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Why Are We Overweight?

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Did you know that 2 out of every three adult Americans are overweight. That's right, 67% of adult Americans have a BMI (body mass index) over 25. That's the indicator that doctors go by to measure "percentage of body fat". Doctors and insurance companies use this information to decide how to treat your health problems and how to charge you for your insurance. Some doctors tell us to eat less and be more active, but what if there's more to it than just that. I tried everything over several years to lose fat and I finally figured it out. I was eating food that my body couldn't metabolize. If your body can't use what you eat for creating fuel it stores it in fat cells. You body may only be using half of what you eat.  I believe you have to understand why you have a weight problem if you’re going to lose weight. In the U.S. we've been very fortunate. We enjoy a high standard of living and it's this prosperity that has caused us to become overindul

Why Doesn't My Diet Work?

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When you want to lose weight, is your first choice to run to the latest fad diet? Often a quick 5 to 10 pounds will come off, then your old eating habits return. If you stick with it to attain your weight goal, you may still find yourself back at the same weight or higher in a few months. Why don't diets work? The biggest reason is that most people don't give it enough time to work. Your body has to get use to the new routine. At first your body thing your starving yourself and goes into hybernation mode and stops burning calories. It takes a couple of week for the body to adjust. Losing weight will start slow. If you have trouble losing weight, take time to learn how the body works. You have to understand how to lose body fat before you can slim down. Often losing weight will not reduce body fat. Losing body fat is key to keeping weight off. A Diet is a Lifestyle, Not an Event On many diets, you are not eating the way you will eat for the rest of your life. You eat foo

Reading Nutritional Labels Can Be Very Scary

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How to Read Nutrition Labels to Lose Weight. It's important to learn what's important on the labels. Everything on labels will be changing in the next few years and you need to stay ahead of the curve. You might know how to read nutrition labels, but do you know how to read food labels to lose weight? If you’re trying to slim down, there are a few important numbers that matter more and a few numbers that matter less. If you can learn to scan the Nutrition Facts label quickly for essential information, you’ll be able to shop faster, eat better, and lose weight with greater ease. Learn to Read Food Labels for Weight Loss As you read through this guide, keep in mind that the Nutrition Facts label changes from time to time. The label you see in the store today will be changing in the coming years to reflect the newest health guidelines established by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By 2018, most food labels will need to use the new design. The new design includ

Got Lower Back Pain; How Big Is Your Waist?

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The lowest part of your spine (your sacrum, to be exact) is connected between your two pelvic bones in the back. Because of this connection, the spine is brought along when the pelvis moves forward, back, up or down, or as it rotates. Obesity, particularly carrying a large amount of weight in your midsection, may pull your pelvis forward. This increases the curve in your back and contributes to lordosis, an exaggerated low back curve. Tightened back muscles and back strain may result, and you may experience pain, stiffness, tension, or difficulty moving the affected area. The act of sitting only makes this situation worse, as it contracts the hip muscles that bring the pelvis forward. By breaking up your workday with desk stretches, you can decrease or prevent back pain; this also helps address the tendency to be sedentary, which promotes weight gain. Another, more direct way to counter the effects of a large belly on the health of your back is to foster awareness of y

Why You Should Drink More Water

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A blog post from  VeryWell.com . For those who don't understand why they can't lose weight. Losing weight and keeping it off is more than just giving up some food for a few weeks. It's also about more than "Starvation Diets". Make the changes in your life that will let your body burn your body fat. Give your body the tools to work properly and you'll lose your fat. Water is the Primary Nutrient in Sports Nutrition. Stanislaw Pytel / Getty Images Water is an essential nutrient our body depends upon for optimal health and fitness. It keeps us hydrated and assists with other vital processes at every level of human function. According to research, water is shown to be the most important nutrient in sports nutrition. The human body is made up of over 60% water. Water helps with all body functions operating around the clock. It maintains hydration, digestion, heart and lung function, joint lubrication, protection of our tissues, regulating body tempera

Back From Vacation

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I hesitated to write this post because I broke one of my rules, I gained weight on vacation. I went from 155 to 160. Okay, I know that some of you are laughing, thinking to yourself that "is that all". Want bothers me is that isn't fat that I put on around my waist. That the worst place to add fat and I know it. It came from eating in restaurants for two weeks straight. Eating street food, eating in airports between flights, and snacking because I didn't have time to eat a proper meal. So, I fell into the "fat trap" I often write about. I hate myself for being so stupid. But on the bright side I did learn some new Yoga poses and I will start running again so that fat will come off. I know most of you that have a weight problem are wishing your problem was as small as mine, and I do realize that your problems are a lot more serious. But there are the lucky few that only need a small fix like mine to make a big change in their body. The people who hav

How This Woman Lost 100 Pounds

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I had to post this story for my readers who haven't read this before. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures, but it's still worth the read. I hope you become as "inspired" is me. Lacing up her shoes, strapping on her GPS watch, and heading out on a long run are things 26-year-old Rebecca, the blogger behind My Girlish Whims, has come to appreciate. In January 2014, it was a different story—she weighed 246 pounds, and running was something she avoided. But that month she booked a summer vacation to Jamaica and decided she wanted to shape up. “I didn’t want to go on the trip, come back and look at pictures from my fun tropical vacation and not be able to remember how much fun I had [because of my weight],” she says. Along with a healthy, balanced diet, one major change she made was she decided to start running regularly—even though she  hated  it. “I was the girl in high school who huffed and puffed around the track  every year  in gym class when we were forc