Obesity in America
African Americans & Obesity
Sep 12th
Obesity in the African American community is growing at an alarming rate. We are considered 60% less likely to engage in physical activity when compared to whites according to a study in 2007(1).We are also twice as likely to develop heart disease than whites.
So what exactly is being overweight or obese? According to the NHLBI Obesity Guidelines, when your BMI (Body Mass Index) is between 25.-29.9, you are considered overweight. When your BMI is 30.0 and above, you are considered obese. By these standards, 77% of African American women are overweight and 50% are obese. Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in the US (2).
African Americans (compared to whites) are most likely to smoke cigarettes, drink excessive alcohol and eat a diet high in fat (Soul food). We are less likely to get medical attention and we suffer from hypertension and diabetes when compared to other races. Socioeconomics is believed to play an important role in these stunning statistics.
They are a few factors that play into the socioeconomics in our community. Culture, environment, and heredity are some of the factors that affect what we eat and how our bodies process food. (3) When we examine our culture, it seems that we like our women” thick”. This concept could be very hazardous especially if their BMI is over 25.
Environment plays a part when you think about how fresh foods are not readily available in poorer communities they are in some upper class areas. Proper nutrition can’t be a priority when you honestly can’t afford to eat healthy or when fast food restaurants are more convenient and easier to access than a market that sells fresh produce, lean cuts of meat and foods made with whole grains.
The Good news is that it is NOT too late to start to correct bad habits and to teach our children better eating habits for the future. Here are a few tips you can start today.
?Get moving- 10,000 steps a day can burn 500 calories. Do this every day, and you can lose 1 pound just from walking.
?Do bodyweight exercises at home- Squats, lunges, jumping jacks, walking up and down the stairs, push up, sit-ups all can be performed in the comfort of your home. Pick an exercise to do in between commercial breaks and watch the transformation on your body.
?Eat 4-6 small meals a day- Small meals will give your body enough fuel to keep it energized and burning fat instead of the 3 meals a day which are usually consist of large portions and can cause your body to store fat. Also follow these nutrition tips:
*If you usually deep-fry, try saut?ing vegetables in low salt chicken or beef broth.
*Replace fats like bacon grease and butter with olive or canola oil.
*Try steaming vegetables, and add a few spices for flavor.
*Taste your food before you add butter- you may be surprised at how good fresh corn is all by itself.
*Replace heavy cream sauces and butter with low fat or non-fat sour cream and try putting sauces on the side.
*Enjoy seasonal fruit for dessert, such as berries, citrus fruits, pears, cherries or grapes.
*Try eating your vegetables raw with some low-calorie salad dressing.(4)
These small changes can make a huge impact in your health and waistline. Taking care of yourself has to be top priority, because if you are like me, a lot of people may be depending on you.
References
1.cdc.gov
2.NHANES (1998-2000), CDC/NCHS; JAMA. 2002; 288:1723-1727
3.netwellness.org
4.netwellness.org/health topics
4 Secrets of Losing Weight With a Body Fat Monitor
Sep 11th
Do you think you are fat and should lose weight? How to define a real fat person? Not all the fatty people need to lose weight. A body fat monitor can judge and tell you the fat index that you need or not on earth.
It is no better time than summer to lose weight for the fat people who always pursue slim figures. Everyone keeps his own way to lose weight. However, some are not really healthy methods. Some others take the good method but can not insist without body fat monitor. Hereby the professionals share some secrets of losing weight with all fatty ones.
1.Don’t Make Yourself Starve
Some people always like to have food when feel hungry, or even be starving. They misunderstand that it can lose weight with the state of hungry for some time, the longer the better. However, the relative research does show that you can lose excess weight by starving yourself for short time. The actual problem is that about 50% of the weight loss comes from muscle tissue instead of fat. And that action will surely bring you a pure disaster. The figure on the body fat monitor when you are hungry is not real at all.
2.Drink water as much as possible
Fat people should drink more water instead of carbonated drinks. Don’t worry. Water does not contain any heat, it will never increase calorie for you. What’s more, it can burn your fat effectively in the long run. Maybe the water is the last thing you will think when you are busy. But if you drink do not enough water, it will give you a terrible result – even for your waistline.
3. Don’t allure yourself
The most important thing for the fat ones is to keep well of the mouths. When you’re not hungry, any good tasting high-calorie food should be refused firmly. Many people can not help themselves to eat overly simply hold the excuse that food is readily available. You can hide them in other places. Out of sight, out of mind!
4.Resist Too Much Saturated Fat
It is widely acknowledged that the animal products as beef, milk, cheese, lunch meat, butter, bacon and etc. contain large amount saturated fats. Fat people should have some certain amount of these foods to make lose weight easier.
Last but not least, do exercise is an essential way to lose weight, but keep at least 40 minutes for each time. Abercrombie and Fitch clothes will be the suitable choice for you to do comfortable exercise.
If you have already insisted on losing weight for two months in the summer, the necessary body fat monitor will check the effect for this period. What’s more important is that it shows you the overall index to direct your next planning.
