According to Stanford Healthcare treatment of obesity related problems in America costs over 150 Billion Dollars a year and leads to 300 000 preventable deaths. Serious health effects of being overweight or obese include:
- High blood pressure – Excess fat tissue in the body consumes vast amounts of oxygen and nutrients from the blood. This puts strain on the heart which has to pump all this extra blood. More blood also puts pressure on artery walls which leads to the increase in blood pressure. The extra weight also raises the heart rate and reduces the ability of the heart to transport blood through blood vessels.
- Diabetes – Obesity is the major cause of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes – the most common type – used to only begin in adulthood but because of overeating is now increasingly occurring in children. Obesity causes resistance to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Elevated blood sugar levels leads to diabetes which can reduce life expectancy by as much as 9 years!
- Heart disease – Hardening of the arteries (Atherosclerosis) is present 10 times more often in obese people. Also coronary artery disease is very prevalent caused by the buildup of fatty deposits within the arteries that supply the heart. this can lead to chest pain, angina, hear attacks and strokes.
- Osteoarthritis – Being overweight or obese puts too much stress on the joints of the knees and hips. Joint replacement surgery which can help people of healthy weight is not advised in the case of obese people because these artificial joints have a high chance of loosening and causing more damage due to the stress put on them by the excess weight.
- Respiratory problems – Obesity often causes sleep apnea which causes people to stop breathing for short periods whilst asleep.Sleep apnea, which causes people to stop breathing for brief periods, interrupts sleep throughout the night and causes sleepiness during the day. It also causes heavy snoring. Respiratory problems associated with obesity occur when added weight of the chest wall squeezes the lungs and causes restricted breathing. Sleep apnea is also associated with high blood pressure.
- Cancer – Overweight women have and increased risk of breast, colon, gallbladder and uterus cancer. Overweight men have an increased risk of colon and prostate cancer.
- Metabolic syndrome – this is the name for a complex of risk factors that can all lead to cardiovascular disease. They include: Abdominal obesity, elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, elevation of blood components that cause clotting and inflammation. One third of overweight or obese people exhibit metabolic syndrome.
What are the treatments for obesity?
The following is a summary of recommendations from the Mayo Clinic. The main goal should be to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Initially even modest weight loss will lead to improvement in health. For example if you weigh 91 Kg even losing between 3 to 5 Kg will make a difference. Treatment tools fall into the categories of dietary changes, exercise and activity, behaviour change, medication and surgery as well as natural herbal supplements.
Dietary changes:
In order to overcome obesity it is necessary to reduce your calorie intake and to make healthier dietary choices. It is best to take the approach of slowly and steadily losing weight as this is the most sustainable option. Avoid crash diets which are usually too drastic and difficult to continue over the long haul. You should plan to follow a comprehensive weight-loss program for at least 6 months and follow this with a maintenance program for at least another 6 months. Choose a diet that includes healthy food and that will work for you.
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Cutting calories. The most important factor is that you must reduce your calorie intake. You should start by working together with your doctor or dietitian to measure what your current calorie intake is and to see how you can best reduce this. A typical daily calorie intake whilst on a diet is between 1,200 and 1,500 for women and 1,500 to 1,800 for men.
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Feeling full on less. Avoid foods like desserts, sweets, fats and processed foods. These have a very high energy density which means small amounts will be very fattening. Rather eat more fruit and vegetables which have low energy densities. This will allow you to eat more and to feel full without putting on weight.
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Making healthier choices. Make sure that you get enough plant based foods such as fruits and vegetables and also whole grain carbohydrates. Choose lean sources of protein like beans, lentils, soy, lean meats, chicken and fish. Avoid salt and sugar as much as possible. Change to low-fat dairy products and make sure that if youdo eat fat they come from a healthy source such as olice, canola or nut oils.
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Restricting certain foods. Avoid high-carbohydrate and full-fat foods as much as possible. By eliminating sugar rich drinks such as Coke and even fruit juice you will immediately be able to significantly reduce your calorie intake
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Meal replacements. You can also replace one or two of your meals with a low-calorie shake or ‘meal bar’. And can even eat healthy low calorie snacks between meals. But make sure to combine this with a more complete and holistic diet plan in consultation with your doctor and dietitian.
Exercise and activity
Getting enough exercise is as important as making changes in your diet. You should be doing at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity a week in order to lose weight gradually or to keep at your healthy goal weight. If you need to lose weight more rapidly you should be doing double this amount of exercise but will have to build up to this level gradually as your fitness level improves. Other healthy choices you can make include parking further from the shops so you can walk more, do any household chores more energetically or work in the garden. Sports and hobbies such as hiking, tennis or golf are all excellent ways to lose weight.
Behavioral and psychological factors
You should look at your life holistically in order to discover what attitudes, habits and situations have contributed to you being overweight. If you suspect that there is an emotional component to your eating habits it is a good idea to look into some kind of therapy or counselling. People who are suffering from depression and or anxiety often start to eat more in order to get a quick fix, feel better and get a boost of energy. This is not sustainable or healthy and will end up doing more harm than good. You should also look into joining a support group or a weight loss program such as weight watchers in order to get the support and camaraderie from other people facing the same or similar challenges and working towards the same goals as you.
Medication and surgery
If you have consulted your doctor he or she may prescribe weight-loss medication. This will be in addition to a correct diet and exercise routine and not instead of them. Your doctor is more likely to do this if your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above or if you are suffering from weight sensitive medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea. Your doctor will also have to take into account side effects – many weight loss medicines can not be taken if you are pregnant or are suffering from chronic health conditions. Your doctor will have to monitor your progress closely if he does prescribe medication. You should also be aware that medication is just a temporary solution and there is a possibility that you will regain lost weight once you stop.
In more extreme cases of obesity weight-loss surgery (termed bariatric surgery) may be required. This option is more likely to be chosen if the other options mentioned above have not worked, your BMI is 40 or higher or weight related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes have developed to a dangerous extent. Even after weight loss surgery you will have to follow all of the dietary and lifestyle recommendations discussed so far in order to keep at a healthy weight. Common weight loss surgeries are gastric bypass surgery, laporoscopic adjustible gastric banding or biliopancreatic diversion. These are all very serious procedures and often involve the removal of part of your stomach.
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Enviga NatureSlim contains 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5HTP) that is extracted from Griffonia simplicifolia. This is a woody climbing shrub found only in certain parts of West and Central Africa. 5HTP is an amino acid that is metabolized into Serotonin by the body. By taking 5HTP your body is able to produce more Serotonin in the brain.
The serotonin takes away that constant feeling of needing to eat that is often connected to psychological and emotional factors such as depression and stress or just not feeling great. Doctor Oz has called 5HTP “The best natural appetite suppressant.”
Bariatric Doctor Denise Bruwer explains that 5HTP is a very safe agent traditionally used by doctors to treat obesity. She goes on to say that 5HTP “eliminates the cravings that can derail any diet”
You’re going to feel full, in a better mood and it’s really a tremendous aid in successful weight loss
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