Why Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy Makes Slimming So Easy

Recently the BBC led with the headline, "Ten-fold rise in gastric bands". The unprecedented rise in people seeking weight loss surgery took place between 2000 and 2007. And the number of people choosing gastric banding is still rising quickly in 2010. Many top celebrities, such as Fern Britton, have raised the profile of this approach by having the treatment. Hypnosis offers many advantages compared to gastric band surgery: one of the cutting-edge approaches I pioneered in my clinical practice is Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy.

Before we look at the benefits of having an imaginary "virtual" hypno band fitted, it is important to look at the dangers of having gastric band surgery.

"Gastric banding" is designed to reduce the size of the stomach. A silicone band is tied around the top part of it, in order to "shrink" the belly. As a result, the stomach is divided into two parts. The smaller part at the top forms a separate "sac". When food is eaten, it gathers in this upper chamber. Because it is around a quarter of the size the stomach used to be, a person feels full much faster.

There is a small gap so the food can slowly "drop through" to the main part of the stomach to the lower "sac" or chamber.

Having a gastric band fitted might sound like a good idea, and can be effective in reducing appetite. However this surgery has well-documented side-effects:

Vomiting and nausea are common for most patients who undergo surgeryPatients can't eat a large meal anymore, and some people have become depressed or felt more isolated socially as a resultInfections are a risk of any surgeryDiarrhoea is commonFainting from not getting enough nutrition is common because patients struggle to eat as much as beforeConstipation

One study on post-operative gastric band patients saw an increase in suicides. The author, Samantha Scholtz, says that patients need the right post-operative care. Many patients were disappointed that they did not feel better or have a better "body image" after surgery.

Another challenge with Gastric Band surgery revolves around the reasons why a person is over-eating. Often it is not because they are excessively hungry, but because they are desperately unhappy. Going through the mechanical motions of having a gastric band fitted simply does not address deeper psychological or emotional issues. It will not necessarily change habits or ways of thinking.

So how does having Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy compare?

One of the real benefits of hypnosis is it allows clients to get negative emotions handled. In my clinical hypnotherapy practice in Cardiff, I have worked with hundreds of clients to lose weight. The main challenge almost all of them face is some form of "comfort eating".

The other problem is that in comforting themselves with food, they have been over-riding the signals that tell them when they are full. Hypnotherapy is a powerful way to help a person comfort themselves without the need for food.

Hypnosis is the fixation of attention. Anytime you have been absorbed in something like watching a favourite TV show, you have been in trance. You know what it is like when you are in a "TV Trance" and no one can disturb you. Or perhaps you remember driving from one place to the next and can't even remember the journey: you were experiencing "Highway Hypnosis".

All of us go into trance-like states all day long. Anytime we are trance-fixed on one thing to the exclusion of all else: you're in a trance. Hypnosis is a natural and very powerful way to relax a person. In a trance state, it is possible to simulate the sensations of having a stomach tightened, as if having surgery.

As a result, you start to feel fuller and more satisfied. Another benefit of the Hypno Gastric Band is that you start to slow down the rate you eat. That means you have more chance to stop when you feel full.

Trance is a perfect way to help a person start to feel better about themselves. One of the greatest setbacks to a person getting slimmer is believing, "I will feel happy and good about myself when I lose 5 stone and I am at my ideal weight." The problem with this is it means they get to be miserable every step of the journey there. And an unhappy person is very unlikely to stick with a regimen long enough to see results.

So using Hypno Band Hypnotherapy to fit an imaginary gastric band means your body will start to re-set its "satiety signals" back to normal. This is a proven and safe way to lose weight. As long as you are motivated to stick with your sessions, slow down your rate of eating, and listen to an Advanced Hypnotic Weight Loss recording, then you will notice benefits very quickly.

There is also the huge benefit of not requiring anaesthesia or an actual operation. You don't have invasive surgery to recover from. Hypnosis is natural, and there is no danger of infection or dizziness.

For a person who has not addressed the emotional side of their eating, having a physical Gastric Band fitted can be stressful. By contrast, hypnosis specifically deals with emotions as part of installing a Virtual Gastric Band. There is plenty of opportunity to give lots of positive suggestions of self-worth, self-acceptance and to leave behind that feeling that drives so many people to over-eat: boredom.

Gastric Band Surgery currently costs around ?7,000 (over $11,000) to have. It also carries the risk of it not working or a host of physical side effects and possible infections. Worse, the psychological root of over-eating is not addressed.

Many folk who have gastric bands end up despondent and disappointed by the result. There is also about a chance of death in worst cases. The UK-based newspaper 'The Daily Mail' carried a warning in its headline in August 2009, "Gastric band killed 18st mother desperate to be thinner for her daughter".

Virtual Gastric Band hypnotherapy is safe, proven and has no side effects. It works and can be a great alternative for someone who wants to change and feels ready to try therapy. It means a person can get to the core of what is really keeping the weight on. As long as the client feels ready to let go of what is holding them back and is motivated to have different results, then hypnosis can speed up this process.

Weight Loss Surgery - Weighing the Surgical Options for Obesity

The number of patients undergoing weight loss surgery has risen sharply. Over the last ten years, the amount of bariatric surgeries performed each year in the United States has gone from less than 30,000 in 1999 to more than 200,000 in 2008. Yet this represents only a small percentage of the Americans who medically qualify for bariatric surgery and who can benefit from surgical intervention for extreme obesity.

Extreme obesity, which is generally 80 to 100 pounds or more overweight, is a chronic health condition that is very difficult to treat. According to the National Institutes of Health, bariatric surgery is considered the only permanent treatment for individuals who are morbidly obese.

With obesity reaching epidemic levels, the rising popularity of bariatric surgery is not expected to slow any time soon. However, the widespread obesity levels are not the only factor behind the increase in surgical weight loss treatment. A significant portion of the growth can be attributed to the development of safer surgical techniques and the availability of less-invasive bariatric options.

Surgeons first began to experiment with various intestinal and gastric bypass procedures for weight loss back in the 1950's. Some of the earliest bariatric procedures were successful in terms of weight loss results, but they also led to serious health problems, including protein-calorie malnutrition, diarrhea, kidney stones, severe arthritis, and liver failure.

Through their attempts, surgeons learned more about the effects of altering various parts of the digestive system and made improvements to their methods. Although it took many years of trial and error, it was in the early 1990's that bariatric surgery finally began to benefit patients more than it hurt them.

The most successful bariatric procedure over time has been the Roux-en-Y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery. The RNY gastric bypass was first performed in 1967 using open surgery methods, and laparoscopically in 1993. This procedure reduces the functional volume of the stomach and alters the body's response to food through rerouting of the small intestine.

Almost four decades later, the RNY gastric bypass is still the most common type of weight loss surgery performed in the United States. It results in rapid weight loss and improves or resolves many obesity related health conditions. Gastric bypass patients are required to make lifelong changes in their eating habits and take nutritional supplements to minimize the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

It wasn't until 2001, with the FDA approval of the LAP-BAND System, that there was a significant bariatric option other than gastric bypass surgery. More recently, the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band, which is marketed in the United States as the REALIZE Band, was approved by the FDA in 2007. Both gastric band systems have been available worldwide since the mid 1990's.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a less invasive option to gastric bypass surgery with similar long-term weight loss results. This method does not require surgical alteration of either the stomach or intestines. Instead, a medical implant is placed into the body to restrict eating and control hunger. Gastric banding does not cause nutritional deficiencies as gastric bypass, and can be adjusted or reversed if medically necessary.

While gastric bypass surgery and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding are the two most popular bariatric options, two other lesser known bariatric options, the gastric sleeve and duodenal switch, may be the preferred treatment option in certain situations.

Choosing to undergo a weight loss procedure is not the easy way to weight loss, but for some individuals it may literally be a life-saving step.

Will Insurance Cover Bariatric Lap-Band Surgery?

Bariatric Lap-Band surgery is one of the safest surgeries to help with weight loss, but it can also be expensive too (as with most any type of surgery). For this reason, many insurances (such as Blue Cross (in some states), Humana, One Health, Medicaid, First Health, Tufts Health Plan, United Healthcare, Oxford Health Plan, and American Family Insurance) have been known to cover for bariatric care. If covered, insurances will either cover for complete care or partial care.

If you are not covered by your insurance company, it may not hurt to talk to your employer. Lots of times it is the employer that decides what will or will not be covered for their employees. It is usually not difficult for an employer to make a change in an employee's insurance package. It is, however, very difficult for an employee to make a change since it is the employer that purchases the insurance packages in bulk and therefore, already has a deal set up with the insurance company.

Not even bariatric centers can get insurance companies to change a policy that is already written, no matter how qualified the person is for getting a bariatric procedure done. However, it will be much easier for your employer to change your insurance policy if you do qualify for bariatric procedures because of medical reasons.

Even if your insurance won't cover for bariatric care, there are other options that are usually available. Many centers have "out-of-network" benefits you can take advantage of, and financial plans through third parties that will help allow you to pay. Bariatric centers will generally try to work with you and your financial needs.

Weight Loss Surgery: Bad Diets and Diabetes Connection

Numerous studies demonstrate that in the scenario that your (BMI) is over 35, weight loss diet is inefficient. A person's weight issues have become chronic and the possibilities of lasting weight reduction are very lackluster indeed.

In the situation where your BMI is above 35, you have been evaluated to have diabetes, and you are in fact greater than forty years of age, you may qualify for an obesity surgical treatment. This surgical treatment targets to bypass a majority of the abdomen and small intestine, distributing meals immediately down the colon. The consequences are beneficial as people lose around sixty-to-seventy percent of their surplus weight.

An accidental side-effect is that sufferers also receive are being cured of type 2 diabetes in only 24 hours. The majority of type-2 diabetics are obese. The insulin has to guide the blood sugar into the muscles starts to function badly when you're immensely overweight. So long as there is an excessive amount of sugar in the blood following a meal, which is in fact how we contract diabetes, the pancreas will have to work hard in a valiant effort to lead the sugar into the muscle groups, tissue and organs. If this situation is not controlled properly, the pancreas in the end gives up and is unable to develop insulin any longer. As soon as that happens, it becomes less likely that weight loss surgical treatment will be a successful treatment the patient's elevated sugar levels. But when the surgical procedure is performed earlier than that situation coming into play, in no time at all the patient is nearly always cured of diabetes.

Gastric Banding Helps Cure Diabetes When Obese
A gastric band is a silicon ring that is inflatable and can be positioned across the upper a part of the tummy, making a small commencing to the rest of the stomach After in your frame, the gastric band controls the amount of meals required to fill you up and the velocity at which food passes from the pouch for your stomach.

A gastric band is valuable at generating weight reduction as it enables you to feel more glad on smaller portions of meals, so you'll be able to feel complete for longer on a smaller amount calories - stimulating your frame to drop some weight. A gastric band procedure must be a direct and simple surgical procedure with out the desire for a health center stay, which we bear in mind can make sufferers feel fearful and from time to time forestall them from taking that each one vital move to a new, lighter and extra enjoyable life.

Weight Loss Is Not Just About Shedding Pounds

Most individuals that are overweight have one goal in mind and that is to shed those excess pounds. Of course whenever there is a weight issue this is the priority.

Often though after one has reached their goal, and lost the weight they hoped to, they are still not pleased with their overall appearance. This is often due to the aftermath of having been overweight, and it is magnified according to the length of time that the person has been dealing with their weight issues.

The biggest problem is sloppy muscle control and sagging skin. This is understandable when the muscles and skin have been stretched beyond the norm with having to deal with the excess fat that they were subjected to. So really losing weight is not just about watching the pounds disappear, it is about taking positive action to put that once gorgeous body of yours back in shape.

Hopefully you utilized some type of exercise regime to help you lose the weight and this will have assisted you in some of the toning up of your body. It has to go beyond this though, and often many weight losers will stop at this point. They believe they have reached their goal, and what they have is about as good as what they are going to get. This is not true however. Now it is time to continue the damage control. This means continuing not only with the proper diet but the proper training to strengthen those weakened muscles and tone up the skin. It must be approached by utilizing methods that are going to work from the inside out and the outside in.

This requires a proper diet not only to maintain the proper weight but to enhance the firming and toning process. In addition to this it requires some extra tender loving care for the skin to rejuvenate it.

So basically a true weight loss program has to treat the body as a whole. By looking after all the physical requirements it does wonder for the psychological outlook as well.

Weight Loss Is Dangerous, Slimming Down Is Not

Weight loss-look closely at those words. Is there an image in your head now? Go back to your own body. You likely know that most diets do not work, or perhaps you have discovered diets DO work, but they work in reverse. A well known doctor had a problem-he had patients coming to him to get help gaining weight. Yup, they were not only too skinny; they could NOT put on pounds.

For years he had seen patients ride the roller coaster of loss and gain-it suddenly occurred to him. He put ALL his patients who could not gain weight on a diet-when they lost 3-4 pounds and started to eat normal again, they gained 5-7 pounds back. They went on a diet again and lost 4-5 pounds, only to eat normal again and gain 7-9 pounds back. Diets do work, they work in reverse!

The general term "lose" is the challenge to attack. Do you all want smaller muscles? That could be part of the "loss" if you are not careful. We want to burn FAT, and GAIN muscle for sure. All of us have different bodies too. Trying to look like someone on a magazine cover may simply not be possible-AND it may be unhealthy. Hopefully you all know skinny is not an equivalent to health. Just because someone is "rich", or has stuff, they are not happy either! It is our goal to help you melt some fat and build some muscle. To do this you need blood flow. Exercise and movement are important. All movement is not created equal. What I mean is, will exercise unclog your arteries if they have plaque build up? In most cases, NOT. We all likely know some thin person who jogs all the time who died of a stroke or heart-attack. My uncle did at 52 while physically fit, running to the store for ice cream.

Hydrogenated oils are artificially processed oils that never appear in nature. They are created by food producers for the convenience of food producers - primarily to add shelf life and consistency to foods so that those foods not only taste great, but can sit on the shelf for months at a time without going bad.

The growing body of literature suggesting that HFCS (high Fructose Corn-Syrup) affects body weight and some obesogenic parameters.

Meanwhile, despite two decades of public health initiatives, stricter government dietary guidelines, record growth of farmers' markets and the ease of products like salad in a bag, The New York Times is now telling us something that, in truth, we already know: Americans still aren't eating enough vegetables.

Today, the Times said, only 23 percent of American meals include a vegetable (note: French fries don't count). And in restaurants, a mere 5 percent of patrons order salads as a main course. In an effort to make vegetables more attractive, growers are trying all kinds of tricks to get us to eat them, including the baby carrot industry trying to position the product as a junk food.

It is my intention is to help you THINK, not just react to life. You have been lied to many times by "experts". Doctors are misinforming you. THINK, a doctor gets ZERO education on nutrition in 8 years of school. The doctors license ONLY allows them to give you prescriptions-they "treat" your SYMPTOMS, not heal your problems. They are not allowed nor do they know how. Period. The AMA, (American Medical Association) reports doctors are responsible for almost 2 million deaths a year for either misdiagnosis, or conflict medications. That is when your prescriptions you take may have an adverse reaction if combined with herbal tea-like death.

You have been lied to thinking your weight is "hereditary". It is "habitary". Genetics and DNA do NOT work that way. Listen, I KNOW, our whole lives we have heard this garbage-centuries ago everyone was told if you sailed too far, you would fall off too. All your weight issues are likely environmental-if the parents are big; the kids are eating at the same dinner table or fast food restaurant. I Googled a load of different web sites on reducing plaque in the arteries-they all say the same basic thing-you can help yourself through NUTRITION. Nitric Oxide will do this for you immediately as soon as you take the formula developed by part of the 1998 research team that won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1998-the doctor was named "Father of the Year" by the 2008 Diabetes Association and determined he has saved more lives than any living physician.

Weight Loss For Women Age 40 Plus - Getting That Perfect Body Back

Weight loss for women age 40 plus can be tough because of your slowing metabolism and changing hormone. This can lead women down a destructive weight loss path that is artificial. Instead of looking for the best weight loss for women 40 plus they choose plastic surgery or liposuction. These options are temporary the weight will just come back in another place. This is why women of 40 and over should go with natural weight loss.

Weight loss for women age 40 plus should consist of a diet that will boost their metabolism to burn calories and fats more efficiently. They can use flushes that will help her body to rid itself of calories and fats too. your diet needs to be regulated so your hunger will make you over eat. There are options like colon cleansers and acai berry extracts that will help older women lose weight and keep it off with little exercise needed.

Diets with acai berry extract will help boost a woman's metabolism and rid her colon of toxins and keep it clean. That will help her lose weight. These actions will also help diminish an older woman's weight by causing her to be less hungry and get her metabolism regulated again. You can also reduce your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol with these types of cleanses.

To get the best weight loss benefits, females of all ages needs to drink lot and lots of water and make sure you are getting the sleep your body needs. To lose weight naturally women over the age of 40 needs to drink at least three to four liters of water each and every day, if not more. She should get plenty of sleep, a minimum of 8 hours a night. Yoga and meditation is another great option an older women can benefit from.

If you are age 40 plus and are looking to lose weight, this is the place. Are you looking to get back the body you had in your twenty's or trying to keep the body you worked so hard for. Would you like to walk down the street and turn heads again or just feel good about your self. It's not to late. If you go to: femalefatlossoverforty.com it will change your life

Zerona Laser - The Newly Developed Weapon to Fight Obesity

Thousands of people out there religiously follow the strict diet and the exercise regime to enjoy a healthy and slim body. But despite all their hardest attempts they hardly find any better results. But if you really try that hard, you are sure to enjoy something more. But sometimes, our genetic makeup won't allow us to burn off the extra fat and we start to grow obese unwillingly. Ever since laser fat removal has rolled out in the market, it has been the best practices among the obese people to have turned to it for the most desired and immediate results.

Zerona laser is the newly developed weapon to fight against obesity. This is the latest system that can destroy the extra fat cells. Ever since it has hit the market many a people has gone under the procedure to get rid of extra fat. Zerona laser is the tested method that can effectively help shape and tone the areas of treatment with little or no side effects. The zerona laser system works in a particular way. It makes the cold laser energy emission directly into the skins tissues to reduce the fat cells. When body fat absorbs the energy it makes the fat broken down and liquefied. The liquefied fats then channeled out of the body.

Just a couple of weeks and you can enjoy the newly found slim look. The zerona laser can reduce the extra fat from the delicate parts like the waistlines, hips and thighs within weeks. You can lose about 5 to 7 inches of extra fat from all the fatty areas using the process. Good thing is that you need not go under knives or incisions for getting rid of extra fat in the process. Even days and even weeks after treatments you can still notice the ongoing fat loss process.

So, is there can be any complication? The process is new but yet there is hardly any report of bad side effects or anything like that. No bruising or swelling is yet complained. However, if you feel anything like those contact your doctor immediately. Sometimes you can start losing the weight after a week or so. This is normal and you need not be worried about this.

Since zerona laser is still at its infancy you need to make sure you go under the procedure only under a well trained and experienced professional. If you select an expert for your cosmetic treatment here you hardly need to care for anything else. And this is where Medispa at Shrewsbury can come to your help. It brings you the most advanced medical technologies to help you look your best. Medispa offers the newest and most sophisticated laser and intense pulsed light systems and you can enjoy the complete makeover in a most natural way. For more details on Zerona Laser you can visit the site http://www.bnbmedispa.com/.

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Why Should You Consider Affordable Lap Band Surgery?

If you have been looking to lose weight then you have most likely try various supplements, pills, cleanses as well as the usual diet and exercise. You may have even gone all out and gotten a gym membership or sign up with a personal trainer. However, depending on your body's may not be enough. In short, you may also be looking for some type of surgical procedure to help you start your weight loss efforts off right. This can be one of the hardest decisions to make as there are several different options out there all with varying degrees of costs associated with them. One option of course is lap band surgery and you may be wondering whether or not you should try to get this option affordably.

Something to consider is that everyone has a particular price in mind when they go to buy something and this includes surgical procedures as well. If you have specific budget in mind what you end up getting may either be really good or may require you to reassess budget you have in mind. This of course, means that affordable lap band surgery is different for many people. On the one hand, you may have one person that wants the absolute best in the world with regard to this particular procedure is willing to pay any cost. This is you, then terms like affordability do not enter into your thought process.

However, for many of us, trying to get something affordable is key to being able to maintain our lifestyle. Of course, you want to ensure that you do not cut corners especially where surgery is concerned in your quest to get an affordable price point. You need to be realistic in both your budget and what you may find. You can even go to different countries to get the surgery done just be aware that just because it is cheap does not necessarily make it the best choice for you. Remember no matter how good the prices, if you are uncomfortable with your surroundings then you need to reassess exactly how much you are willing to pay.

Weight Loss Procedures With Zero Incisions

First ask yourself if it is correct to call it surgery! If a doctor modifies your internal body without making any incision, how do we call it? It seems to be a dream or just a funny joke but it is not so. Surgeons use natural orifices of the body like throat or vagina to do some procedures that otherwise would need at least laparoscopic surgery.

Most of the free-incision procedures are in experimental stage. When they will be approved, most things that we now know about bariatric surgery will change. Surgeons will have to consider other levels of risk, availability, benefits and cost for their patients. Let's see few examples:

Gastric Balloon is an easy to made incision-free procedure. A deflated gastric balloon passes through your mouth and throat and goes into your stomach where it is filled with liquid or with air. It can stay there no more than six months and will reduce the amount of food a person can eat. This procedure is not approved in U.S. but is available in other countries from Europe, South America, in Canada, Australia or Mexico.

Toga Surgery or Transoral Gastroplasty is a new type of incision-free weight loss surgery. Down through your throat, continuing into the stomach, the surgeon will introduce a tool akin to a stapler. At the moment the tool reaches to the right place, the doctor staples a part of the stomach whose function will remain to be accomplished by a small remaining portion, having the size of a thumb. After that, the stapler tool will be removed from your body. This procedure is in an experimental state yet.

StomaphyX is a revision procedure, following the original gastric bypass, that is needed for those persons who, from different reasons, have an enlarged stomach again and its small dimension must be recreated. Statistics say that 15-20 percents of patients who have had gastric bypass will need StomaphyX because they started regaining weight again, due their enlarged stomach.

Transoral Rose is very much similar with StomaphyX. Surgeon will create multiple folds around the stomach to make it smaller. He will use sutures with tissue anchors, placed in the stomach pouch. This way, the amount of food that can be eaten is getting smaller; stomach is slowly emptied, creating the sensation of been full.

Endoluminal Sleeve or EndoBarrier is a sleeve that has the role to line the upper part of the small bowel. The duodenum and the first part of jejunum will be mechanically bypassed. This procedure is made via mouth and throat. The first statistics about it say that it might help reverse diabetes.

Who Do You Blame for the Obesity Epidemic?

Who do you think is at fault for the obesity epidemic? Is it the individual, the family, the fast food industry or society? Actually, a little of everyone involved and a lot of genetics. Yes genetics, as certain people have a makeup for becoming obese. Today most people point the finger at the individual without understanding the complexities of the problem.

There are a multitude of reasons for obesity from families and their eating habits to society and companies that have food in vending machines that are not healthy. These include snacks that are full of sugar and empty calories.

People need to understand that an obese person has many factors that they have no control over. If this person has parents that are overweight the food choices most likely have not been chosen for their nutritional value. It is more expensive to eat healthy. Poor eating habits when they are young will stay with these people until they learn how to change these habits.

When an obese person tries to go on a diet a couple of things are going against them. The first is that there is food at almost every corner. Gas stations and convenient stores have the least nutritious foods available. Go to a gas station or most convenient stores and try to buy fruit or vegetables. Just recently vending machines at work have started to put healthier food but they usually have soda and snack foods.

The body is not innocent in this either. With the extra fat on the body putting toxins in the blood and extra sugar from the poor eating habits and the fat insulin is produced in large amounts. This insulin is critical in converting sugar to energy but it also converts sugar to stored fat and increase your appetite. All of these factors plus inactivity and a sedate lifestyle make it very hard to lose weight.

The real problem is not blaming someone but to rectify the situation. As obesity becomes more common we learn how deadly this disease is. Most obese people have a variety of structural problems with their joints and cartilage. They also have problems with their kidneys, nervous system and heart. They have a harder time recovering from illness as their body cannot fight diseases as efficiently as most people.

The other problem is the expense of the disease as people who are obese are almost guaranteed to cost more for their illness and are at higher risks for cancer, heart disease and kidney disease. Insurance companies are looking at increasing premiums to obese people to help cover the added expenses incurred with people who are overweight. This is a disease that affects everyone as we all will pay for it and the overweight individual will pay the ultimate price.

The different thoughts on how to cure this disease all need to start from the teaching and educating both parents and children. Good eating habits need to be taught and reinforced all through the informative years at school and this is starting to happen. Most schools are replacing snacks with fruits and nutritious foods. Companies are starting to have wellness nurses counsel obese people and have various programs to help these people lose weight and keep it off. It benefits the company in lower premiums and less missed time from employees. We need to really emphasize education and good eating habits along with exercise. Until this is done we will have this problem that can be cured.

Surgery Aftercare for Gastric Banding

The gastric banding surgery after care starts the very moment you are taken out from the operating room. You will be led in the recovery room where you will be assisted by medical staff. After which the doctor will visit you so you are free to ask him about what ever concerns you. From the recovery room, you will be taken in your hospital bedroom and at this time, the doctor will assess if you are in good condition for the operation. After the operation your every step of your progress recovery will be monitor by the medical staff of the clinic. From time to time, your blood pressure will be taken while you will be connected to a fluids drip. They will also take you some blood samples and administrate you pain reduction drugs.

Most of the medical subjects of this surgery will be able to walk after the medical intervention is ended, so you will be able go to the bathroom by yourself, during the night while you will be sleeping in the clinics bedroom. In the next morning, the medical staff will take more tests to appreciate the success of the lap banding operation. After taking your new blood samples and giving you drugs to reduce the pain, your heart and lungs will be verified. The specialist you will visit after this procedure will ask you to drink a fluid and will examine you, by the help of x-rays, to observe if the liquid is passing in a right condition from the upper small part of the stomach towards the lower stomach.

Back in your bedroom, after other tests, you will take a light meal. After examining all the results of all your tests, the doctor will visit you, once more, to remind you everything you will have to do in the next period. He will also indicate you how many pain drugs to take and when to do it. The doctor is still at your disposition in case you have any questions. Before leaving the clinic, you will receive a pack containing information concerning the post-surgery after care. This is the moment you will be discharged from the hospital but you will have to sleep, for one more night, in the same locality where the clinic is situated. In the next evening you will be again visited by a medical assistant in your hotel room.

The necessary time for recovery is variable from a few days to two weeks. In some cases if you need to adjust your gastric band, you will visit the hospital again. Periodically, you will visit the surgeon that monitors your progress. You will also have to fill your gastric band again from time to time.

Talking To Your Teen About Obesity

A huge percentage of people with obesity is made up of teenagers which is quite alarming since this are the years which people are considered to be physically active. For parents who have teenagers, it is important to help them prevent obesity. Teach and encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle and practice healthy eating habits. Talk to them so they will understand why it is important to be healthy and advise them the proper ways to achieve it.

Allot time to sit down and talk with your teenagers. If your family has history of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, maintaining an ideal weight and healthy body is an essential way of prevention. Talk to them about the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. For teenagers who are already overweight or obese, they may have worries and concerns too. Take time to address to each of their concerns and be honest in answering their questions. Do not tell your teenager hat he or she is not fat just to save her self-esteem. Give honest answers; avoid false hopes, but offer support instead.

The power and influence of media over teenagers can really be frustrating at times, especially when it sends a negative message. People seen on television and magazines can sometimes send out the wrong message especially on how teenagers should be physically attractive and how they should look at themselves. The tendency of teenagers, especially females, is to compare themselves with the celebrities that they find attractive. Sometimes, when they cannot get the body figure that they want to have, they become depressed and disappointed at themselves. Inform them that the ideal body weight and body figure varies from person to person. Being healthy does not mean being skinny. Instead of focusing on how skinny models and celebrities are, divert their attention to activities which promote healthy eating habits.

Encourage them to have as much physical activity as they can. Joining extracurricular activities and sports in school can be very beneficial. Not only do they have the chance of losing extra weight, they also develop a sense of discipline and have an improved sense of self. If they do not have interest in sports activities, persuade them to have regular exercise instead. Jogging, running or swimming for an hour can give favorable results. Physical activities need to be done constantly and not sporadically since teenagers have the tendency to be lazy sometimes or busy with school work. Help them create a schedule which will enable them to balance everything.

Steer your teens away from diet pills, fad diets and slimming teas. The best way to lose weight is by doing it the right way. Inform them of the dangers they can face upon using instant ways of losing weight. Some die pills are not regulated by drug authorities and can have adverse reactions which are life-threatening. Some popular fad diets cut down on some food groups which are needed by the body in order to have the nourishment it requires. Slimming teas can have serious effects such as dehydration. There is no overnight solution for being healthy.

Pack their meals with fruits, vegetables, dietary fiber and always remind them to drink as much water as they can. This will help them cut down on weight but not on the nutrients that their body will need to keep going.

Talking to Your Doctor About Weight Loss

Is going to the doctor a good notion to lose weight?

Doctors will not thank me for recommending everyone who wants to remove weight to go to the surgery for advice - It would scare people, as the majority of us are higher than average weight. I think you require to use common sense to decide if a visit to the general practitioner is reasonable The following are some openings when it might be so:

If you've been putting on fat and sense that you have not transformed your eating or exercise patterns. If you've other symptoms (e.g. exhaustion, sluggishness, coldness), you most likely should definitely go. Unexplained fat gain may possibly be a warning of an underlying wellbeing difficulty.If you're extremely higher than average weight - with a body weight index over 30ish - you should get a thorough check-up and the GP will most likely wish for to offer you advice on lifestyle changes you could make - diet, exercise etc. He/she might make reference you to a dietitian and even give you a prescription for visits to your local sports centre - in the UK, a standard prescription charge lets you a monitored program of exercise at the leisure centre, gymnasium or swimming pool in taking part regions.Fat individuals are at bigger hazard of all kinds of health faults, which is why it is important to involve your general practitioner. Loads of greatly overweight individuals have attempted to lose fat themselves and find it in addition difficult, so seeing the general practitioner may assist you to remove the fat this time.If you think you may possibly have an consuming disorder, it is a good idea to see your physician, who may refer you to a specialist for assist.If you're gestating or thinking of becoming pregnant and are overweight, you most likely should see your doctor.If you have time and again tried to get rid of fat and failed. Your physician may possibly be able to provide you advice - or may well even suggest a thinning pill.

A number of GPs aren't as compassionate as they should almost certainly be with over normal weight people - such heartless} doctors should get that some minutes' informative consultation with an over normal weight person now may set aside much NHS dollars (half a billion fat a year of it) and much of their instant in future years. Also, in my experience, a amount of doctors don't know a great deal on the subject of level-headed slimming or nutrition, although some, obviously, do. Which side yours falls into is a bit of a gamble. If you sense you aren't getting great recommendation, ask to be referred to the community nutritionist.

Accordingly when is it not necessary to visit your physician regarding a excess weight crisis? I'd declare if you are in great wellbeing otherwise and have decided that you need to shed a stone or so, then you possibly will follow a good healthy thinning plan, or you might like to join a thinning club for underpinning and guidance.

The Reasons for the Obesity Epidemic

The general thought is that an increase in calories is the culprit for the obesity epidemic. It is true people are eating much more than they used to. You would think the increase is in dietary fat which is incorrect. It has been well documented that the major increase of calories is from carbohydrates. Fast foods, convenience foods and sweetened drinks and sodas have shown a marked increase in people's diet. The average intake of calories for women in 1975 was a bit more than 1500 but by 2000 that increased to over 1800. In men the increase was from 2500 to over 2650 calories. The consumption of fast foods has tripled in this time period.

A variety of reason also added to the problem. People started to drive everywhere especially in the USA. Now most people would never think of walking to the store even if it is down the street. With remote controllers for TV's, computers and game systems we have become more sedate in our rest hours. At work with the addition to many labor-saving devices and machines we do not get the exercise our bodies sorely need.

Without exercise we bring more problems to add to obesity. Not only does exercise burn calories which also helps regulate certain hormones such as insulin which in excess will increase the intensity of your hunger pangs as your body tries to combat the extra blood sugar in your system but other hormones that also regulate hunger. Insulin also in large quantities will turn the excess sugar into stored body fat which secretes toxins in your body that you cannot clear out as your system is overloaded.

Not sleeping enough also will cause problems and promote obesity. Two hormones which help regulate hunger are disrupted when you do not sleep enough. One of the hormones that are produced in excess is Ghrelin which stimulates your appetite. The hormone that suppresses appetite is now produced in smaller amounts as your sleep decreases.

Having a large intake of carbohydrates especially with the sweetened drinks this go directly into your bloodstream and sets off a chain reaction of which everything that happens is bad. The sugar stimulates the production of insulin and brings such effects as an increase in insulin sensitivity so your body produces more insulin to try to regulate the sugar.

The high concentrations of sugar in the blood also attack your organs and bring on diabetes which is a blanket term for a variety of disease that are made worse by a high concentration of sugar from too many carbohydrates.

When people look at someone who is overweight they do not realize that the condition is a disease and it is a dangerous cycle to be caught in. People who are obese and overweight have a tendency like the rest of us to look for a short cut or a magic pill to lose weight and solve the problem. Unfortunately the best way to combat these different diseases that will eventually kill you is a well balanced diet with small amounts of carbohydrates. Include exercise in small amounts at first and you have a combination of healthy eating and exercise that will improve how you feel and look along with improving your quality of life.

Reshaping for a Better You

People-both men and women-die to have the perfect figure. Some go through rigorous exercise and painstaking diet routines just to achieve an hour glass figure for women and a v-shaped body for men. Everyone wants to have a flat stomach and a body that knows no bulges or bumps. Is this really possible? Perhaps if you have really good genes and you don't eat anything except carrots. Then again, pizza tastes really good.

You don't have to worry about achieving all this and working so hard to do so. As a matter of fact, you can achieve an hour glass figure in three minutes and lose a few inches off your waist without necessarily skipping dessert. Ardyss International, a health and wellness company, recently introduced shaping solutions that will enable its users to achieve the perfect figure that they have been so long wanting to achieve.

The key product of Ardyss International is the Body Magic garment. Others argue that these are just girdles that will loosen in a couple of years. This is not true because Ardyss garment is actually designed by Orthopedic Surgeons to ensure that the reshaping garment will be able to change the body structure as desired. There is a wide range of reshaping garments offered by Ardyss Body Magic, most of which can alter your body shape by hiding unwanted bulges to make the wearer look more attractive. The reshaping Ardyss Body Magic works like a mould that once you put it on, your body is sure to shape to look better, if not best.

You don't need special occasions to wear the Body Magic garment because they are very comfortable to wear. The fabric used in the reshaping garment is ultra lightweight and it feels almost like skin so you won't even know you're wearing it. Unlike other girdles and corsets that are easy to spot despite the suit that you wear and very uncomfortable, Ardyss garment can be worn while working out, tending to your garden or going to work.

The best thing about the garment is that it is comes in custom sizes. Yes, you read it right. The garment can fit anyone because you can have your own Body Magic customized to fit your shape. No matter what your body size, there's one that is sure to suit you.

So what will people notice when they see you wearing the Body Magic reshaping Garment? A slimmer you and they will always wonder how you did it in just a few minutes.

The Missing Ingredient

One more meeting about childhood obesity. We all get together and discuss once again: the causes, the challenges, the implications of childhood obesity... Today we talk about obesity and its comorbidities (diseases). Pretty scary talk for all the providers involved.

We see it day in and day out. We fear it day in and day out, but the worst part is that we can't figure out an efficacious way to convince parents. Some providers say it's all about portions, others say it's all about the processed foods we are eating, others say it's the school lunch..... What we all agree upon is that if we cooked from scratch and controlled portions, it would be the key to the epidemic.

We all get stuck with the same obstacle; it doesn't matter which approach is used to counsel families. How do we motivate parents to make changes? It's not a disease that will show itself right now. Like one of my colleagues said, parents have other immediate problems to attend to so they can't see such a distant future. Telling them that 10 years from now something bad is going to happen is not convincing enough. So we, the doctors, attend one more workshop for motivational interview and we try some more of the same things.

But it is only too little that can be changed. How can you be creative if the formula is so simple: what you eat minus how much you move = you. If you eat more and move less = you obese. So we are stuck, unless you as a parent want to change and help your family.

For lack of a better solution, we providers do the same thing, over and over again in the hope that one day, parents will come to this visit motivated to change. Then we can partner with them in their journey for a healthier life.

Should You Get Liposuction If You Are Slim?

As you know, the weight loss and body image industry advance at a very rapid rate both in terms of technology and the options available to the person that wants to tone, reshape, and generally rework their body. This industry is worth billions if not trillions of dollars and as such, it can be a little bit overwhelming when you first decide that you want to lose weight. One option of course is liposuction.

However, if you slim, is liposuction be something you should consider? Some people will think that liposuction is just for those that are overweight and want a quick solution followed by a longer-term plan for a healthier lifestyle. However, one thing to consider of course is that no matter how much you work out and eat right there will always be areas of your body that seem to defy your efforts or that you just do not like. In this case, just like this makes sense.

Something to consider of course is that liposuction on its own will not be your total weight loss cure. While it does reshape and re-sculpt your body, to see the best long-term benefits you will have to most likely make lifestyle changes and changes in not only your overall diet but also your eating schedule. So while this choice can make you look good in the short term, it will be up to you to keep that look your, and your health long-term.

Even if you are slim and do work out, liposuction can be a choice that you make to get rid of unwanted flab and cellulite off of areas that are hard to target when it comes to your exercises. Of course, it is possible to do too much in your quest for that perfect body. Ultimately, you will have to make the choice as to how far you are willing to go to attain your vision of perfection.

Some Thoughts on the Lapband Procedure

If you have been attempting to lose weight for any length of time then you know that it can be certainly something that is a very long-term goal. Although there are many different options that offer you quick weight loss for minimal effort, ultimately you may end up seeing little to no results or even gaining the weight back. What you are looking for is a long-term solution that is not only good for one time weight loss will actually help you maintain your ideal weight and allow you to live the life you want to live.

Something to consider here is that the lap band procedure will help you do this. The thing to understand however is that need to realize that unlike other options you may have looked at, it is not something that you can just go out and apply for and instantly get the next day. You need to ensure that you are first a good candidate. As such, there are several tests needed to go through before you can take the next step. Something else to consider is that if you are looking to lose 30 pounds about a month then lap band itself may not be for you. The idea that you can lose that much weight in such a short time is not only wrong, it is dangerous. Lap band allows you to gradually lose the weight while still eating things that you like to keep.

True, for any weight loss to take place you will have to make lifestyle changes such as changes in your diet as well as exercise, however, ultimately you are looking for a long-term solution that will help you lose the weight you want now and keep it off you would do well to consider this option.

One of the things to consider when you are thinking of lap band is that it will, in fact, train your body to help you make proper and healthy choices with regard to nutrition and exercise. So in a sense, lap band itself is much more than surgical procedure.

Stomach Fat Burning

Who wants to know the hype from the truth about what is the best stomach fat burner? All the guru's have the only answer. Their advice is full of do this, not that. That's the hype. Lots of people, maybe most of us that want to lose fat, are totally confused by all the different and conflicting information. Most of us just want to lose the belly fat and uncover the abs we have. Do we have abs? Absolutely! We just want help in getting the torso slimmed down so we can see them and, yes, others can see them too. The problem lies in the diet and all the physical fitness business is not giving us clear answers.

I think the reason for this failure to have clearness is not dishonesty, at least not in most cases. The fact is there is no magic food you can eat, no magic pills you can take and no one magical exercise you can do that will, without question or doubt, cause loss of fat in the belly. There is only one approach to stomach fat burning and reaching the desired flatness and that is to consume the correct foods in the right amount and proportions and combine that with the right exercises.

Modern research has shown that doing repetitive workouts, sit-ups, and crunches do very little by themselves in reducing stomach fat. It was found that the result for many people was their stomachs actually got larger while doing targeted abdominal exercises. What was happening is the exercises were building muscle but the muscle was underneath the fat!

You need to speed up your metabolism in order to burn fat, and, believe me this is true, that can be done with the right foods and exercise. Put those two together and in the correct combination and you will have a formula for zeroing in on the ugly belly fat you want to get rid of.

Here's the surprise. Some of the foods that are best for you to eat to work on that tough stomach fat are actually very high in fat. As an example, avocados, olives, and, yes, peanut butter are good stomach fat burners since they are full of the right kind of fat; fat that will get your metabolism in high gear so that it burns extra calories.

Another really good food to include in your stomach fat burner is dairy products such as low fat milk. It has been proven that calcium acts as a metabolic trigger that sets off your metabolism into the high gear you want. Recently in a University of Tennessee study, the participants who each consumed from 1200 to 1300 mg. of calcium each day successfully lost nearly double the amount of weight that those in the group that did not take that much calcium.

With regard to exercise, most of the experts I've heard from agree that it isn't necessary to waste money on the latest 'bell and whistle' abs building machine. In an attempt to have the greatest abs possible, you don't need to spend your weight in dollars. What is needed is free and easily accessible and does not require you to join an expensive gym. The only gear you need is a good pair of shoes to wear because the best, the number one stomach fat burner is walking. Tighten your stomach muscles as you walk. This is not only a good exercise, it will give you better balance. Walking speeds up the metabolism, burns away fat, gives your muscles tone and is a great cardio exercise.

In conclusion, the only secret is no secret at all. The best all around method to lose weight in your belly, and to keep it off, lies in the right combination of exercise and eating. Let your lifestyle and your daily schedule be your guides to finding the right diet. Otherwise, you will almost inevitably not keep the diet and exercise going and any fat you have lost will come back.

The Single Most Disastrous Cause of Being Overweight

Obesity is the disease of this age and can predispose you to many dreadful diseases. Aside from losing good body shape, being overweight makes you vulnerable to heart diseases, kidney diseases, diabetes, lethargy, etc. Unfortunately, the major cause of overweight is due to the lifestyle of a typical busy person today. Many people starve through a busy day and compensate for the hunger strike by taking heavy dinners.

Thus, the greatest cause of overweight today is actually 'eating heavily at irregular intervals'. This is inevitable if you do not eat well during the earlier periods of the day.

Culprits of the Single Most Disastrous Cause of Obesity

Culprits of this sin often include both men and women who have busy schedules. Unfortunately, stay-at-home mothers also suffer from this condition when they get hooked in their routine duties and neglect food.

In addition, you may hold the erroneous idea that eating three times daily (at about 6 hour-intervals) is the ideal; this will make you eat heavily these three times and injure your body system.

What to Do About This Cause of Obesity

On the contrary, healthy eating habit involves eating at shorter intervals to compensate for the decrease in glucose level in your blood that occurs every 3 hours. However, you must consistently eat healthy food to achieve this result.

Blood sugar rises every time you eat and gradually declines after about three hours. Similarly, most food items digest in an average of four hours. Therefore, the key to stay slim and fit is to eat smaller foods at regular intervals. Try to grab healthy snacks every 3 to 5 hours to replace lost energy instead of eating heavy meals at inconsistent periods of the day.

A lot of people eat less to get slim but gain weight instead. Unless you understand how your body system handles the food you eat, you may just be suffering yourself. Learn to study your body and its reactions to the food you eat; that is the only way you can effectively slim down (or retain a good size) without hurting yourself.

Above all, listen to the still small voice inside of you. Remember, eating right will positively influence your physical and mental fitness and will make you more alert and sharp.

The Risks of Being Obese and Not Dieting

Obesity is going to epidemic proportions. This does not include the people who are termed overweight. Obesity and overweight reaching epidemic proportions insurance companies are looking away at ways to cut costs and make people more responsible for their health. People who are overweight or obese have many problems to face and now another one.

List of problems that obesity causes is long and day of deadly. Baylor College of medicine recently did a study of people who are obese and surgery. They found that people who went to surgery and are obese were three times more likely to have complications. They also discovered that people are obese and overweight have a larger tendency to have rectal cancer. This number almost doubles if the person has been obese since childhood.

The study showed that people with larger waists 45 inches or more were three times more likely to experience surgical site infections and twice as likely to require re-operation after the initial surgery. With bariatric surgery becoming more and more common the risk for infection and complications and obese people is growing. Bariatric surgery at best is part of a whole weight loss program. Even with bariatric surgery, you will still need to eat a well-balanced diet and continue to monitor your weight.

People who are obese and are looking for an easy out by going to bariatric surgery are in for a surprise. The risk for these people of obstructions, infections, and other complications are greater. The complications and risk that being obese have on the body are many times greater than the overweight person. Bariatric surgery is now reserved for the extreme we obese people.

Most experts agree that people are overweight and obese should start losing weight as quickly as possible. This means that losing one to 2 pounds a week and starting now rather than later is imperative. The longer you wait the harder it becomes and the more dangerous it becomes for you. Losing weight is not easy, but they are deadly, if you do not lose weight and keep it off.

What can be done? The consequences of doing nothing are deadly. Today's society is starting to make people who are overweight to an obese responsible for themselves. Some airlines are talking about charging people extra if they are overweight or obese, insurance companies raise your premiums when you are obese or overweight, and society in general has a negative look on overweight or obese person. The simplest but not necessarily the easiest way is to go on a complete diet and weight loss program. This includes education of how your body reacts to food, learning behavioral modification, setting realistic goals, and an exercise program that is tailored for your specific needs. If you are overweight or obese you need to take control of your life and take steps to lose weight and eventually it off. Benefits of a implementing a complete weight loss program will result in you feeling better, having more energy, and generally being healthier.

The New Food Network

This refers to the poison Food Network, the network indirectly responsible for almost all that ails us. If you acquiesced a few weeks ago, believing you're going to gain weight this holiday season - regardless - you're probably right. Man, they've got it wired.

If you are not eating organic, as much as possible, you're in trouble. In the early eighties, the buzz was just starting regarding genetically modified foods, (the new Food Network), and whether we would know the difference. Fast forward to today: almost every product in every store has some sort of "modification", as though nature needed an improvement. Aren't bananas just the perfect fruit, complete with their own carrying cases? Did it need "adjusting"? All for profit.

Problem is, no one knows the effect of all of this tampering. I can see one clearly; everyone seems to be getting fat. It's so easy. Corn, which has become a primary ingredient in darn near everything, has been modified to contain so much sugar and starch, you can hardly eat it. Corn on the cob tastes like powder. The poison Food Network produces isles and isles of empty calories at your local market.

It also produces high fructose corn syrup, which has been identified as the main culprit in the "bottomless pit" syndrome (your stomach). Your brain never gets the message "we're full - stop eating". Your body is still waiting on something, anything it can use for energy. If it doesn't get it, the message continues, "keep eating until you give me what I want!!!"

You'd be amazed at the difference when you consume a completely organic meal. No acid reflux; you are satisfied and eat normal portions, and your body goes to work, so thrilled you finally gave it something useful. And guess what? You automatically start losing weight. The old Food Network, organic food, is still giving you an option.

Uses of Slimming Pill Other Than Weight Loss

One of the most popular slimming pills available today is Xenical orlistat. It was approved by the FDA in 1999 and since then thousands of people have used it to see great results in their body weight. This pill is clinically tested and proven to be effective and safe. It helps you lose up to 10% of body weight in around 6 months.

Experts in this field believe that even a 5% weight loss in overweight or obese people is significant and noteworthy resulting in improved health and protection from various health conditions. This unique drug, however, is not a miracle cure for obesity. It shows great results only when used in conjunction with a low calorie diet and regular physical exercise.

Clinical studies have shown that this drug helps you lose more weight if used with a proper diet and exercise than if used alone. You should take this pill as per your doctor's prescription. These capsules should be taken three times a day with every meal. Ensure that you do not eat a high fat meal when you are supposed to take Xenical. If you do so, skip the dose.

Xenical works by blocking the absorption of fat from your diet. Around one-third of the dietary fat is not absorbed when you take this pill. The fat that is not absorbed is flushed out of the body. You lose weight faster as your fat intake it reduced. Apart from losing weight, use of Xenical has certain other benefits.
Your eating habits improve: To minimize the side effects of Xenical, you have no choice but to take it along with a low calorie diet, which not only brings down your fat intake but promotes an overall sense of well being. You can also achieve your goals faster.Lessens the risk of diabetes: Taking Xenical cuts down your risk of developing diabetes. It also helps in delaying progression of type 2 diabetes.Your insulin levels will be reduced: The level of insulin in your body is reduced when you take Xenical. This hormone, insulin, is responsible for allowing glucose and sugar to enter your body. High levels of insulin increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease.Blood pressure levels reduce: Use of Xenical helps you reduce blood pressure.

Apart from the above advantages, Xenical is considered safer than other slimming pills as it does not interfere with the functioning of the brain. Other weight loss products suppress your appetite, which is risky.

Slimming pills

The market today is flooded with slimming and it is important that you know the risks associated with the use of such pills to be on a safer side. Most pills on the market today work by suppressing your appetite and interfering with the brain. These inexpensive and harmful pills should not be used under any circumstances. Always consult a doctor before you use any pill. Tell your doctor if you are using any other medication for treatment of other health conditions. Make informed choices for better health.

The Miracles of Not Losing Fat by Taking Weight Loss Pills

I went to this healthy restaurant the other day. They claim to serve food that burn a lot of fat and calories. I asked them how long does it take to have an effect and they said within days of eating their food. So I sat down to the table and ordered six capsules of green tea herbal pills for the appetizer, 15 capsules of acai berry extract, goji berry extract and some ginger pills for the mains, and for desert I ordered a vanilla extract six pack pill with coconut on the side.

I got home hungry and ordered McDonald to satisfy my hunger. I did not lose half a kilo.

Of course I am telling you fibs here but someone may as well start a restaurant that serves that kind of nonsense to people because the weight loss pill industry seems to turn over billions every year as it is. People think they will lose weight fast just from swallowing some tablets that suppose to be natural. I do not believe this is nature, a processed little capsule that maybe will be absorbed inside the body and go into the blood system and do this and that for you. I believe in eating real food that will do all that for you. And we have seen again and again people who eat junk and look like junk and people who eat well and look well because you are what you eat.

I carry with me a one and a half litter water bottle which I fill every day with fresh drinking water and I make sure to finish it plus another half a litter every day. The first 700-800 ml of it I drink first thing in the morning before breakfast and wait until I have to empty myself. I then have breakfast which contain of some organic eggs, one sausage, plenty of vegetables, and some cheese. Two or three hours later I may have a fruit salad with some raw nuts and organic yogurt, and I keep going until bed time on the same fashion.

I also make sure that at least 51% of my daily food intake is raw, and when I say raw I mean un-cooked. This means a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, un-cooked fish salad, and so on. It sounds complicated but once you get in the routine of doing it this way and you enjoy the health benefits of this life style you never go back and it stops to be so difficult.

Weight Loss For the Obese

Obesity is the number one health challenge in the western world, so if you suffer from obesity and have decided you want to do something about it. Congratulations. Weight loss for the obese person brings with it challenges but the benefits you will gain by far outweigh the difficulties. Just remember it probably took some time for you to gain your weight and you need to look upon weight loss as a long-term goal

The very first thing you must do is to get checked by your doctor, they are the best person to give advice about how much it is safe for you to do.

Once you've had that check and know how far to push yourself there is some good news. The more weight you are carrying the more calories your body will burn in carrying out any activity. Moving excess weight requires more energy.

Your best approach is to slowly increase the amount of activity you do while at the same time cut back on the amount of calories you are consuming. If you try to do either of these things too quickly you are likely to give up. Exercise too hard at the beginning and you are likely to pick up an injury that will stop your progress. Cut back too hard on your food and you will feel hungry all day and think of nothing but food.

The next thing to do is to recognise your starting place. You may have very restricted mobility. You may be tied to your home. You may find your increased waist line makes some movement hard. Whatever your position it is possible to increase the level of your activity. Many aerobic activities can be performed in a sitting position. The simple act of raising your hands above your head will raise your heartbeat. Performing 3 sets of hand raises may be your starting point, but do it every day, then twice a day, then with a small weight in your hands and you will be increasing the calories you are burning.

Do you rely on others to fetch things for you? Wherever you can set yourself the goal of doing things for yourself - this will naturally increase your activity. Standing and walking around your room could be a really good starting point. Are you beginning to see the point - any activity you add and continue to build on a regular basis will start to burn off extra weight. Of course if you are already more active that's great, just add to whatever you do.

Apply a similar strategy to your food. Begin to switch some of your snacking from junk food to more healthy options. Try to have plenty of healthy alternatives around. Sweet summer fruits can make a good substitute for candy and vegetable sticks and humus is a great alternative to bags of savoury biscuits or fries.

You can also cut your intake by reducing your portion size, just do it gradually. Try having just one fewer potato at each meal this week, cut back slightly on the dressing. Try leaving some food on your plate - I know that will be difficult for some. Another good strategy is to reduce the size of your plate, you won't notice the reduction of food so much.

If you increase exercise and decrease food every week for a month you will soon be burning more calories than you consume. Taking this gradual approach means you are much more likely to stick to it.

Side Effects of Weight Gain are Dangerous for Your Health, Avoid These 3 Problems by Losing Weight

Have you noticed the side effects of weight gain when you are working around the house, walking to your mailbox, or simply going to the kitchen? Many people don't realize that the side effects of weight gain can be the aches and pains you may pass off as other problems. These three side effects can all be caused by having too much weight.

Sleep Apnea - I have had a run in with this in my family. Sleep apnea can be caused by being too overweight. Sleep apnea is when you have a problem breathing while you sleep. Many times it will force the person to wake up and out of REM sleep causing them to be much more tired in the morning. Many times you can get this checked out at a sleep center and have a breathing machine that allows you to sleep all night and wake up feeling better. My father has had to have one and he says it makes a world of difference.Achy Joints - Having too much weight can also cause your joints to ache from having to support all the weight. Jumping and climbing stairs can causes even more pain. In some cases the cartilage is worn down with all the pressure causing your bones to start rubbing against one another. This make things much more painful and can cause you to move less which only exaggerates the problem.Breathing Problems - Another problem is when you exert yourself you have problem breathing. I personally have experienced this one and because of the extra weight it takes more energy to move as freely as I would like. This causes more muscle activity which burns more oxygen causing me to breath heavy just climbing a flight of stairs with any enthusiasm. Sometimes I like to go out with my kids and have fun outside but I just can't keep up with them because my body has to work twice as hard to keep up with all the weight.

If there is a chance that you are overweight, don't think that the other problems you have aren't related. Sleep apnea is a common problem for people who are overweight. Having achy joins, particularly in the knees and feet, can also be cause by being overweight. Breathing problems can also result from being overweight. There are many side effects of weight gain and if you are not careful, they can lead to serious problems.

The Gastric Bypass Diet for Bariatric Patients - What to Expect

Gastric bypass patients must be committed to following the dietary guidelines recommended by their doctor. The gastric bypass diet is designed to maximize weight loss, while providing the body with the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Although specific diet plans can vary from patient to patient and doctor to doctor, the following information outlines some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines that are encountered by gastric bypass patients following surgery.

Eating Habits

The changes made to the gastrointestinal tract will require that gastric bypass patients make permanent changes to the way they eat. Adopting new eating habits is just as necessary as choosing healthy foods to eat. Patients will need to schedule meal times, eat small amounts, eat slowly, and avoid snacking. Calories will need to severely limited (about 800 calories per day for the first 1 to 2 years during weight loss and 1000 - 1200 per day thereafter for weight maintenance) and certain foods will need to be eliminated from the diet.

Nutrients

Protein is the most important nutrient in the gastric bypass diet. It is needed by the body to function properly, protect muscle tissue, and burn fat reserves. When eating a meal, the protein food items should be eaten first, in case you feel full and cannot finish. Some gastric bypass diet plans encourage the regular use of protein supplements, but in most cases it is best to get your protein from regular foods. The recommended protein intake typically ranges from 50 to 70 grams per day.

Carbohydrates, which are the body's main fuel source, are also an important part of a balanced diet. While it's true that some types of carbohydrates are unhealthy and should be avoided, including starchy foods such as bread products, rice, and pasta, and sugary foods, not all carbohydrates are bad. Nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables are also carbohydrates and a healthy addition to the diet.

Meals

Meals in the gastric bypass diet will primarily consist of protein-rich foods, including lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish), low-fat dairy products (yogurt, cottage cheese), eggs, and soy products, as well as a variety of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. Since the amount of food eaten each day is very limited, it is important to eat only healthy and nutritious food.

Fluids

Fluids are an essential aspect of any diet, but especially for the gastric bypass patient. Patients need to drink plenty of liquids, about six to eight cups a day, to keep from becoming dehydrated. All liquids must be consumed between meals and not with meals or within 30 minutes before or after a meal. Liquids should be sipped slowly and be limited to low-calorie, non-carbonated beverages.

Vitamins and Minerals

Following gastric bypass surgery, the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed from food is reduced due to the changes made to the gastrointestinal tract. While the body can function on the reduced calories, it needs a certain levels of nutrients for proper health. Gastric bypass patients will need to take nutritional supplements for life in order to supply the body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly and to prevent deficiencies that can lead to serious health consequences.

Foods to Avoid

Some foods will need to eliminated from the diet in order to maximize weight loss efforts. The gastric bypass diet should not include sugary foods or high-fat foods as they add excessive calories without providing any nutritional benefits. Other foods should be avoided because they are problematic to the altered gastrointestinal tract and can cause eating discomfort or digestive difficulties.

Surgical Weight Loss - Weight Loss Program for Men

Chances are that you are at this point because your doctor has recommended that you consider a Stomach Bypass Surgery. This is a fat loss program that once you start there is no going back. This is program to lose weight can not be looked at as a magic bullet that will guarantee success. Surgical weight loss programs for men can only be successful if you totally commit to three major factors.

Diet

The diet is very restrictive and forces you to only eat a few ounces of food at a time. Protein is usually the first and only food that you will be able to stomach. Making the stomach into a small pouch guarantees that you will have to train your body to eat and eat many times a day on a specific schedule. Surgical weight loss is the reinforcement tool that makes sure you stay with building a new relationship with food and your ongoing weight loss program.

Exercise and Fitness

Your final weight is not determined by just having the surgery for weight loss but also making sure you start a daily exercise program. Walking, when it is done at a two-mile distance no matter how fast, helps preserve the body's muscle, burns the fat that you want to lose, and guarantees that you will end up with a thinner body with that trim and toned look. "NASA" has found that the best exercise is walking at a 2 mile distance to activate your metabolism daily at Earth's gravity. Doing this for a year can lead to 100 lbs. of fat loss as well as gaining 40 lbs. of muscle, according to Richard Betcher, M.D., who is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and is the founder of Tempus Surgical Weight Reduction.

Making the Time

Taking this step means that you have dedicated the time for the procedure but now you must also continue that dedication in the follow through. This third and final factor is the most important to commit to. There probably have been many times in the past that for one excuse or another you have failed to make time for yourself. In fact your surgery for fat loss might be the biggest investment in yourself that you have ever made. This can not be all that you do for yourself. This is a tool that implores you to continue the process of training yourself to eat well and exercise on a regular basis.

No matter what the reason that you are looking at surgical procedures as an option, you must understand that as with anything else success depends on your actions solely. Surgical weight loss programs are a very effective tool. Your success will be based on how effectively you use it.

Side Effects of Slimming Pill - Is Slimming Pill Dangerous?

Orlistat, commercially marketed as Xenical, is a prescription drug used for the treatment of obesity. It is also known as tetrahydrolipstatin. It prevents the absorption of fat from your diet and is known to give the best results when used in conjunction with a low-calorie diet and exercise.

Brief major side effects of Xenical

If you are taking Xenical for obesity, you may experience some side effects, but it is not necessary that all who take this drug will experience problems. Most people do not experience any side effects at all. In case you experience side effects, please contact your doctor at the earliest. Clinical studies have shown that people who were taking Xenical experienced some side effects as compared to people who were not taking it. Xenical takes effect in your digestive system but does not affect the other parts of your body in any way. Its side effects include:
Faecal incontinenceNauseaFatty stoolBack painHeadacheFatigueUncontrolled bowel movementPain in the stomach

Many side effects related to the digestive tract can be reduced by decreasing your intake of dietary fat. Avoid taking a meal high is fat content with Xenical.

Obesity

When excessive amounts of calories or fat is consumed, the body stores it, which causes weight gain. People eat more than they need and they consume foods that are not good for the health. Despite of nationwide campaigns that encourage people to eat a well balanced diet, people continue to eat unhealthy food. This trend not only gives rise to various chronic health conditions, but also leads to obesity and a state of being overweight. Obesity is the condition in which excess accumulation of fat occurs in the body to the extent that it has negative effects on your health. An individual is considered obese if his/her bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be. Also, the body mass index (BMI) should be 30 or above in order to be identified as obesity. The major reasons for obesity:
Sedentary lifestyleWith the advent of televisions and computers, most people have started living a sedentary lifestyle. They have very little physical work to do unlike their parents and grandparents. Earlier, shopping meant walking around but now it means clicking on a product and entering your credit card number on the internet. The less you move, the fewer calories you burn and this leads to accumulation of fat in your body. Sleep deprivationSleep is directly related to obesity. If you do not sleep enough, the risk of obesity rises by 100%. This is true for both, children and adults. Sleep deprivation leads to obesity. If you don't sleep enough, the level of stress in your body increases. Stress increases your appetite.

Managing weight can be exasperating at times. You may need extra help in weight loss. Xenical aids in reduction of weight. It works best in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Try to hit the gym at least 4 times a week.

Think Gastric Bypass Operation Is the Only Way? Don't Risk Your Life, Lose Weight Safely

Don't risk your life unnecessarily if you don't have to. Did you know that a gastric bypass operation is a still a surgery and shouldn't be undergone without some very serious consideration. Gastric bypass operation will force you to completely change the way you eat and recovery can take up to 5+ weeks to get over. Although in some cases this surgery may be required, it should not be considered a fast solution to what is really a simple problem.

Here are some of the changes that that a gastric bypass operation will force on your life:

Tiny Meals - You can only eat a few ounces at any time and you will have to eat very often. Your stomach will become much smaller with the gastric bypass operation in addition to skipping some of your small intestine. This will obviously limit the number of calories you can physically eat and absorb into your system. If you think this is just s temporary solution, you are wrong.You Can't Drink AND Eat - After you have the gastric bypass operation, your stomach will be so small that it can not take both solid food and drink at the same time. You have to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating a meal and won't be able to drink for 30 minutes after a meal. Your stomach just can't handle that amount of food and drink at one time.Restricted Diet - If you think that you would be able to just eat anything you want in small amounts after your gastric bypass operation, you are mistaken. Many people aren't allowed to each any simple sugars at all. Simple sugars can cause what is called dumping syndrome which causes food to pass too quickly through your stomach and intestines. It can cause a lot of nasty side effects, many you don't want to experience.

Although having a gastric bypass operation may be required by some in severely dangerous situations to begin with, it is not something you want to start looking for if you are simply overweight. Most people hate the ideas of diets but with a gastric bypass operation, you are not only forced onto a diet of sorts but you have had some major surgery that is risky and dangerous itself. If you are not required to go through this kind of operation you may want to consider other options such as a diet program that lets you eat what you want, just under a little more control.

Review of Diet Pills

Some people, especially those running on busy daily schedules tend to use the pills to help maintain weight since they can not afford to follow all the diet programs. This is not advised. It is recommended that one seek advice from a professional in this field before using the pills. This can save one from many dangers associated with the misuse.

The diet pills should always be taken whole. Some people tend to divide the pills to serve a longer period of time. This is not advised and can lead to ineffectiveness. If it is required that one takes a complete tablet, it means that a certain amount of the ingredients are required to achieve the desired goal. It is also recommended that one does not crush the pill and dissolve it in beverages. Chemicals found in beverages have the potential of neutralizing the desired nutrients in the pill thereby leading to ineffectiveness. The best way to take the tablets is swallowing them whole with a glass of water.

The diet pills speed up the metabolic processes. This is the key factor that leads to the burning of all the fats in the body. This means that one passes out lots of urine, which subsequently leads to dehydration. It is imperative that the user take lots of water round the clock. This will help curb dehydration, which can lead to health problems. In addition to that, water offers the required medium for the function of the nutrients and elimination of the fats.

When buying the review of diet pills, it is imperative that one gets the most recommended dose. People tend to compromise the quality and effectiveness of the tablets due to the variation in cost. The low priced pills depict poor quality, which means their effectiveness is not reliable. Some have also been found to cause health problems. The dose should also be taken as recommended. Over dose will not speed up the process but rather lead to complication. This will increase risk of side effects. If the taking of the pill is forgotten, do not take more to compensate for the lost time.

The diet plan enclosed with the diet pills has also to be followed. According to the requirements, the termination of the diet must be done even with no results. This means your body is irresponsive.

Recovering From Obesity

Everyone on earth has a physical condition of some kind. Therefore, we cannot say that there are people who are in perfect health.

Today, some of the most rampant health complications is obesity. This condition has continued to give many people worries about how to deal with it. Many of those suffering from obesity have done a lot to reduce weight but have not been successful. The fact that a good number are to do with genes does not make the fight any easier.

Many obese people are not as such because they are adamant to do the treadmill. Not every one of them has any control over the problem. With obesity, it will take more than the work of the patient alone to achieve results. It will need support from many people.

It is not possible for every patient to run to liposuction. However, much can be able to achieve much where other methods have failed. The Herculean task of ending obesity is well fought with liposuction.

To reduce fat in the body really quick, liposuction is a good option to follow. Being a form of plastic surgery, there overall results are a person with a lean body looking as athletic as can be. It has a lot of safety benefits in the process of removing all the cellulite.

Considering you would have been easily prone to heart disease and diabetes, Liposuction can be said to be a savior.

With liposuction, there is more at hand than just healthy living. Liposuction will allow fat removal from certain specific areas within the body. It can in this case deal with those fatty areas of your body, which the gym has proved futile in removing.

If liposuction is done with the sole purpose of letting you feel actualized, then it is the right procedure. Looking good will really influence how good you feel. With liposuction, you can gain extra confidence due to looking good.

The Impact Of Obesity In America

Obesity is a truly worrisome problem the United States and the world are facing today. It is estimated that overall obesity will be the number one killer ahead of tobacco in the United States. The reason why obesity is a concern is because of its link to other ailments that can prove fatal. In particular obesity and is associated with high blood pressure. It is a known risk factor for hypertension. In fact an increasing number of people are developing high blood pressure because of obesity in their childhood years. Combined with blood pressure obesity can be a lethal sentence for heart disease.

Heart disease and hypertension are life threatening conditions that are directly associated with obesity. Being overweight in childhood as noted is related to plenteous chronic diseases that typically manifest later in adulthood. These include type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Studies have noted that 60 percent of overweight five-to-ten year-old children had at least one additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Apart from disease, overweight children are also at heightened risk for lower self-esteem, depression, self-blame and social rejection by both peers and adults.

Studies note that in the United States in the last 25 years, the prevalence of children and adolescents who are overweight has tripled to reach 17.1% between the years 2003 and 2004. It is further discovered in research that the obesity epidemic is taking a hold of both girls and boys regardless of which state they are in, their racial and ethnic background and their socioeconomic status. However it has been observed that subgroups including Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans are disproportionately affected.

There are particular environments that influence the choices that children make regarding food and physical activity. These environments are namely home, work, school and clinical environments. It looks clear that if no interventions that are effective and targeted are taken, this will turn out to be a massive health problem going forward into the future as many adults will emerge with all types of diseases. The opportunity to halt the this trends remains at key points in the life and interaction of kids. Of particular note are the foods that kids are fed at the cited environments above.

Health eating and regular activity will need to be inculcated at an early stage namely at school and at home. Teachers and parents alike have a duty to ensure a healthy eating lifestyle in these kids. Apparently children spend much of their childhood times at school and at home. Programs is schools perhaps even sponsored and managed by the federal governments are necessary and involving experts in healthy eating initiatives.

Lose Weight Without Dieting or Exercise - Guaranteed

Why your children are obese

It is now predicted by medical and scientific experts any child born after the year 2000 will not only outlive their children, they still will have a 1 in 2 chance of heart disease and diabetes. That is an ugly statistic. Are kids obese today because they play video games and do not play outside? I doubt that. Are you kids doomed to heredity issues of parental obesity? Not likely. Genetics do not work that way. These kids are eating at your dinner table or fast-food restaurant is why they are on the path you put them on. High Fructose Corn-Syrup is toxic and does not break-down and turns into fat. All corn products are genetically modified and have been for years. Foods with hydrogenated oils (crackers, cookies, potato chips) are already lining your kid's arterial walls and restricting their blood flow.

How did I burn off several inches of belly-fat without one single exercise or diet anything? You will know before this article is over what ONE item is missing in every one's diet. Research the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine Award. We have had computers and Internet for 20 years. Laser technology, holographic 3-D imaging, cellular break through, and just recently figured out we need Nitric Oxide (NO) in our diets. Not all forms of NO are created equal.

I shared in a previous blog that diets do work, they work in reverse. A doctor knew about the swings everyone goes on when they diet. You take a couple steps back, (lose weight) and then when you go off your diet you gain even more and end up taking 5 steps in the wrong direction. He had patients coming to him for help gaining weight. Yes, he had ultra thin people who could not pack it on. When he remembered the swings the dieters got on him of course, put the thin people on diets. They lost 2-3 pounds and when they ate normal again they gained 4-5 back. They would diet again and lose 4-5 pounds and eat normal and gain 8-9 pounds back. When you understand how the body works it makes sense. When you diet you are starving the normal intake and body knows it and panics. Your body goes into storage mode when you eat normal so the body won't have to starve as much should you diet again.

Losing weight is not the goal of a healthy person. Losing or burning body-fat is. You want to build muscle which means you may gain weight. Fat floats protein/muscle sinks. My business partner is freaking out. His whole life he has had a soft body or at least a belly. Drinking soda and sweet tea did not seem to help either. In one weeks use of ProArgi9 Plus he noticed more energy. He was sleeping less and more active. The mirror is what got his attention. The life time love handles that were there are gone. Vanished without a trace. All of us simply need Nitric Oxide in our bodies. We cannot get enough of it through the food supply as we once did. It only does one thing-NO clears out your arteries and your body then heals itself. Think hard about this one. When you cut your finger or get burned, what happens? Give it some time and your body repairs itself.

All the people taking this natural plant based formula report reversing heart disease, strokes, kidney failures, diabetes complications, autism, brain tumors, erectile dysfunction, dementia, fatigue, obesity, so very much more. All this did was do ONE THING! It cleaned out all the arterial system in your bodies and your body healed itself through increased blood flow. Your drugs and medications cannot and will not ever do this. How much do people spend annually on supplements and vitamins that are completely wasted? If your arteries are clogged, and they are-the delivery system internally cannot perform what you wish. If you are one of the many who cannot think for yourself, you are going to go to your doctor and ask them about something their huge ego's know nothing about-nutrition. Your doctor got zero minutes of education in 8 years of med school. I publish a live conference call 5 nights a week, you can bring them on my call and we can cat directly about all this too.

Blood flow is the key to health. One of them anyway. We have an arterial system over 100,000 miles long. That means the very small capillaries that are supposed to get blood flow that don't cannot perform duties, like removing fat. You also do not know the food you eat is such crap your body surrounds it in brown fat to encapsulate the toxins, I mean food you just ate and are toxic as much as obese. My partner and I both lost fat that has been there due to increased blood flow.

My daughters are almost 15, 16. They have never eaten dairy, gluten, corn products, genetic modified foods, soy products; they have eaten grass fed meats we raised with no hormones, antibiotics, steroids, no herbicides or pesticides on the grass the animals ate. No high fructose corn-syrup ever-they drink good water. We eat organic live foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables daily with good exercise. My girl's arteries still tested 29 years old and 37 years old on a perfect diet. That means our food supply is depleted of Nitric Oxide and getting worse. THAT is why it has been predicted kids just born will outlive their children. Your doctor is part of the problem, not part of the solution. So are you. You cannot fix something you do not know is broken, now you do.

Is Obesity Infectious?

We all know that many viral deceases are contagious and spread by physical contact. Similarly behavior can be influenced by family and friends. In the same way, is it possible that obesity is acquired from our social contacts?

Recent research at Harvard University suggests so. A research article published by Hill, Rand, Nowak and Christakis recently in PLOS computational biology journal suggests that obesity is spread similar to an infectious disease transmission among friends and social contacts.

This research not only identified the inter-relation between obesity and social contacts but also quantified.

Models of infection

In order to understand the models, individuals are classified as susceptible and infected.

In the SIR model, an individual is susceptible to start with, gets infected and then becomes immune to infection and so after the first infection, the individual gets into recovery stage. Hence the name SIR is given, which is derived from the first letters of the words - Susceptible, Infected and Recovered.

However in some deceases and social behaviour patterns, an individual does not become immune and so becomes susceptible once again after a recovery. This model is SIS model -meaning Susceptible, Infected and Susceptible.

In cases of social contacts, such behaviour can be 'infected' spontaneously or automatically as the present study has shown. To explain this phenomenon, the authors have extended the SIS model and called it SISa, the suffix standing for automatic.

Using the model, the research quantified the social influence on obesity. In fact the model calculates that for each obese social contact, the rate of obesity increases by 0.5 percentage points.

This is an interesting study and probably adds one more fact to prove the mind over body phenomenon. However one important point the study highlights is, while the number of obese contacts influence the change of state from non-obese to obese, the reverse is not true. This observation shows that it is not a simple mind body influence. Or if it indeed is, the influence is only on the negative side. Actually the authors concluded from the study that while gaining weight is contagious, losing weight is not.

This study used data points from earlier obesity studies. As the earlier studies did not focus on information of social network data, the authors suggest that some of the social data might be incomplete. While this might have caused some under sampling, the authors are confident that the results would not have changed qualitatively.