1. Obesity Defined
You've just been told that not only are you overweight, but you are clinically obese. Adding insult to injury, your physician explained the many health risks of obesity in detail. An excess of 20 to 30 pounds is considered medically obese. As much as we would like to attribute it to genetics or medical conditions, these are rarely the culprits. Obesity is a matter of caloric intake exceeding your body's energy demands.
2. Increasing Risks
Whereas the cosmetic effects of obesity are obvious, the internal damage is usually silent. A throwback to our prehistoric relatives, calories consumed in excess are automatically stored as fat for future use. These fat deposits land in your arteries as well as your buttocks. Your health risks increase proportionally to the percentage of excess body fat you have. The risks of stroke, high blood pressure and heart attack are doubled when you are obese. Alongside the cardiac effects, an overweight adult also faces diabetes and bone and joint stress. Our ligaments and smooth muscles are not up to the challenge of supporting excesses of weight. Prolonged obesity can lead to arthritis, joint replacements and other irreversible damage.
3. Practice Moderation for Weight Loss
Proper diet is all about portion control. Don't starve or deprive yourself of the foods you love. The diet that promises you will continue to eat all of your favorite foods and still lose weight is essentially charging you obscene amounts of money to learn this lesson. Buy a food scale and read the label on your favorite pasta and discover the size of an actual portion. I bet you will be surprised! A general decrease of your caloric intake will lead you to weight loss. However, try to be patient. A deal that promises rapid weight loss of ten pounds weekly is not a healthful choice and can lead to other health risks as well as the ones you currently face.
4. Get Up and Out
Increased exercise and elimination of a sedentary lifestyle is the only way those obesity health risks are going to disappear. Certain regiments may be out, such as jogging or weight training. Start by thinking in terms of cardiac health and fitness. Slowly increase your cardiac ability by walking, biking or swimming. Set a schedule you will adhere to, by forming short-term goals and a positive thought process. For example, "This week I will walk one half of a mile three times". You may be tired and sore initially, but it will not take long for your body to recognize the change.
5. Call in Support
The more people you involve in your new lifestyle, the less likely you will be to abandon it. If you are morbidly obese or have greater than thirty percent body fat, you should consult your physician prior to the initiation of any weight-loss program. Rapid weight fluctuations add to the health risks of obesity and are just plain dangerous. When needed, consult with nutritionists, personal trainers and physicians who specialize in obesity to assist you.
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