Friday 8 May 2015

10 Unhealthy ways to lose weight fast

Your weight is over the limit. You find it difficult to do your day to day activities. Your knees hurt when you walk. Your friends tell you that being obese is unhealthy and you need to lose weight.

So, you want a quick fix. You plan to lose 2 kilos in a week. You wonder how to achieve that goal. You search the internet and find an attractive solution, that is taking laxatives. Would it help? Maybe, for a short period.

Saturday 28 December 2013

Surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity

Weight loss surgery also known as bariatric surgery is the most effective way of treating obesity. When compared with diet, exercise or treatment with tablets to help weight loss, obesity surgery has been shown to produce greater degrees of weight loss.
Bariatric surgery is highly recommended for people who have a body mass index of 40 or mere.

How does surgery help lose weight?


  •  The surgical procedure may prevent you from eating too much food.
  • The operation may change the way that your body handles the food that you eat. For example; bypassing part of your digestive tract.
  • Combination of both of the above methods.

Friday 6 December 2013

Overweight makes arthritis worse

Overweight and obesity are linked to increased risk of developing osteoarthritis which is one of the most common painful joint conditions. Losing weight is an effective way of reducing the pain caused by arthritis.

What is osteoarthritis?


A joint is where two bones meet. Joints allow movement and flexibility of various parts of the body. Ends of the bones are covered by a smooth tissue called cartilage. Between the cartilage of two bones which forms a joint there is a small amount of lubricating fluid.

Monday 2 December 2013

Drink water before meals to lose weight

Drinking water before each meal is an easy way of losing weight. There is an increasing evidence of effectiveness of pre-meal water consumption in reducing body weight in obese people.

How much water should I drink before meals to lose weight?


Drinking two cups (500 ml) of water 30 minutes before each meal can be used to assist in weight loss. Drinking water can make you feel full. Water contain zero calories and you will not gain weight by drinking more water. The excess water will pass through your urine.

Saturday 30 November 2013

Very Low Calorie Diet: A Better Option to Lose Weight.

Very low calorie diet (VLCD) is a type of diet designed to help obese people lose weight effectively. The diet contains approximately 800 kcal (3300kJ) per day. When used under medical supervision, very low calorie diets are able to induce rapid weight loss.

VLCDs are nutritionally complete meals. They contain all the essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals. They may not contain carbohydrates, which is the main source of  energy in normal meals.

Saturday 23 February 2013

Beat obesity with better sleep


Sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of obesity and overweight. Several studies show that people sleep less than eight hours a day have more chances of putting on weight. So, having a better sleep is a way of beating obesity and overweight.

The relationship between sleep and obesity: 


Many population studies show that lack of sleep is associated with increased weight gain. This finding is supported by laboratory researches. Scientists found that inadequate sleep causes an imbalance between two hormones in the body. These hormones play an important role in regulating our appetite. Lack of sleep result in high levels of hormone called ghrelin. This hormone stimulates appetite and makes us to eat more food. In addition, sleep deprivation lowers the levels of appetite-suppressing hormone leptin.

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Health risks of obesity and overweight

Obesity and overweight are associated with many health risks. Some of these health problems are directly related to obesity. Others are indirect results of excessive body weight.

Here is a list of health risks of obesity.

  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Coronary heart disease (angina, heart attack)
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • The metabolic syndrome
  • Stroke and mini strokes (transient ischemic attacks)
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Cancer of the breast and uterus
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Varicose veins (spider veins)
  • Cor-pulmonale
  • Increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Gastro-esopageal reflux disease (acid reflux)
  • Sub-fertility
  • Obesity related fatty liver (fat accumulation in the liver)
  • Gallstones