Introduction

The unvarnished truth is:  there are at least 4 generations of adults, who are facing an early grave – and taking their children with them – because they are overweight or obese!

 And, for most of them, death will be preceded by an extended period of suffering brought on by Diabetes, Coronary Disease, Heart Attack, Stroke, Failing Joints and/or Cancer.

 Discussion

“The U.S. could be facing its first sustained drop in life expectancy in the modern era,  . . . but this decline is not inevitable if Americans — particularly younger ones — trim their waistlines or if other improvements outweigh the impact of obesity.” (The New England Journal of Medicine, March 17, 2005.)

 The authors report that, unless steps are taken to curb excessive weight gain, younger Americans will likely face a greater risk of mortality throughout life than previous generations.

 “Over the next few decades, life expectancy for the average American could decline  . . . unless aggressive efforts are made to slow rising rates of obesity.” according to a team of scientists supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

 “This work paints a disturbing portrait of the potential effect that life styles of baby boomers and the next generation could have on life expectancy,” reports Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., Associate Director of the NIA for Behavioral and Social Research.

 Indeed, Suzman notes, obesity may already have had an effect. The sharp increase of obesity among people now in their 60s, he suggests, may be one explanation why the gains in U.S. life expectancy at older ages have been less than those of other developed countries in recent years.

 According to the NEJM report, studies suggest that two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.  One study cited by the authors indicates that the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults has increased about 50 percent per decade since 1980.

 Additional research has shown that people who are severely obese live up to 20 years less than people who are not overweight. Some researchers have estimated that obesity causes about 300,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.

 In addition, obesity is fueling an epidemic of type 2 Diabetes (which also reduces people’s lifespan.)

 “These trends suggest that the relative influence of obesity on the life expectancy of future generations could be markedly worse than it is for current generations,” Olshansky and the authors conclude in their report.

 “In other words, the life-shortening effect of obesity could continue to rise … in the coming decades, as the people who are now at younger ages carry their elevated risk of death associated with being overweight or obese, into middle and older ages.”¹

People, who are overweight, or obese, should not need another lecture.

What they need is a reliable, affordable way to lose weight.

 Here it is … “To change the way things are, you change the things you do.”

 Treat Your Body With Respect:

 Eat three meals each day

• Eat breakfast - and make sure it is nutritious not something you pick up on the way to work!
• Eat copious quantities of vegetables (5 –7 baseball-sized servings, differently colored)
• Reduce meat consumption to about the size of a deck of cards – once a day – red meat once a week.
• Reduce snacks – between meals and at work-breaks.  Eliminate them completely, once you have overcome your addiction.  The University of Michigan, Integrative Medicine Department explains why.

Rule to Live By:  If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it.

 Exercise moderately for about 10 minutes each, morning and night.  Walking is hard to beat!

 Get Organized

• Multitasking means you are doing several things, at the same time, poorly.
• Leave your problems at home.
• Leave your work at work.
• Go to sleep at a reasonable hour.

 Grow Up

• Find the discipline to change your ways.

Rule to Live by:  You’re the culprit – not a victim

• Stop teaching your kids the same mistakes.

Rule to Live By:  If you don’t buy it, they can’t eat it.

Fix What You Have Broken

People who are overweight, or obese, manifest some or all of the following situations:

• Malnutrition
• Mineral Deficiency
• Irregular Bathroom Habits
• Suppressed Metabolism manifesting as lack of energy and/or irregular sleep with diminished cellular regeneration and detoxification.

This is precisely where dietary supplements fit the equations for losing weight.  And don’t scrimp!  That fancy coffee you used to drink every morning costs $6.00 – simply reinvest that money for something that will benefit you instead of the coffee house.

The objectives are:

• Fill your body with as much basic nutrition as possible to make up for the years of neglect so your body can begin healing itself.
• Eliminate the accumulated debris inside your intestinal tract and the toxins inside your body.  These are the barriers for healing and the source of frustration when it seems your weight loss program isn’t working.
• Support the two metabolisms, catabolic (daytime) and anabolic (nighttime) that power your body.

Conclusion

The issues of being overweight or obese have been studied and talked about ad nauseam.  All the warnings, contained in thousands of reports, Government programs and even prohibitions, whether national, local or in your child’s school are doomed to fail.   Why – because no one personalizes the issue.

You look at a kid who is overweight eating a snack, and see a fat kid whose parents should be doing something.  You look at your own child, in the same circumstance, and see “big bones” and deserving of a treat.  Or, you see a “muffin top”, in unsightly cloths and shake your head.  You see yourself as full figured or barrel-chested.

You make excuses for your decisions:  something quick, something easy, something nice, a nice treat, something, something, something.

Then, if you do decide to take responsibility for the mess you’ve made, you choose a short-term “fix” that once you stop:  starving yourself, exercising to extreme, weighing in, taking shots, popping pills, etc. puts you right back where you started – except your wallet is lighter.

It is your life – it is your choice.  If you want to change the way things are you must change the things you do – forever.

Implement the “Do as I do” rule.  Concern yourself with you, then move on to your spouse, then to your kids.

Stop making excuses – start taking action.  

 NUPRO has developed a weight loss center for on-line guidance and comprehensive weight management programs that many people find helpful for the quest to feel good and look great.

 ¹(Olshansky SJ, Passaro DJ, Hershow RC, Layden J, Carnes BA, Brody J, Hayflick L, Butler RN, Allison DB, and Ludwig DS, “A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century,” New England Journal of Medicine, 352:11, pp. 1138-1145)

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Managing Weight is Simple - Just Not Easy.

If it were, everyone would be thin.

Since we are not, here are some tips that successful people use to lose weight. Feel free to share them with others so they can benefit, too.

Your desire to become the person you’ve only imagined and a weight management supplement may be the catalyst for helping you achieve your long-term weight management goals.

SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

TIP NO. 1: TAKE A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT DIETARY SUPPLEMENT.
Used with common sense exercise and moderate changes in your diet, weight management supplements are an indispensible part of any weight management program.  Choose good quality weight management products, kits or program to help you achieve your weight management objectives.

TIP NO. 2: DRINK 8-10 GLASSES OF WATER EACH DAY
To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in the morning first thing, before you eat.

This is probably the easiest, and the healthiest glass you will drink all day and it will help you remember to drink water all day long.

For some people, this is a problem because water doesn’t really “taste” like anything. Drinking water 8 to 10 times each day gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply a matter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, so that it becomes easier to do.  Once you get started, you will begin to crave water.

If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using a water purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a few drops of lemon or lime juice to your water – but no sugar or sweetener! Ice also helps.

TIP NO. 3: EAT BREAKFAST
Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning – do it!

Breakfast is so important to your good health and to weight control because it increases metabolism – your body’s fat burning mechanism.   This recipe for The Perfect Breakfast is, well, perfect.

And, it will help you stay on track the rest of the day. You are more likely to binge on something sweet and in the “bread” group if you skip breakfast. You can always keep a couple of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge or some high-fiber, low starch fruit around.

TIP NO. 4: EAT AT LEAST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS EACH DAY
Eating more meals to lose weight sounds wrong, doesn’t it!  Eating more often will increase your metabolism … just like eating breakfast.

Eating regularly also helps you curb your bad carbohydrate intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur at regular intervals throughout the day.

It takes a minimal investment of planning time at the grocery store and at home each morning before you head out for the day to make some healthy food choices and prepare a few healthy snacks and meals.

Confused about what meals you can prepare? Tanya Willis’ recipes for 10 healthy meals is a great start – and preparing and eating healthy meals saves you money.

TIP NO. 5: EAT SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD
You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the time to savor your food and chew it slower.

Don’t get in the habit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit down and chew. Eating slower will help you enjoy your food more, pay attention to what it is you are actually eating and get a better sense of when you are actually full.

TIP NO. 6: EAT MORE PRODUCE
If the only vegetable you have eaten in the last 5 years has been the potato, now is a good time to begin experimenting with other vegetables.

Eating lots of low-calorie, high-volume, high-nutrient vegetables and fruits crowds out other foods that are higher in sugar, fat and calories.

Move the meat off the center of your plate and pile on the vegetables. Try starting lunch or dinner with a vegetable salad (not a lettuce salad) or bowl of broth-based soup. The U.S. government’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines suggest that adults get 7-13 cups of produce daily.

Stock your kitchen with plenty of fruits and vegetables – include a few servings at every meal and snack.

Confused about what to buy at the supermarket? Harvard University School of Public Health can help – and eating healthy saves you money.

TIP NO. 7: CLOSE THE KITCHEN AT NIGHT
Establish a time when you will stop eating so you won’t give in to the late-night munchies or mindless snacking while watching television.

Have a cup of tea, suck on one piece of hard candy if you want something sweet after dinner, but then brush your teeth so you will be less likely to eat or drink anything else.

TIP NO. 8: AVOID WHITE FOODS
This is one easy way to remember what not to eat. If it is made from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn – just say no. Remembering this rule of thumb will make it easier to recognize those rice cakes as an unhealthy high-carbohydrate snack.

Always look for colorful fruits and veggies to substitute for the white ones. Buy broccoli, bell peppers, green beans and peas, brown rice in moderation, leafy greens like kale and spinach, apples, melons, oranges and grapes. These foods are not only colorful they are also high in fiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eating colorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet variety as well as give you added health benefits.

TIP NO. 9: GO FOR WHOLE GRAIN
By substituting whole grains for refined grains like white bread, cakes, cookies and pretzels, you add much-needed fiber and will fill up faster so you’re more likely to eat a reasonable portion. Choose whole-wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, bran flakes, popcorn and whole-rye crackers.

TIP NO. 10: ADD MORE STEPS
Get yourself a pedometer and gradually add more steps until you reach 10,000 per day.

Throughout the day, do whatever you can to be more active — pace while you talk on the phone, take the dog out for an extra walk and march in place during television commercials. Having a pedometer serves as a constant motivator and reminder.

TIP NO. 11: TRIM PORTIONS
If you did nothing else but reduce your portions by 10% – 20%, you would lose weight.

Most of the portions served both in restaurants and at home are bigger than you need. Pull out the measuring cups to get a handle on your usual portion sizes, and work on paring them down.

Get instant portion control by using smaller bowls, plates and cups, because the food will look plentiful on dainty dishware.

TIP NO. 12: CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT
If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it!

Controlling your environment includes everything from stocking your kitchen with lots of healthy options to choosing the right restaurants. That means avoiding temptation by staying away from all-you-can-eat restaurants.

And when it comes to parties, eat a healthy snack before so you won’t be starving and be selective at the buffet. Before going back for more food, wait at least 15 minutes and have a big glass of water.

TIP NO. 13: 3-6′s, 2-9′s or 1-18
If you aren’t eliminating wastes, everyday, you are storing it – and those pounds of stored waste add up faster than you think.  There are estimates that people are storing 10, 20 and even more pounds of waste.

Choose a supplement to promote and support regularity.

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People are pouring over labels to search out the amount of sugar that is in the products they are purchasing, and ultimately consuming, because it is common knowledge that “Sugar is bad for you.”

When you read sugar on a label, it generally refers to a sweet flavored food additive that is a simple carbohydrate such as sucrose (which primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet).  Other simple carbohydrates are used in industrial food preparation, but are usually known by more specific names—glucose, fructose or fruit sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

What most people don’t know is that the term “sugar” is more than table sugar and various syrups.

Sugar is actually a biochemical term, derived from a more complex term, saccharide, that is a synonym for carbohydrates.

Where the the confusion starts is:  when experts utter the term “sugar” they, for the most part, are talking about all carbohydrates (saccharides) – foods that are particularly rich in starch (such as cereals, bread and pasta) and/or sugar (such as soft drinks, candy, jams and desserts).

For dietary purposes, carbohydrates can be classified as simple or complex.  The term complex carbohydrate denoted fruit, vegetables (that grow above ground) and whole-grains.  This excludes such sources of simple carbohydrates such as candy and sugary drinks; starches such as processed grains, flour and convenience, packaged grain products and vegetables that grow underground.

Simple carbohydrates are not essential nutrients in humans: the body can obtain all its energy from protein and healthy fats.  Simple carbohydrate provide 4  kilocalories per gram, but because they are absorbed quickly, contribute to spikes in blood sugar and, when needed, a spike in energy.

On the other hand, proteins also contain 4 kilocalorie per gram, while fat 9 kilocalories per gram and, because they require digestion to release their energy, provide a more regulated source of glucose (blood sugar) for energy.*

Complex carbohydrates, which are absorbed more slowly, perform numerous roles in living things including: storage of energy, structural components , coenzymes and as a component of DNA. Saccharides and their derivatives include many other key roles in the immune system, fertilization, cellular protection, repair and regeneration, blood clotting, and development.

Based on the effects on risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular issues and others, attributable to simple carbohydrates, the Institute of Medicine recommends that American and Canadian adults get between 45–65% of dietary energy from complex carbohydrates.

The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization jointly recommend that national dietary guidelines set a goal of 55–75% of total energy from carbohydrates, but only 10% directly from sugars (their term for simple carbohydrates).

The long and short of the issue of sugar (carbohydrates) is:  glucose is glucose.  Too much, delivered too fast is not good.  Choosing diverse dietary sources of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, all of which require digestive action, will support the energy requirements of your body in more healthy way.   

Attention to detail, good judgement and balance are the pillars that support your health.

How Healthy are You?  Take the FREE health test.

*  The glycemic index and glycemic load concepts have been developed to characterize food behavior during human digestion. They rank carbohydrate-rich foods based on the rapidity of their effect on blood glucose levels.   Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly food glucose is absorbed, while glycemic load is a measure of the total absorbable glucose in foods.  The insulin index is a similar, more recent classification method that ranks foods based on their effects on blood insulin levels, which are caused by glucose (or starch) and some amino acids in food.

Are you considering starting a weight management program?  Learn More:

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Those of you who are trying to realize your New Year resolution to lose weight are, in all likelihood, frustrated.  The fact is:  metabolism is turned down every fall; it is restored every spring.  Overwhelming this cycle is not very likely. 

Take heart!  Spring is just around the corner.

Children, all over the U.S., will soon be repeating a simple poem:
Spring has sprung, the grass has riz,
I wonder where the flowers is?

Plants will be budding, putting on leaves with blossoms springing toward the sun.  Animals will be awakening from their winter doldrums, or their hibernation, to welcome the return of the season of plenty.

It is the cycle of all living things on Earth; it is basic survival and, it is a testament to the adaptability of life on Earth.

Even though people live in modern homes, with central heat, abundant food and water, this natural cycle exerts the same, unavoidable impact on the human body.

There are a few steps you can take can assure you that your metabolism will come roaring back when it is time.

Are you 3 – 6’s, 2 – 9’s or 1 – 18?
It’s time for a spring-cleaning.  Your bowels should move at least once every day – preferably after each meal (3 –  six inch cigar-shaped.)  Even then, it is a good idea to clean up any residual wastes from the winter diet.  Supplements are especially effective in that regard so, choose an effective supplement to refresh your bowels.

Are you suffering a hangover from the holiday goodies and/or craving carbs, sugar and starches?
They, and most other winter foods, are notoriously short of trace minerals. Often referred to as “The Currency of Life”, trace minerals deficiencies have been known to contribute to a listless feeling, cravings and constant hunger.  Once again, the fastest way to address the issue is with a full-spectrum trace mineral supplement until fresh, mature vegetables are readily available.  By the way, if you are a vegetable-hater, you should consider trace mineral supplementation year-round.

Feed your Metabolism.
The 3 Day Diet, once attributed to the Cleveland Clinic, has been around for a long time.  None-the-less, it is still an effective way to feed your metabolism.  Follow the instructions, wait a week to repeat the diet. Two cycles is usually sufficient to jump start metabolism.

If you have packed on more than a few pounds, weight management supplements are in order.
However, caution in order, too.  Some weight loss supplements rely on stimulants to “spike” wake-time metabolism.  Advertisements for these types of supplements often emphasize energy as their most notable characteristic.  The tendency to consume more than enough sweets, bread and pasta, starchy vegetables, and caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks) may already be taxing metabolic functions.  Adding another source of stimulants may not be the best idea.

A better choice may be weight management supplements formulated to support metabolic function while managing appetite, cravings and alertness.  While you won’t get the “buzz”, you won’t be anxious and/or jittery either.

Feed your body.
While it seems counter-intuitive, you must eat to lose weight.  Starvation and low-calorie dieting send a signal to your body that food is in short supply so it goes into survival mode – protecting fat and reducing metabolism. 

What you are consuming is the issue.
Before you put something in your mouth, ask yourself one simple question:  “Is this going to feed my body something it needs?”  If the answer is no, don’t eat it.  You already know the answer when you consume junk, packaged, comfort and fast food, so don’t eat them. 

Eat, eat, eat.
Eat breakfast, eat vegetables for lunch, eat a healthy supper early.  You should eat a baseball sized apple or pear for mid-morning and afternoon snacks. (Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or a dash of lime juice for variety.)   Here are 10 healthy, easy to fix recipes.

Drink water to help flush away the byproducts of burning fat – at least 8 – 8 ounces glasses each day.

Lose it and keep it off!
Besides appearance, losing weight is a healthy choice.  Researchers have shown, time and time again, that maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your chances of enduring many of the health issues that are confronting others.

Would you care to know how healthy you are?  Take the test.

Editor’s Note:  Rather than the prevalent “miracle in a bottle” paradigm, we believe maintaining health is a life-style. We have developed a strategy that promotes and maintains health.  You can review our work at the Natural Health Consulting Center at NURPO.

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