Obesity is an epidemic in the U.S., affecting all age groups. Some Americans are overweight because of emotional eating problems.
read more | digg story
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Fat Kids: about responsibility
Reaction to story about obese child that may be removed from mother's custody.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Celebrity Weightloss Secrets Revealed
Nearly all movie stars, TV anchors, top models and singers look like gods. Perfect legs, slim waists, cool hairstyles, tanned bodies. They look effortlessly beautiful, but you should not be deceived by the appearances. Aside from a handful of people, all the rest have to work hard at it. Dieting and workouts are among the most important things in the life of a high-powered star. Because if they don’t look right, they don’t get contracts and they are soon out of the public minds and hearts. Such is life in Hollywood.
And just like any place where money and ambition meet, there are a lot of people trying to push this or that idea as the best thing since sliced bread, or something like that. And celebrities many do fall for this stuff, mainly because celebrities are just like the rest of us and have a hard time finding a diet that works. Since we are all a bit different from each other, there’s no single diet that works the same for everybody, which means that one has to try this or that eating plan in order to find which one is best. And the search can get a bit rough sometimes.
Famous model Claudia Schiffer, for instance, is not on any kind of diet. Naturally, she has tried a lot of them and has finally concluded that diets are messing with her metabolism and that she is better off sticking to a three meals per day plan. The meals are rich in vegetables and fruits, which are fast digested by the body, and she tried hard not to resort to snacks during meals. However, she does give in to temptation every now and then and eats a bit of chocolate or some other forbidden food. The crucial thing is not to give in to the temptation of eating a whole box of sweets.
Three meals per day rich in vegetables and fruits is also the cornerstone of Geri Halliwell’s eating plan. After going through excessive exercising and a long row of bizarre diets, Geri decided that enough is enough and turned to what she calls “sensible eating”. She is now part of the growing trend of celebrities that would rather have a nice set of curves to show than a skinny figure. So a bit of fat here and there is no longer a problem, which means that she can be less stressed about the whole dieting thing.
The same basic idea worked for TV presenter Claire Sweeney, who chose the Weight Watchers diet precisely because it let her eat foods that she likes and that other diets forbid. She had already gone through a detox plan, which she could not stick to, an Atkins diet that gave her a kidney infection and a dozen other dieting ideas. Weight Watchers worked for her better than anything else and so she’s still on the program.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been on a macrobiotic diet plan for years. She would not touch meat, eggs, dairy products and caffeine and stuck with it until her recent pregnancy. After giving birth to her daughter, Apple, Gwyneth returned to her eating plan, but she says she is not as strict as she once was. While still avoiding foods that drain her energy, the actress has found that a relaxed attitude is better than looking like a bean pole.
It seems that the stick figure is slowly going out of style after the excesses of the ‘90s. More and more stars find that maintaining a healthy balance between their cravings and their image is better than denying themselves every pleasure in order to reach an unreasonable beauty standard. And it turns out that this is not a bad approach at all.
And just like any place where money and ambition meet, there are a lot of people trying to push this or that idea as the best thing since sliced bread, or something like that. And celebrities many do fall for this stuff, mainly because celebrities are just like the rest of us and have a hard time finding a diet that works. Since we are all a bit different from each other, there’s no single diet that works the same for everybody, which means that one has to try this or that eating plan in order to find which one is best. And the search can get a bit rough sometimes.
Famous model Claudia Schiffer, for instance, is not on any kind of diet. Naturally, she has tried a lot of them and has finally concluded that diets are messing with her metabolism and that she is better off sticking to a three meals per day plan. The meals are rich in vegetables and fruits, which are fast digested by the body, and she tried hard not to resort to snacks during meals. However, she does give in to temptation every now and then and eats a bit of chocolate or some other forbidden food. The crucial thing is not to give in to the temptation of eating a whole box of sweets.
Three meals per day rich in vegetables and fruits is also the cornerstone of Geri Halliwell’s eating plan. After going through excessive exercising and a long row of bizarre diets, Geri decided that enough is enough and turned to what she calls “sensible eating”. She is now part of the growing trend of celebrities that would rather have a nice set of curves to show than a skinny figure. So a bit of fat here and there is no longer a problem, which means that she can be less stressed about the whole dieting thing.
The same basic idea worked for TV presenter Claire Sweeney, who chose the Weight Watchers diet precisely because it let her eat foods that she likes and that other diets forbid. She had already gone through a detox plan, which she could not stick to, an Atkins diet that gave her a kidney infection and a dozen other dieting ideas. Weight Watchers worked for her better than anything else and so she’s still on the program.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been on a macrobiotic diet plan for years. She would not touch meat, eggs, dairy products and caffeine and stuck with it until her recent pregnancy. After giving birth to her daughter, Apple, Gwyneth returned to her eating plan, but she says she is not as strict as she once was. While still avoiding foods that drain her energy, the actress has found that a relaxed attitude is better than looking like a bean pole.
It seems that the stick figure is slowly going out of style after the excesses of the ‘90s. More and more stars find that maintaining a healthy balance between their cravings and their image is better than denying themselves every pleasure in order to reach an unreasonable beauty standard. And it turns out that this is not a bad approach at all.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Losing weight. OK. but how do I start?
Some people find it hard to stick to diets and consistently fail to lose weight. They try nearly every kind of new dieting idea that comes along hoping that one of them would finally work, but the miracle never happens. Naturally, these people tend to overlook their own mistakes and fail to understand what prevents them from losing weight. The human brain displays a remarkable ability of ignoring the things it does not want to face, so it’s not hard to understand why some people eat all manner of things and still claim they haven’t touched anything but salad for a whole week.
But there are ways of working around these problems and if you don’t want to become one of these people, then you should stick to these pointers. Their purpose is to make eating a conscious act in order to avoid giving in to compulsions and temptations. The easiest thing to do is to carry around a notebook and a pen and to write down everything you eat. And I mean every little thing. Have you finished that half a slice of pizza that your partner couldn’t eat anymore? Write it down. At the end of the day look over the list and you’ll be surprised at how many things you actually eat on a regular basis.
Since eating and drinking are, for the most part, acts that bypass rational thinking you should try to bring them out of the twilight zone. So every time you reach out for a drink or some food, stop and ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You may be thirsty, hungry, bored, lonely, depressed, tired or stressed, but out of this list of reasons only thirst and hunger are legitimate. Put the bottle down if you’re not thirsty. Put the food back on the shelf or on the table if you’re not hungry. Do you crave sweets because you’re tired? Get some sleep instead. Do you feel the need to eat because you’re lonely and depressed? Go to the cinema or visit a friend. Read a book, watch a movie or listen to some music. There are options.
Never starve yourself. This is one of the big mistakes in dieting. Unless you have enough willpower to qualify for Nietzsche’s Overman status you will break down sooner or later and eat the first thing that you can get your hands on. Such as snacks or fast food. Starvation also makes the body go into power save mode by limiting your energy levels and hanging on to the existing fat. The body makes no difference between dieting and actual starvation and will behave as if in danger. Therefore you must eat three meals a day, plus snacks consisting of fruit and vegetables. This is the best way to lose weight.
Don’t try to banish your favorite foods completely because you will only sap your own willingness to stick to a diet. The key to dieting is moderation, not denial. Do you like ice cream? Well, have a couple of spoonfuls of ice cream every Sunday. Take a break from whatever it is you’re doing and enjoy this special treat. Don’t feel like you’re cheating on the diet and keep any guilt pangs away. You’re just dieting, not preparing for admission to a convent or monastery. So have a bit of forbidden food every five days or so and enjoy the moment.
And, of course, you must exercise. If you’re not used to exercising and are a bit scared of all the effort and sweating, then start small. There’s no need to rush into hour-long training sessions. Five minutes per day will do for starters. Get a treadmill and a pair of dumbbells and make your own schedule. Two minutes and a half of running and two minutes and half of curls. Every week increase the time spent exercising by another five minutes and add new exercises. Your goal should be to spend at least 30 minutes every day working out your body. Sixty minutes is even better, but it will come in time. It’s OK to start small.
But there are ways of working around these problems and if you don’t want to become one of these people, then you should stick to these pointers. Their purpose is to make eating a conscious act in order to avoid giving in to compulsions and temptations. The easiest thing to do is to carry around a notebook and a pen and to write down everything you eat. And I mean every little thing. Have you finished that half a slice of pizza that your partner couldn’t eat anymore? Write it down. At the end of the day look over the list and you’ll be surprised at how many things you actually eat on a regular basis.
Since eating and drinking are, for the most part, acts that bypass rational thinking you should try to bring them out of the twilight zone. So every time you reach out for a drink or some food, stop and ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You may be thirsty, hungry, bored, lonely, depressed, tired or stressed, but out of this list of reasons only thirst and hunger are legitimate. Put the bottle down if you’re not thirsty. Put the food back on the shelf or on the table if you’re not hungry. Do you crave sweets because you’re tired? Get some sleep instead. Do you feel the need to eat because you’re lonely and depressed? Go to the cinema or visit a friend. Read a book, watch a movie or listen to some music. There are options.
Never starve yourself. This is one of the big mistakes in dieting. Unless you have enough willpower to qualify for Nietzsche’s Overman status you will break down sooner or later and eat the first thing that you can get your hands on. Such as snacks or fast food. Starvation also makes the body go into power save mode by limiting your energy levels and hanging on to the existing fat. The body makes no difference between dieting and actual starvation and will behave as if in danger. Therefore you must eat three meals a day, plus snacks consisting of fruit and vegetables. This is the best way to lose weight.
Don’t try to banish your favorite foods completely because you will only sap your own willingness to stick to a diet. The key to dieting is moderation, not denial. Do you like ice cream? Well, have a couple of spoonfuls of ice cream every Sunday. Take a break from whatever it is you’re doing and enjoy this special treat. Don’t feel like you’re cheating on the diet and keep any guilt pangs away. You’re just dieting, not preparing for admission to a convent or monastery. So have a bit of forbidden food every five days or so and enjoy the moment.
And, of course, you must exercise. If you’re not used to exercising and are a bit scared of all the effort and sweating, then start small. There’s no need to rush into hour-long training sessions. Five minutes per day will do for starters. Get a treadmill and a pair of dumbbells and make your own schedule. Two minutes and a half of running and two minutes and half of curls. Every week increase the time spent exercising by another five minutes and add new exercises. Your goal should be to spend at least 30 minutes every day working out your body. Sixty minutes is even better, but it will come in time. It’s OK to start small.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Fighting (and winning) fat
Dealing with being overweight or obese and the consequences of these conditions is a daily nightmare for some people. Many people are overweight because of their own lifestyle choices. Others have ended up with a lot of extra weight through no fault of their own. These people have to face everyday the prejudices of others and to live in a world that doesn’t always take kindly to them. An overweight man is funny on a good day. An overweight woman is not even that. This is the sad reality some of us have to face at great personal cost.
Self-image and self-esteem depends largely on how other people see us and it takes a lot of egotism or willpower not to care about the opinions of others. And the bigger you are the harder it gets. People staring wherever you go and having to listen to all sorts of bad jokes and insults is a surefire way of lowering your self-esteem and triggering a self-destructing circle. Obese people prefer to stay in-doors and avoid moving about much, which leads to even more weight gained from lack of exercise, which leads to less exercise and so on. People whose self-esteem is low find it very hard to motivate themselves to improve their lives.
Relationships are hard to handle for overweight people. Sex becomes awkward, especially for a self-conscious person who doesn’t enjoy being naked. The extra weight makes sustained effort quite hard to perform and heavy sweating is not sexy. Unfortunately, the shape of an overweight person is not sexy either and most overweight people are hard pressed to find sex partners who don’t mind their shortcomings. The fact that overweight people don’t go out much makes finding partners even harder, which is why many simply give up and reach out for more sweets to stave off depression.
One of the best ways to deal with obesity is to help motivate yourself. Outside support is crucial because obese people are especially prone to taking the easy way and eating more than they should. A little flexibility also counts. Food addiction is next door to drug addiction and less food means less glucose triggering endorphins in the brain. This, in turn, means that a person who used to feel quite content is suddenly faced not only with depression, but also with the perspective of a lifelong depression. And that is bound to be harsh on anybody.
Getting fat is easy, shedding all that extra weight is not. Fighting fat is a struggle every step of the way and one needs to be strong and also to have the emotional support of a loving circle of relatives and friends. Being able to rely on others to help you through the worst parts of a diet is almost half the battle. Especially since after the diet comes a lifetime of less food and more exercise. This may sound a bit scary to the average overweight person, but you must remember that looking into the mirror or walking down the street won’t be a nightmare anymore.
Self-image and self-esteem depends largely on how other people see us and it takes a lot of egotism or willpower not to care about the opinions of others. And the bigger you are the harder it gets. People staring wherever you go and having to listen to all sorts of bad jokes and insults is a surefire way of lowering your self-esteem and triggering a self-destructing circle. Obese people prefer to stay in-doors and avoid moving about much, which leads to even more weight gained from lack of exercise, which leads to less exercise and so on. People whose self-esteem is low find it very hard to motivate themselves to improve their lives.
Relationships are hard to handle for overweight people. Sex becomes awkward, especially for a self-conscious person who doesn’t enjoy being naked. The extra weight makes sustained effort quite hard to perform and heavy sweating is not sexy. Unfortunately, the shape of an overweight person is not sexy either and most overweight people are hard pressed to find sex partners who don’t mind their shortcomings. The fact that overweight people don’t go out much makes finding partners even harder, which is why many simply give up and reach out for more sweets to stave off depression.
One of the best ways to deal with obesity is to help motivate yourself. Outside support is crucial because obese people are especially prone to taking the easy way and eating more than they should. A little flexibility also counts. Food addiction is next door to drug addiction and less food means less glucose triggering endorphins in the brain. This, in turn, means that a person who used to feel quite content is suddenly faced not only with depression, but also with the perspective of a lifelong depression. And that is bound to be harsh on anybody.
Getting fat is easy, shedding all that extra weight is not. Fighting fat is a struggle every step of the way and one needs to be strong and also to have the emotional support of a loving circle of relatives and friends. Being able to rely on others to help you through the worst parts of a diet is almost half the battle. Especially since after the diet comes a lifetime of less food and more exercise. This may sound a bit scary to the average overweight person, but you must remember that looking into the mirror or walking down the street won’t be a nightmare anymore.
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