pig, and your diet was still pretty healthy, but you weren't strict about what you ate.

As time went on, you began to become more careful. Maybe you had some health problems and decided to change your diet. Maybe you became an athlete or got into bodybuilding or modeling. Maybe you’ve always been a little obsessive, like me.

You became more and more focused on what you ate. You started cutting out foods one by one. You only ate foods at certain times. As a result, you felt empowered, in control, and healthier.

Then as the months or years went by, your diet got old. You got tired of eating chicken breasts and carrots every day. Now, you can’t imagine going back to how you ate when you were a kid, but your current diet is also driving you nuts.

You’re ready for a change. You’re ready to have the freedom and comfort around food that you did when you were younger, with more structure and control so you can reach your aesthetic and athletic goals.

You want to put your diet on autopilot while staying healthy and lean.

Answer These 3 Questions to Create a Healthy Diet You Can Maintain

Most of the anxiety people face around eating is caused because they don’t know the answers to these three questions:

1. What am I going to eat?
2. How much am I going to eat?
3. When or how often am I going to eat?

Let’s answer them.

1. Decide what you’re going to eat.

Most people eat because the food is tasty, convenient, in sight, or smells good. That’s also part of why many people are overweight.¹

You aren’t like that. You care about your health and body composition. Your problem is that you always second guess your food choices. You always feel that you’re eating something that's bad for you.

When you get tired of obsessing about food, you either continue with your current behaviors, making yourself even more unhappy, or say “fuck it” and kill a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I’ve done both, and it’s a frustrating cycle.

Solve that problem by sticking to the principles in this article.

Eat at least 80% of your calories from minimally processed, whole, nutrient dense plants and animals. Most research indicates that’s a healthy and sustainable way to live.

Feel free to add a few guidelines to keep yourself on track.

For instance, Nutella is kryptonite to my self control. I don’t keep it in my apartment because I can easily murder a jar in a day or two.

I also almost never eat fast food. I don’t think most fast food tastes very good, it’s easy to overeat, and it’s more expensive than cooking at home.

I could buy a jar of Nutella, and force myself not to eat too much, but I’d rather put my self control toward other things. Willpower is a limited resource,² and you should budget it carefully.

If you need to, think of a few guidelines that you can use to keep yourself on track while investing as little willpower as possible. Here are a few that I use:

• I don’t keep overly tempting foods in the house (damn you, Nutella).
• I prepare around 90-95% of what I eat from scratch.
• I don’t drink soda.

Now that you know what you’re going to eat, decide how much you’re going to eat.

2. Decide how much you’re going to eat.

Even if you’re eating a healthy diet, it’s easy to gain fat if you eat too much.

Everyone who hasn’t lost weight on a paleo diet is nodding their head right now.

Since you’re an informed dieter, you probably know which foods have more calories than others. You don’t need to weigh every piece of food to the gram.

Calorie counting and weighing your food can be extremely useful in the short-term, but neither is generally sustainable in the long-term. At least if you want to be a sane person with friends, relationships, hobbies, and a life.

So how do you decide how much to eat without a scale?

Eat until you’re satisfied. Then stop.

Not until you’re full or stuffed, but just until you're no longer hungry. Yes, you’ve heard this a hundred times before. That’s because it works.

Just like creating a budget, most everyone knows this is a good idea, but they don’t do it.

There are a few of you out there who probably still get hungry even if you’re eating till satiety. You probably fall into one of these two categories:

You’re trying to get leaner than most sane people, in which case you probably won’t feel satisfied from normal meals.

You’re eating mostly unfilling and high-calorie foods.

There’s a reason I told you to focus on food quality in step one. Your satiety system only works if you’re eating mostly unprocessed and filling foods.

Even then, however, you can still feel hungrier than you should if you’re stressed,^3,4 sleep deprived,^5,6eating while distracted,¹ and making other silly mistakes.

If you eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, minimize your stress levels, and generally take care of yourself, you can usually eat until satiety and stay fairly lean.

3. Decide when or how often you’re going to eat.

For a long time, I had so much anxiety thinking about when I should eat that I avoided it till the last part of the day.

I’d have nothing more than an apple until about seven or eight at night. Then I’d let myself eat for an hour before I could go to bed and avoid the “problem” of eating for another 23 hours the next day.

This kind of behavior also nearly killed me. Not recommended.

On the other hand, some research indicates that one of the reasons people are gaining weight is because they are eating more often, not just more at each meal.⁷ That’s probably not your biggest problem, but if you’ve been doing what many (uninformed) nutrition experts recommend, and making yourself eat five or six meals a day, you know that can be exhausting too.

My “starve yourself all day” approach doesn’t work, and neither does grazing for most people.

Starting with 3-4 meals per day is a good idea for several reasons:

• It’s simple and easy to plan.
• It’s what most people do, which makes it easy to coordinate your diet with your social life.
• It means you can eat meals that are large enough to keep you satisfied, but not so big that you’re stuffed. (I always felt like a beached whale after my 23 hour fasts, despite only eating 800-1,000 calories per day).

If you don’t like eating 3-4 times per day, then you can always try another approach. Meal frequency really doesn't matter, but this is a good starting place.

Eating a healthy, enjoyable diet shouldn’t be so hard.

It should be fun, relatively easy, and socially accommodating.

You probably got excited when you learned how some foods are toxic, why other foods will help you live longer and lose fat, and how nutrient timing is the secret to fat loss and muscle gain.

Then you realize there’s more to life than playing with your digital scale and reading weird sensationalist health blogs. You decide you’d rather spend your time and energy on having fun and improving yourself. You also realize that most of the stuff you used to believe, is pure crap.

You might be thinking “this is beginner stuff, I know what I’m doing.” Do you really?

If you’re taking any fat loss supplements, spending any time reading about why you should be eating one food over another, or counting calories while eating tons of junk food, you haven't mastered the basics in this article. It’s like someone calling themselves an astronaut when they don’t know how to fly a toy plane.

You’re wasting your time on stuff that doesn’t matter, and ignoring the things that do.

I’m as guilty as you. I love to obsess over details before mastering the basics, but it’s something we both need to change.

This is the diet that will help you stop thinking about food, and start living the rest of your life. So get to it.

Did you enjoy this article? Click here to check out my book, *Flexible Dieting*. Want an even more in-depth education on how to lose weight, build muscle, and get stronger and healthier? Join Evidence Mag Elite and get member's-only reports and interviews.

References

1. Wansink B. From mindless eating to mindlessly eating better. Physiol Behav. 2010;100(5):454–463. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.05.003.
2. Baumeister RF, Vohs KD, Tice DM. The Strength Model of Self-Control. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2007;16:351–355.
3. Weinstein SE, Shide DJ, Rolls BJ. Changes in food intake in response to stress in men and women: psychological factors. Appetite. 1997;28(1):7–18. doi:10.1006/appe.1996.0056.
4. Rutters F, Nieuwenhuizen AG, Lemmens SGT, Born JM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Acute stress-related changes in eating in the absence of hunger. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(1):72–77. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.493.
5. Brondel L, Romer MA, Nougues PM, Touyarou P, Davenne D. Acute partial sleep deprivation increases food intake in healthy men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(6):1550–1559. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28523.
6. St-Onge M-P. The role of sleep duration in the regulation of energy balance: effects on energy intakes and expenditure. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013;9(1):73–80. doi:10.5664/jcsm.2348.
7. Duffey KJ, Popkin BM. Energy density, portion size, and eating occasions: contributions to increased energy intake in the United States, 1977-2006. Duffey KJ, Popkin BM, eds. PLoS Med. 2011;8(6):e1001050. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001050.s001.

Source:- https://evidencemag.com/weight-loss-food-thoughts
                                                 

Men 'Need Tailored Weight-Loss Programmes'

Although fewer men join weight-loss programmes than women, they are more likely to stick with them – particularly if they are tailored to their needs, say researchers.

More men in the UK are overweight or obese than women but they are less likely to see their weight as a problem.

However, obesity increases the risk of a number of serious diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the universities of Aberdeen, Bournemouth and Stirling analysed data from around the world on weight-loss trials and studies that have included the views of men.

Their review of the evidence on obesity management is published by the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme.

The research team wanted to determine which programmes or services would be more appealing to overweight men and engage them in trying to lose weight.

Targeting weight-loss programmes to men

They found that the best results for men who achieved and maintained weight loss came from a combination of diet, physical activity and behaviour changes such as self-monitoring and setting themselves goals.

They highlighted several points, including these:

• Low-fat diets combined with exercise and following advice on behaviour changes is the best way for men to lose weight and can also help reduce the risk of serious diseases such as type-2 diabetes
• Obese men will lose more weight by eating less than by exercising on its own without dietary restriction
• There is no long-term evidence that any one particular calorie-reduction diet is better than another, though intermittent periods of very low calorie intake seemed to be more effective than regular steady dieting
• Compared with women, men preferred more factual-based information in business-like language on how to lose weight as well as more emphasis on physical activity programmes
• Group-based, men-only weight-management programmes showed benefit by providing moral support to men with similar health problems, with some individualised tailoring to their needs
• Obesity interventions in sports clubs – including football clubs – are very effective, with positive responses from men and a low dropout rate.

Tackling health problems

Researchers found that once middle-aged men realised they have a health problem that needs tackling – for example being told they are obese by a health professional – and are informed of the health benefits of losing weight, they are more likely to be motivated to shed the pounds.

Although some men were reluctant to join a group setting, the knock-on effect of having to account for their food choices to others seemed to help them stick to the programme.

That led the researchers to suggest that social settings, such as workplaces or sports clubs, may be better scenarios for weight-loss programmes geared towards men.

Based on their studies, the researchers are advocating men-specific weight-loss programmes.

Professor Alison Avenell of the University of Aberdeen has indicated that one of the main obstacles to men losing weight is that they see these programmes as being feminine activities. She says: "We looked at the outcomes of many previous studies which included men, as well as interviews with men, in order to find out more about how to design services and inform health policy … our findings suggest that men should be offered the opportunity to attend weight loss programmes that are different to programmes which are mainly attended by women.”

Dr Flora Douglas, from the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, adds: "Men prefer more factual information on how to lose weight and more emphasis on physical activity in weight loss programmes.

“Interventions delivered in social settings were preferred to those delivered in health-care settings. Group-based programmes showed benefits by facilitating support for men with similar health problems, and some individual tailoring of advice helped men. "

Source:- http://www.webmd.boots.com/men/news/20140613/men-need-tailored-weight-loss-programmes

No More Chips For Breakfast

After being overweight for most of my life, I went from 391 lbs at my heaviest down to 245 in December of 2010. Around that time I started a Facebook "fan page" to share my story with others and to help keep myself accountable. When I started Sunshine's Journey to 199, it quickly became apparent that there were countless others like me out there, who had lost hope of ever having success with their weight loss. In addition to sharing my workouts and what I was eating, I was sharing personal bits of my story, which my followers received with open and supportive arms. From being left and cheated on by an ex, to being the only person in a hoodie and jeans in the summer when all of your friends were in tank tops and sundresses; people could relate to me and were even inspired by the idea that if I could make a comeback, so could they. During that time I was working at Curves, helping to empower and inspire women, and it was there that my passion for helping others with their healthy living goals was really born and cultivated. It was also then that I met the "man of my dreams"

Forget Counting Calories! Hottest New Diet Trend Is TALKING Yourself Slim

Forget counting calories! Hottest new diet trend is TALKING yourself slim (and you get to eat what you like too)

• Plan is brainchild of diet expert and hypnotherapist John Richardson
• Says that to beat the bulge, you have to address behaviour first
• Suggests that confronting fattening behaviour helps you shed pounds
• Has written a new book called Talk Yourself Slim 

For the majority of us, slimming down means counting calories and maintaining strict control over what foods you eat and when.

But now a diet expert has revealed the secret to losing weight might not be calorie counting after all and says that talking to yourself is what really makes a difference.

Dubbed the 'self-chatter diet', the unusual eating plan claims to help users beat the bulge by eradicating fattening behaviour.

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Slimming solution: According to Richardson, tackling your behaviour is key to sustained weight loss

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Plan: The diet insists on eating when your body needs it and ending bad behaviour through talking

'There are lots of reasons why people are struggle to lose weight but the main reason is that most weight loss systems are based on restrictive diets,' explains the man behind the plan, diet expert and hypnotherapist John Richardson.

'Until obesity is accurately diagnosed and is re-labelled as a behavioural condition - and is therefore treated as such - no solution will ever be found. 

'It's not food that makes us overweight but way in which food is eaten. Beliefs, behaviours and associations are the fundamental reasons for the obesity epidemic.'

Top of Richardson's hit list are eating by the clock, assuming that all three main meals have to be eaten and seeing sugar and fat laden foods are a treat.

'Treating being overweight with restrictive diets is no different to treating a broken leg with a painkiller,' he adds.

'For someone to achieve their ideal weight, the only way is to identify, question, challenge and change the detrimental behaviours responsible.'

To do this, Richardson has devised a system which he dubs the 'self-chatter' diet which involves being aware of bad behaviours - and telling yourself off when you try and do them.

'Self-chatter is your inner-voice and often, this self-talk happens so automatically you are barely aware of it, ' he explains.

'However, what you say to yourself can have a profound effect on the way that you feel and what you can achieve.'

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All natural: Along with talking your way out of bad behaviour, Richardson says natural eating is the way forward

HOW TO TALK YOURSELF SLIM: JOHN'S TOP TIPS

• Drink plenty of water - it's essential for your body.
• Eat a diet that includes a mix of natural foods containing plenty of vitamins and minerals.
• Set your intent: You need to really want to achieve your goal
• Believe that you'll succeed at all times and you will
• Understand that eating when hungry is as important as stopping when satisfied in order to avoid going into famine mode.
• Know that obesity is a chronic behavioural condition and restrictive diets don't work.

In the case of weight loss, that means being aware of the behaviours that lead to weight gain, for instance raiding the fridge at midnight or insisting on a late dinner, and stop yourself before you do it.

'With time and effort, and by following the body’s hunger and satiety signals as opposed to environmental cues, you'll reignite natural instinctive eating habits,' adds Richardson.

'As a consequence, eating smaller portions and consuming less will become a normal practice.'

But while talking to yourself is one thing, even Richardson admits that self-chatter won't do much for you if you still fill up on junk food.

'You need to give your body more fresh, natural food and plenty of water,' he adds.'Eating in moderation, choosing nutritious food and being vigilant about what you eat will all help.'

Don't, he adds, expect the weight to drop off overnight. 'A no effort, easy to achieve weight loss system is still yet to be found and probably never will be,' Richardson explains. 

'Any system that promises a no effort, easy to achieve, solution to being overweight is a manipulative one and not true.

'The only way to lose weight is to take responsibility for it yourself. The road to weight-loss success isn't easy but it's something that everyone can achieve and that is a fact.'

Source:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2710500/Hottest-new-diet-trend-TALKING-slim-eat-like-too.html

A Healthy Substitute for Willpower

Can we do better than relying on simple willpower?

I have always loved bourbon, and as a graduate student, I loved it regularly. Back then, I drank with friends routinely. But most of us also value a life free from nagging temptation. What to do?

If you change the person's environment, you can break the connection between a potent cue, and an entrenched response. Change the environment in the right way, and you can break the bond between the bar and the bourbon, the corral and cussing, the oven and overeating.

It certainly worked on college students. A study by Wendy Wood and her colleagues looked at the habitual behaviors of transfer students as they moved to a new university. Their habits of exercising, reading the paper, and watching TV-even when strong-did not survive the transfer when the move destabilized or disrupted the living circumstances that supported their habits. The disruption in their behavioral surroundings apparently blocked automatic cues, which then required intention to carry the action through.

Before leaving for vacation one year, I removed the bourbon from the cabinet. When I returned, it was more than an arm's length away. And now that bars prohibit smoking, it is easy to stay away from cigarettes as well!

My example has modest beginnings, but the psychology of habit-change may carry unexpected and lucrative lessons for public policy. After all, so many costly behaviors stem from habits; maybe there is a general lesson to learn about the relation between situations and desires. Because people are most likely to break habits when they are in new environments, institutions (like local governments) can use similarly smart policies when people are moving to a new home, city, or job, when they are experiencing changes in their personal relationships, coping with the death of a loved one, or recovering from a serious illness. For example, it is a lot easier to convert new residents of a community into habitual users of public transit than long-time residents. And this is why some communities offer new residents free passes on public transportation.

In public health, for example, at least four of the leading health risks in the U.S. emerge from everyday repetition of action, eased by contingencies of the environment-substance abuse, obesity, tobacco use, and inadequate exercise. These ultimate costs of these health risks are enormous. Substance abuse alone in 2002 cost the U.S. over 180 billion dollars, and is increasing steeply. In that same year, medical expenditures for overweight- and obesity-attributable conditions were $92.6 billion dollars. Tobacco use is a similar bane. In the U.S. alone, excess medical expenditures owing to tobacco use averaged $75.5 billion dollars from 1995-1999, and if we add that to the death-related losses in productivity, the figure increases to over $150 billion dollars. Inadequate exercise, or "lack of leisure-time physical activity," as a habitual part of daily life, cost $24 billion in 1995. Its health effects amounted to about 2.4% of all U.S. health care expenditures. In today's dollars, these four habit-based health risks together amount to about one-half trillion dollars annually. And none of these costs is decreasing.

It's not that, among our faculties, intention is a weakling; it's just that habit is bigger, quicker, has a longer reach, and finishes strong. But policy is a patient, powerful, and healthy substitute for a weak will.

This article is by J.D. Trout Ph D and appeared in  Psychology Today.  You can read it here:- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-greater-good/200909/healthy-substitute-willpower

He is a professor of philosophy at the Loyola University of Chicago, and his book, The Empathy Gap: Building Bridges to the Good Life and the Good Society recently appeared with Viking/Penguin

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5 Disadvantages of Being Overweight!

There is a big difference between being healthy and being overweight, isn't there? But, sadly most people tend to ignore this difference when it comes to their daily eating habits. The result is that before you know it, you have tipped the weighing scale on the wrong side. Also, the worst part is that you may gain weight easily but losing it is quite a daunting task. As soon as the bulk adds on to the body, it surely affects your cosmetic appearance, doesn't it? However, being overweight goes beyond being just a cosmetic problem. You also end up being exposed to a variety of health risks because of the extra weight.

Here is a brief preview of the 5 major disadvantages of being overweight

Coronary problems: The heart is designed to pump blood in the entire body. But, as you gain weight, the excessive fat ends up being deposited in your arteries. Over a period of time, these deposits tend to harden and therefore interrupt the regular supply of blood in the arteries. As a result of this, your heart has to work overtime making it prone to several coronary disorders.

Diabetes: Being obese also affects the ability of the body to use the insulin properly. In simple terms, overweight people are more likely to have higher glucose levels in the body. This makes them diabetics. With progress of time, diabetes also affects the other organs of the body worsening the condition of the patient.

Infertility: For women, the tendency to become obese also affects their fertility. After all, excessive body weight tends to disturb the hormonal balance as well as the menstrual cycle. There have been several researches as well that have proved this fact.

High Blood pressure: If you think that adding a few pounds every year is not that bad for the body, you are grossly mistaken. Over the years, as these pounds add up they make you obese. Due to this obesity, your heart has to pump blood faster. Given this situation, you are most likely to fall prey to the high blood pressure disease.

Sleep Apnea: Obese people often find it difficult to breathe normally during their sleep. This is a typical condition arising from the excessive accumulation of fat around the neck that narrows the airway. In extreme cases, this inability to breathe can also choke the patient leading to his or her death.

The simplest solution to avoid these problems is to eat wisely, live healthy and exercise regularly!

To know more about weight loss clinic or lose weight, please check our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aman_Tumukur_Khanna

Fed Up Being Overweight

This is from Yahoo Answers.  Some great tips from a person called Kiri.  Thank you Kiri.

The question was:-

Fed up being overweight - struggle to change bad ways/old habits?

I am borderline between being overweight and obese for my height. 

I am really fed up with myself, but struggle to change my diet to eat healthier. I feel physically sick about what I have eaten today, and whilst I am not actually putting weight on (I have stayed at the same weight for about the last 12-18 months), I feel that if I was able to tweak my diet to eat a bit healthier, I might be able to slowly start shifting some of the weight. 

I don't mind home cooking all that much, but often find that I have little energy to start faffing about the kitchen after travelling the 50 mile round trip to work, with the 9-5 shift in between.

Any advice on how I can stop the junk food/change my lifetime habits for the better?

Update : For the record - I know what I need to do - i.e. cut out the junk food etc, I am looking for tips/advice on how to go about doing it - i.e. breaking the habits of a lifetime.


The answer was:-

I found all of these "tweaks" in my diet to work, and NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Meaning, i did one of these for a while and then noticed a change in weight, then got bored and switched to something else. 
The easiest for me... Drink an entire bottle of water right before every meal. It will make you feel full, faster, and then you will be less likely to over-eat. But that also means you need to stop eating when you are full. You ca't force yourself to keep eating because there is still food left on the plate. 

Replacements. 
1.I replaced my sodas with juices, teas, and especially water. 
2. I stopped eating chips and cookies and candy and replaced them with fruits and vegetables. You can still add sugar to fruits such as strawberries or raspberries in order to make them sweet like candy. 
3. Never drink milk. It is full of fat and sugars so it is really bad when trying to lose weight. Instead, eat cheese with saltines or fruit. 

Portions- 
Sometimes we will sit next to the computer or tv and munch on pretzels or chips and not even realize how much we ate until the bag is gone. Instead of bringing the whole bag to the computer, try taking a small zip lock bag of chips or pretzels, and only munching on that many. 

Useing smaller plates during meals will trick you into grabbing smaller portions. If you grab a small plate and fill it and then eat it all, before grabbing seconds. Stop, and think, "am i actually still HUNGRY, or am i just NOT FULL". It is not a good feeling to be really full, so stopping before you get to that point is actually not that hard. You just have to pay attention. 

If you go to the store and decide you are feeling some ice cream, do not buy the quarts they offer. Instead, just buy one or two servings. That way you will only eat it when you are craving it, and not eat when you just see it in the freezer and don;t think anything else is that appetizing. The same goes with chocolates and cookies. Don't buy enough cookies for an entire classroom of kids. Only get a small amount so you are less likely to eat so much. 
Fastfood- 
Now when trying to lose weight, you should ultimately just not eat fastfood. It does not even taste that great. It's the salts and MSG that gives us the cravings for more. However, even i just can't help but want some of those chemicals from time to time, so, when i DO go to the drivethrough, i order everything small. I never get a large fries or drink. I normally choose from the dollar menu. I think it is best if you replace the fries with their new fruit choices, but i don't do that. If i'm at a place that is meant to make me unhealthy, i'm gonna get the stuff that tastes better. 

Eating fish is very healthy for you, tastes great, and is not fattening. So when I am feeling like pigging out, i choose sushi. Also, if you like salad, you can have a bunch of it and it's still very good for you. 

Ultimately these all worked for me and i didn't really feel like i was missing out on anything. For quick improvements, there is the "no-carb" diet and the SERIOUS portion controls, but i hate those because they either leave me hungry or i feel like crap watching other people eating what i can't have. Good luck with the weight loss. Hope this helped a little 
You can read this infromation here:-
 https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100817123711AARbH2W