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The commonly held assumption that being overweight is simply a mathematical formula of calories in and calories out is an outdated way of thinking that needs to be changed. Weight gain is often a complicated dynamic between one's culture, environment, exercise habits, eating styles, genetics, and biochemical individuality. With that said, here are 6 reasons you are overweight.
Sluggish metabolism
There may be a few reasons for a sluggish metabolism, but one of the primary culprits is an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). When hypothyroidism causes metabolism to slow, the body will store rather than burn calories, causing an accumulation of fat. The consequence of this slowing metabolism can create:
- An accumulation of hyalouronic acid, a sugar that binds with water in the body, causing swelling and an increase in weight. This is characterized by puffy, thick skin and fluid retention.
- A sluggish digestive system, resulting in gastrointestinal problems that could lead to a more serious condition known as leaky gut. Weight gain is a potential result of digestive disturbances.
- A decrease in insulin production by the pancreas due to inflammation, also known as pancreatitis. When insulin imbalances occur, blood sugars are not burned off and they turn into fat.
- A decrease in the body's thermogenic (fat burning capacity), which can lead to increased fat storage.
Toxic loadToxicity is one of the primary reasons for weight gain, particularly for people who can't keep it off. When the liver becomes overburdened with toxins, it causes imbalances that can lead to weight gain, including blood sugar imbalance, essential fatty acid deficiency, and slowed metabolism. Our processed, genetically modified food supply is just one aspect of our toxic load.
An unhealthy toxic load can also cause stagnant lymph flow, which holds water and toxins so body weight accumulates. Toxic accumulation in the colon can also drain the body of energy, lower metabolism, and burden the detoxification organs, like the liver and kidneys.
Insulin imbalance
Many cases of being overweight are due to an imbalance of the hormone insulin. Insulin allows the body to use glucose (sugar) and carbohydrates. However, factors such as genetic predisposition, food allergies, eating habits, and stress can interfere with glucose and carbohydrate utilization, which can result in a condition known as glucose intolerance. Excess sugar consumption (refined carbohydrates) may also contribute to glucose intolerance and obesity.
Usually insulin will signal the body to stop eating, but if your glucose levels are chronically heightened due to inefficient insulin, you may eat more. This sets up a nasty cycle of eating more refined carbohydrates, which leads to even more hunger, which often ends to more weight gain.
Lack of exercise
The amount of exercise you incorporate on a regular basis will strongly affect your weight. We are generally much less active than previous generations and our time is more consumed by television. It is estimated that a quarter of the population is completely sedentary while up to 55% are inadequately active.
Without exercise, your metabolism slows down, your lymph becomes congested, and your lean muscle mass becomes depleted. All these factors facilitate excessive weight gain.
Dieting
Food restriction for the purpose of weight loss should be avoided. Ironically, we have become fatter as a culture, partly because of the yo-yo effects of dieting.
Whenever the body is deprived of food, whether it is because of famine or dieting, the body ensures survival by decreasing metabolic rate in order to compensate for fewer calories. Energy is stored so efficiently in adipose (fat) tissue that a person of normal weight can survive for 2 months without eating.
When the food restriction ends, the desire to binge kicks in as a result of another built in survival mechanism. This leads to an unhealthy trap that often results in a primarily overweight state.
Psychosocial factors
Many people overeat due to stress, anger, sadness, boredom, and other emotional factors unrelated to hunger or nutritional needs. Food is interwoven into our social activities, childhood memories, and the psyche. Holidays are filled with excessive food intake and bad food combinations that significantly contribute to weight gain.
It's important to note that food affects mood by triggering the release of endorphins (natural pain killers) and serotonin (mood boosters). Unfortunately, the types of foods eaten (chocolate, carbohydrates, and sweets) not only elevate your mood but trigger cravings for more. This emotional eating can contribute to significant weight gain if you lead a stressful life or have unresolved emotional issues.
Your intestinal flora play a huge role in how your brain works, from food cravings to mood. Your gut health effects your overall ability and desire to loose weight. Check out the first two sources for more information on intestinal health.
http://www.naturalnews.com/047180_obesity_overweight_metabolism.html?utm_content=buffer036a6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Whether your abdominal problem stems from bloating/gas or from being overweight and you want to get it flat and firm again, the following foods will help out. They promote overall digestive health as well as oftentimes boosting your metabolism and raising the energy levels so you can stay active and healthy.
Fennel Seeds
Fennel seeds have a pleasing, licorice-like flavor and they are great to eliminated excess gas and bloating. They do this by relaxing the muscles of the digestive tract and allowing the gas to pass naturally. They are also rich in calcium, magnesium, iron and dietary fiber.
Salmon
Salmon is a great weapon in the war on belly fat: it is rich in both Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which help the body to shift weight from the abdomen and encouraging the body to burn fat rather than to store it.
Eggs
Eggs for breakfast generally help you to keep from overeating for the rest of the day. This is because they are packed with protein to keep you feeling full and Vitamin B-12 which helps your body break down fat more efficiently.
Olive Oil
This is rich in the healthy monounsaturated fat that helps regulate blood sugar levels (this aids in appetite suppression) and boosts the body’s ability to break down and utilize fat. It has also been linked to better levels of lipids in the blood.
Asparagus
Of all the vegetables, asparagus arguably is one of the best for a flat belly: it contains pre-biotics, which support healthy flora in the digestive tract, and it also is rich in fiber to promote digestive health and has natural anti-inflammatory properties which soothe gastric inflammation.
Whole Grains
Losing abdominal fat is also easier if whole grains are part of your diet. This this mainly because they are so high in dietary fiber which regulates blood sugar and staves off hunger. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to promote overall health.
Bananas
The potassium in bananas acts as a natural diuretic to release excess sodium and water from body. They can also promote good digestion and prevent constipation since they are so high in dietary fiber.
Greek Yogurt
Another tasty way to promote a flat belly is daily intake of Greek yogurt. The live active cultures that this yogurt contains makes your digestive system more efficient and its high protein content makes it extremely filling.
Cucumbers
High in fiber and water content, low in calories and containing natural anti-inflammatories, cucumbers are a natural choice for losing belly fat and maintaining a healthy digestive tract. They are great in salads or sandwiches.
Water
Drinking sufficient water will also help lose belly fat. It staves off hunger, causing you to eat less and makes the entire digestive tract run more smoothly and efficiently. It also helps, if you are eating a high-fiber diet, to move that fiber through your system.
So if you are serious about getting a flat belly and improving your digestion and overall health, these ten foods can help you on that journey. The good news is that dietary therapy like this is even more effective if you can combine it with a regular exercise program to achieve well-being.
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/10-surprising-flat-belly-foods/
80 % of American society is afflicted with adrenal fatigue at some point in their life yet most are unaware of the problem. They simply know they don't feel well or perhaps symptoms lead them to explore other disorders; we do know that often symptoms denote multiple possibilities and sometimes overlap disorders. Do these symptoms apply to you?
♠ Weight gain, especially in waist or stomach, and it stubbornly sticks to you
♠ Fatigue ~ lack of energy ~ lethargy
♠ Insomnia
♠ Brain fog ~ concentration difficulty
♠ Morning sluggishness ~ need for stimulants to get you moving
♠ Constipation
♠ Nervousness ~ anxiety
♠ Mild depression
♠ Dry skin and hair
♠ Arthritis
♠ Pain in upper back and neck
♠ Unexplained hair loss
♠ Cold hands and feet ~ or just plain cold
♠ Allergies ~ both inhalants and food
♠ Low body temperature
♠ Reduced sex drive
If you said "yes" to several of these symptoms there is a strong possibly that you are experiencing adrenal fatigue. If you said "yes" to half or more, your adrenals are fatigued.
What is adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is simply the allowance of stressors to influence and perhaps take control over your life. Stress is a big issue in most people's lives and all too often the person has no idea how to deal with the stress. The result is adrenal fatigue as well as many other imbalances within the body, mind and spirit of the individual. Stress has many faces such as:
Anger ~ fear ~ guilt
Not enough sleep ~ chronic fatigue
Chronic illness
Chronic infection
Too much exercise
Improper diet
Gluten intolerance
Worry ~ anxiety ~ continually focusing on negative aspects and events
Exposure to large amount of toxins
Surgery
Caffeine
Excess sugar
Digestive imbalances
What happens when your body becomes stressed?
Your adrenal glands are located directly above the kidneys which are found in the back of you right above your waist. In this tiny gland is the most abundant hormone in your body - DHEA. Cortisol (often referred to as the hormone of death) is also found in your adrenal glands. The adrenals main purpose is to be a stress regulator. Here's an example:
You are traveling down the road and someone pulls out in front of you. You slam on your brakes, maybe say a few choice words, and are grateful that you avoided an accident. In the meantime you had probably stopped breathing momentarily, at the very least you only took shallow quick breaths. Your heart probably began racing and felt like it would pop out of your chest and maybe even your head started throbbing. What you probably don't know is that your cortisol also shot up to accommodate for the demand put on your adrenals. This is what we term flight and flight, and it is beneficial when something like this occurs. However, when our life becomes a continual fight and flight atmosphere, we can easily develop adrenal fatigue. The adrenals kicking in for a sudden trauma is meant to be temporary.
From the stressors already mentioned, it is usually a combination of various stressors that create this syndrome for you.
As a result of continuous stress to your body, your cortisol remains elevated and thus the symptoms begin. It is very likely that at the same time your DHEA is declining, and if you are 40 or older, it is doing so naturally. We know that hormones do decline with age, but if we are stressed they will decline more rapidly. All of this not only tears down your health but ages you faster both internally and externally. And who wants to age faster!
As a result of experiencing adrenal fatigue, most individuals reach for stimulants to get and keep them going - coffee, sodas, pills, alcohol, chocolate, nicotine, etc. They are masking their problem and it continues to grow worse without their awareness due to the cover-up.
Here's the importance of cortisol.
It normalizes blood sugar ~ When a stressor occurs the cortisol increases the blood sugar level in your body, working with the pancreas to provide enough glucose to provide energy for your cells. Continuous increased blood sugar levels creates a blood sugar imbalance which can lead to multiple physical disorders such as diabetes.
Anti-inflammatory ~ Cortisol is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. When trauma happens to our body the cortisol is released to reduce the swelling and repair the injury. Too much trauma produces too much cortisol. There are many disorders associated with inflammation such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis.
Immune system supporter ~ Cortisol influences most cells that participate in your immune system's regulation. Chronic high levels of cortisol suppress the immune system allowing an individual to be more susceptible to illness, especially to viruses.
Stress balancer ~ Cortisol helps to balance your stress reactions, but if stress becomes chronic then it can no longer maintain the balance. The result can be weight gain that is difficult to reduce, high blood pressure, estrogen dominance that can lead to uterine fibroids and even breast cancer, and much more.
So you can see how easy it is to find yourself in the throws of adrenal fatigue and yet suspect other disorders. I personally believe, as do many health practitioners, that it is imperative to repair your adrenals no matter what illness or disorder you have because the adrenals will always be affected if there is imbalance anywhere in your body.
Steps to repair your adrenals
1. First of all understand this. Traditional medicine testing cannot detect adrenal fatigue unless it has become severe. That's why so many physicians tell their patients - and you may have been one of them - to go home and relax or give them a prescription drug for anxiety to help. That's simply a band-aid approach and resolves little if anything, and it definitely doesn't cure the problem.
2. However, there is a saliva test that holistic practitioners and doctors are using that has excellent results in measuring your cortisol and DHEA levels. It is called the ASI, or Adrenal Stress Index. Although nothing is ever 100% accurate, this has very high accuracy. The reason is that your saliva is part of your tissues and can relate to the lab technicians what is being absorbed within your body as well as the level of your hormones.
3. Realize that all physical disorders have emotional cores. You may be able to "fix"
your adrenal problem temporarily by making some lifestyle changes, but if you don't release the negative emotion that underlies your stress it will simply come back again, perhaps in another form. We are multidimensional beings and it requires a balance in all four areas to be healthy. One tire on your car can cause quite an imbalance if it loses enough air. So it is with your body and health.
4. Remove your stressors. You might be laughing right now as you're thinking I don't know what your life is like and what you're going through. You might be surprised just how much I do understand. And yes, you can successfully become stress free. You see, I'm a recoveree of adrenal fatigue and had been experiencing it for decades but didn't know it. I gave birth to and raised five children, worked all through those years, was driven to succeed in my work, began having big health challenges, divorced, experienced major financial struggles for several years, found myself in a potentially destructive business arrangement from which I finally detached, and so on. We all have our stories but you don't have to stay in them. I left my old story and created a life free from stress and its affects on me. You can do it too! The key is in how you respond to the stressors.
5. Get enough sleep! This can be a real problem for many people. So many come into our health store begging for something so they can sleep. Insomnia often accompanies
adrenal fatigue yet it is most necessary for repair. 7-8 hours or more are necessary for healing and the adrenals repair most from 11pm - 1am. (some say the repair begins at 10 pm) So that means that you night owls might need to make some changes. I had to do this as well. Melatonin, 5HTP, herbs, magnesium, warm baths, reading before retiring, working with a coach to learn new ways to respond to your stress, listening to soft music, are all possible was to help you sleep. It is also essential to clean your liver and digest your food well to sleep well. Guides for this are mentioned below.
6.Change your diet. Follow these guidelines to allow for adrenal repair:
♦ Eliminate sugar, caffeine, and alcohol - these fight against adrenal repair
♦ Consider adding salt to you diet - but only Himalayan or Celtic types
♦ Consume many organic vegetables, at least 6 every day
♦ Consider juicing veggies several times a week for cleansing your body
♦ Drink 1 mug of warm water on empty stomach every morning with ½ organic
lemon squeezed in it - cleanses the liver easily and naturally
♦ Exercise, but only moderately at first. Rule of thumb is to stop if tired.
♦ Eat regularly, at least three meals per day - may benefit from 5-6 small ones
♦ Eat plenty of good protein as amino acids found in protein help restore adrenals
♦ Progesterone cream - promotes healthy adrenals and thyroid glands, helps to
balance estrogen overload
♦ Supplementation - this is an individualized process - there is no one protocol that works for everyone and what works for one can be toxic to another. Below are some suggestions but please do your own research and seek the help of qualified
practitioners for your repair process.
Note: When your adrenals are fatigued the immediate craving is for sugar, yet ironically it is the worst thing you could consume as it furthers the adrenal fatigue. Individuals who crave sugar or carbohydrates often find that adrenal fatigue is a root cause of their cravings.
Adrenals will be better served with organic vegetables, the darker and brighter the better, plenty of good quality protein to ensure enough amino acids, plenty of water and the inclusion of beneficial oils like refined, organic extra virgin coconut oil. This kind of coconut oil can actually cause weight loss and provide the good fats necessary for the conversion of ALL hormones in your body.
Supplementation that can support adrenal repair:
♦ Vitamin C and bioflavonoids - 1000 mg to 5000 mg daily, divided doses
♦ B-5, pantothenic acid, or panethine gelcaps - 1000 - 1500 mg daily, divided
♦ Vitamin E, mixed tocopherols - 400 iu's daily, one gelcap
♦ Magnesium - citrate good form, 500 mg or more daily, powdered form good
♦ Natural progesterone cream - men can also benefit
Also may be beneficial:
♦ B complex, 50 - 100 mg 2 x's daily
♦ Multi-vitamin/mineral - once daily
♦ Antioxidants
♦ DHEA - be careful with this, especially women, as only a little is needed to help
♦ Natural hydrocortisone - caution here as well - prescription only
Additional suggestions:
Since most individuals with adrenal fatigue have compromised digestion, it is vital that they can digest food and supplement intake properly and have a good intestinal flora balance.
You might want to include the following in your daily diet to assist in adrenal restoration:
♦ Probiotics - 2 - 3 times per day
♦ Digestive enzymes - with every meal
♦ Eating raw fermented vegetables - daily
Note: Often less is best, at least to begin. If your body is not functioning optimally, it may be necessary to introduce supplements and changes slowly so as not to "shock" the body or overload it. Of course, in the case of serious disease, it is often beneficial to saturate the body quickly to detoxify and ensure healing. Baby steps do best and know that adrenal restoration takes time, from 3 months to as much as two years, according to the severity of your adrenal fatigue.
By Carolyn Porter
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/158612http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Porter,_D.Div.
Obesity and Overweight
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Australians has been steadily increasing for the past 30 years. In 2011–12, around 60% of Australian adults were classified as overweight or obese, and more than 25% of these fell into the obese category (ABS 2012). In 2007, around 25% of children aged 2–16 were overweight or obese, with 6% classified as obese (DoHA 2008).
A 2009 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that there will be continued increases in overweight and obesity levels across all age groups during the next decade in Australia, to around 66% of the population (Sassi et al. 2009).
While overweight and obesity are prevalent in all population groups, variation exists in their distribution across the Australian population. Obesity is particularly prevalent among those in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic groups (ABS 2008), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Penm 2008) and many people born overseas (ABS 2008; O’Dea 2008). Obesity is also more prevalent in rural and remote areas compared to urban areas (ABS 2008).
Health problems related to excess weight impose substantial economic burdens on individuals, families and communities. Data from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study indicate that the total direct cost for overweight and obesity in 2005 was $21 billion ($6.5 billion for overweight and $14.5 billion for obesity). The same study estimated indirect costs of $35.6 billion per year, resulting in an overall total annual cost of $56.6 billion (Colagiuri et al. 2010).
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/your-health/obesity-and-overweight
