Eating more calories than your body can burn and not getting enough physical activity makes obesity worse. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, one in three adults in the United States is obese. Obesity puts you in a high-risk category for many health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and cancer. A lower socioeconomic status, sedentary lifestyle, changes in diet and increased consumption of calories are factors leading to obesity.
Warning
Loosing just 10 percent of your weight can help control complications brought on by obesity. Check with a health-care provider before starting a weight loss program. This is to ensure that you are healthy enough to start a life change. Stay away from extremely low-calorie diets. They are unhealthy and cause weight gain. The metabolism crashes when there are not enough calories to keep it fired up. This can cause the body to hoard fat and add weight. The best strategy to lose weight is through a lifestyle change.
Diet
Eat more fruits and vegetables. They fill you up without giving you excessive calories. Reduce your fat intake by choosing low-fat dairy products. Substitute fish for high-fat meats at least twice a week. Do not fry your chicken; bake and grill it instead. Increase your fiber intake by replacing white bread, cereal and pastas with whole-grain products. Eliminate simple carbohydrates such as sugar, cookies and other sweets. Replace high-calorie sodas and fruit juice with water, club soda and diet soda. Limit your alcohol consumption to one drink a day. When you eat out, get the small meal not the large one. Read your food label to find low-fat foods.
High Fiber
Consume 40 to 50 grams of fiber daily. Your ideal source of fiber is vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Apples contain 3.5 grams of fiber and are an excellent choice. One potato or one-half cup of carrots has 2.5 grams. A slice of whole-wheat toast has 1.5 grams. Food is the best source, but fiber supplements can help you get your daily requirement. Take 1 to 2 tbsp. of psyllium before each meal. Psyllium is shredded plant husks marketed under brand names like Metamucil. It is commonly used as a laxative, but it can be used to curb a rampant appetite. Make sure you drink two or three 8 oz glasses of water with psyllium. Psyllium swells in the digestive tract, filling the space. It helps to trigger a full feeling. The key to using fiber supplements is to drink plenty of water. If you are dehydrated, psyllium can turn into digestive tract blockages.
Exercise
Most of the time dieting alone is not enough of a life change to lose all of your excess weight. Increasing physical activity helps you burn calories and control food intake. Spend 60 to 90 minutes a day doing some type of physical activity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk short distances instead taking the car and dance while you vacuum the floor in order to start moving. Exercising is better if you choose something that you enjoy doing. It can be swimming, walking or hiking, but it needs to be some type of physical activity.
Other Treatments
Behavior therapy is effective because it is designed to change your eating behaviors. Hypnotherapy and relaxation therapy can help especially if you tend to eat when stressed. Medications such as sibutramine can suppress the appetite , but they cause high blood pressure and increase your pulse rate. Lipase inhibitors block fat absorption, but tend to cause gastrointestinal side effects.
