Childhood Obesity

This young generation that is growing up is not expected to live longer than it's parents. This is a strong statement and very sad fact.
Experts in the UK predict that many parents could soon outlive their lethargic children, as junk foods and a lack of exercise send them to their graves all too early.
In the US a program for "stop childhood obesity" is advertising some strong images that are sparking controversy. Opponents to the advertising say that it makes kids feel picked on and targeted as less equal to their slim counterparts. While this statement may be true at least this advertising has got the ball rolling on the discussion of childhood obesity.
If you're a parent take your responsibility of raising your child to have healthy eating habits seriously. Fast food places are the doorway to obesity, type 2 diabetes and a whole list of other ailments that will for sure develop in a lifetime. Model a life for your children that is based on healthy and moderate eating. Include fast food places only as an occasional treat or a temporary stop gap but not as a mainstream diet.
Check out: www.strong4life.com

Too Much Too Little

I'm going to be really frank and to the point. Fat people do too much eating and too little exercise. Problem is when you're obese you don't feel like exercising. Every movement obese people make is a labour. They get out of breath just getting up from the kitchen table and walking to the couch.
This may sound mean bit just think about it. Being fat perpetuates less movement. Especially when movement causes pain because the body is laboring under the excess fat.
If you're obese you need to realize that movement even just starting with a regular daily short walk may be painful but is necessary. Movement such as walking burns calories and helps your body function as is was designed.
Shoveling excess food into your mouth caused your problem and now you need to do what is uncomfortable to fix it. If you don't you will surely die a premature death and a painful lethargic one at that!

OBESITY - The Warning Signs

It is important to know the warning signs of obesity. You just don't wake up one morning and you're 100 pounds overweight. It doesn't happen that way. Gradually you take a journey to get to the obese state.
Are you on that journey? This is an important question to ask yourself if you are reading this. The journey is filled with decisions. The wrong decisions will lead to obesity and maybe even to extreme obesity. Have you watched the reality shows of obese people who weigh 500 to 1000 pounds? They got there by making a whole lot of bad decisions. Sure some will say it's their thyroid, low metabolism or what have you. But one thing is for sure, no excess food in the mouth means no excess fat around the tummy.
I know I'm being "hard" or even "mean spirited" but the fact is fat people need to take responsibility for their condition.
The "it's not my fault" syndrome is killing people. My next few blogs will cover some "bad decisions" and "wrong attitudes" that obese people build their lives around.

The road to 200

That's right I'm still working to get to 200 pounds. It's January 9th, 2012 and I'm committed and on my way to losing the extra fat! Wish me luck!

Sugar Equals Diabetes

It is so sad to see people eat themselves into disease. Are you one of them? An Aunt of mine who is in her eighties consumes one jar of jam every two days. That's incredible and very careless.

My push to 200 pounds

Well I haven't blogged for a while so I'm going to give an update. I found that eating up to 100 grams if carbs a day with modest exercise allowed me to maintain my 220 lbs. Only last week on holidays did I balloon to 225 lbs. So now as of May 24, 2011 I'm pushing to get to my original goal of 200 lbs. Wish me luck in dropping the fat!

My Visit to the Doctor

Well I had a visit to my doctor and he was surprised. Usually people in diets don't keep the weight they have lost off. In fact some people gain even more weight than they had previously. When I was weighed I was one pound less than last time.

Five pound intervals

On my weight loss journey I noticed that my weight came down in five pound intervals. For example when I broke the 235 pound barrier I fluctuated between 230 to 235 pounds until I hit the 230 pound barrier. Then I fluctuated between 225 to 230 pounds. Right now I'm at a solid 220 pounds and fluctuate down to 216 pounds. This time it seems to hang around 220 and not let go. Last time my weight loss was stubborn I helped a friend move which was physically exhausting but it helped me jump down 5 pounds. I may have to increase my exercise program to make the next jump. The fat has got to go.

Life of a Fat Person

Some people believe it's OK to be fat. What they don't realize is what the future holds for a fat person. I'm not talking about people who are only 20 pounds overweight. I'm talking about people who are 50 or more pounds overweight. A shocking reality is that this extra fat will seriously effect their quality of life in a negative way as they get older. The extra fat harms the heart and the cardiovascular system. The heart works harder because of the thickening blood. Arteries become clogged and blood pressure rises. A recipe for a stroke or heart attack. The doctor prescribes blood pressure medication and cholesterol lowering medication which the fat person will take for the rest of his/her life. The fat person doesn't exercise enough therefore is always out of breath doing just menial tasks like walking. In the younger years the body is seemingly able to handle the excess weight but things will change for the worse. Joints start to ache and everyday activities are painful so the doctor prescribes painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills. The blood sugar rises and eventually turns into type 2 diabetes. The doctor prescribes shots of insulin. The good thing is that insulin helps the person to live with diabetes the bad thing is that the fat person has just complicated his/her life. Even diabetes treated with insulin can over many years cause poor blood circulation and lead to amputation of limbs. Loss of vision and total blindness is common. The body's joints take a beating carrying the extra fat around. Over years of this pressure joints like hips and knees wear out. The fat person can expect to have joint replacement surgery. Later in life a fat person will start to "waddle" like a duck when he/she walks. This walk is not normal it is just how the body copes with fat that pushes the body out of shape.

Keep Your Focus

It seems that after the holidays (when I indulged in sweets more so) I'm now fighting food cravings.  Fortunately I have been able to stav off the cravings by keeping my focus.  What helps me keep my focus is the fact that I haven't yet reached my goal of 200 lbs. Plus I went through my closet and got rid of 24 shirts that where size XXL. Now there is a lonely new shirt sized Large hanging there. Since I need to wear a uniform at work I went in for a fitting and ordered some Large sized clothes so I can get rid of my XXL ones. Since Large is the new me instead of XXL I'm encouraged and will continue to strive to KEEP MY FOCUS.
What helps you keep your focus?  Every little bit of success should be an encouragement to stay on track. Keep setting goals and work towards them.  I have not reached any of my goals on time but I've still lost over 40 lbs.  Not bad for a failure?  KEEP YOUR FOCUS!