Beating Obesity

Beating Obesity - We want to help in your desire for beating obesity

Obesity is a disease that affects approximately 60 million people in the United States, and women are especially affected. This makes the goal of beating obesity a shared and common goal for many folks. Over one-third of women between the ages of 20 and 74 are obese, the majority of them being African American or Mexican American. With more and more pre-packaged food and less and less activity, the number of obese people in America has steadily increased since the 1960's making the task of beating obesity difficult for anyone that is overweight.

But what is obesity? Many people think obesity means that a person is overweight, but that's not exactly true. Not knowing the proper definition only makes it that much tougher in your goal of beating obesity. An overweight person has a surplus amount of weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. An obese person has a surplus of body fat. Most health professionals concur that a man is obese if he has over 25 percent body fat, and a woman is obese if she has over 30 percent. Women physiologically have more body fat than men, so that why there's a difference in percentage. However the same techniques can be used by both males and females in beating obesity.

It is difficult to determine the exact percentage of body fat a person has, but estimates can be made in a number of ways. First, using a tweezer-like tool called a caliper, you can measure the thickness of skin folds on different points of your body and compare the results with standardized numbers. You can also use a small device that sends a harmless electrical current through your body and measures your body fat percentage. The most commonly used method to determine if a person is obese is to look at his/her Body Mass Index (BMI). A person with a BMI over 30 is considered to be obese, and a BMI over 40 is considered to be severely obese. It's important to remember though that BMI could be misleading in pregnant or lactating women and in muscular individuals. Once you know your true measure of obesity you can settle down and start truly beating obesity.

With obesity, comes the increased risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and breast, colon, and prostate cancer. All of these scary medical conditions should fuel your desire of beating obesity. In addition, obesity has been linked to mental health conditions such as depression or feelings of shame and low self-esteem. Health experts say that even losing 10 to 15 percent of your body weight can dramatically decrease the risk of developing these serious conditions. In addition, many obese people are discriminated against and targets of insults and other verbal abuse. Again this should only motivate you even more in following through with your obession of beating obesity.

A number of factors, such as poor diet, lack of physical activity, genetics, and certain medical disorders, cause obesity, but it can be conquered allowing you to finish your goal of beating obesity. This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only in order to help you in your quest of beating obesity. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before starting any exercise or diet due to your desire of beating obesity. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

Additional Beating Obesity Resources

Obesity and its relationship to binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa

The science of obesity: Fats and Cholesterol

The basic metabolic rate and understanding your weight

Childhood obesity

Popular dietary treatments

American Heart Association Weight Loss Recommendations

Surgical and medical solutions to losing weight

Natural alternatives to safely losing weight

Low carb high protien diets for losing weight

Detoxification and live food for losing weight

Exercise management for safe weight loss