The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormone, which is instrumental in the regulation of the body’s metabolism, or rate of burning energy. This is a function that takes place in both humans and animals. The metabolism works by ensuring that a specific amount of oxygen travels around the body at a specific rate. Your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) is this rate when you are resting. An ill functioning thyroid may be responsible for lowering the activity of this BMR and, thereby, causing your metabolism to slow down significantly. To see if you have any symptoms, read further…

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There are several contributing factors to being or becoming overweight; it is not always solely due to an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise. While these factors may explain our reasons for weight gain, they do not excuse obesity. Being overweight and, more especially, being obese is dangerous and even deadly, and must be avoided at all costs. However, identifying these possible risk factors aids in the prevention and treatment of weight gain.

Genetics play a large role in weight gain or in being overweight in general. Your genetic makeup determines how your body burns energy (metabolism) and how effectively it receives and handles calories. If one or both of your parents suffer from obesity, it is vital that you keep a close watch on your weight and metabolism.

Men’s bodies are made up of more muscle and less fat than women’s. Their metabolisms are also faster than women’s, which means that they are able to burn energy faster and more efficiently. Therefore, women are more susceptible to obesity and weight gain than men are. Women need to be more diligent in ensuring that they remain relatively fit and healthy to avoid becoming overweight.

As we age, our bodies gradually slacken in their ability to burn energy as effectively. Muscles deteriorate and are replaced by fat and flab (flaccid muscles). As energy decreases, older people are unable to maintain their exercise regime. All of these factors combine to cause weight gain.

Of course, our diet plays a key role in our weight situation. Regularly consuming foods that are high in saturated fats, sugars and preservatives all contribute to our body’s susceptibility to weight gain. It is imperative that your diet be rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, fibre and water to assist the body in maintaining healthy levels of fat within the system.

A lack of exercise is another key ingredient to being overweight. Exercise not only burns calories, it also kick starts the metabolism so that, even when you are not actively exercising, you are still burning calories at a higher rate than an unfit person.

Medication and medical problems are known to cause some cases of obesity. Cortisone is known to lead to water retention and bloating, while hypothyroidism is one of the leading causes for fat retention in women. Hormonal imbalances also negotiate the effectiveness of the body’s ability to burn excess energy and lead to weight gain.

Women expect to gain weight during pregnancy, but it is normal to retain some of that weight long after the birth of their baby. On average, a woman’s weight will increase by 5 pounds (2.2kg) after each pregnancy.

While your particular vulnerability to these factors may not necessarily be in your control, being aware of the dangers they pose is empowering and allows you time to change your lifestyle in whatever ways you can, depending on the reason for your weight gain. Preventing unnecessary weight gain is always far healthier and easier than trying to lose weight once it has settled so comfortably around hips, bums and thighs.

Aspiring Elle Macphersons may already know that sugar, fat and processed foods make you fat and unhealthy. However, there are five other secret ‘fat-pilers’ – ingredients, diets and foods that play a key role in weight gain.

Carb-free liquor – Since all hard liquor is considered to be free of carbohydrates, this was considered to be safe. But, most beers and wines still contain sugar, which is a carbohydrate. So, even a low-carb glass of wine may contain over 100 calories.

Artificial sweeteners – Horrors! Our one last straw to sugary sweetness has been torn out of our clutches! Because our bodies are being deprived of real sugars, we are more likely to eat increased amounts in a search for the sugar our body needs and craves. Obviously, balance is required. Sweeteners are fine if a controlled amount of sugar is included in the diet elsewhere, but cutting sugar out completely is only likely to force us to search for it elsewhere. Read more »

When exercise and diet do not seem to be working for those starting to gain weight inexplicably or just struggling to lose the existing excess, many turn to miracle cures. However, there are several other possible causes for this struggle. These are important indications that your lifestyle is in urgent need of a change, and should be treated and managed with the utmost care for your welfare. These reasons include:

1.    Lack of sleep – When the body is deprived of sufficient sleep, it undergoes a significant amount of physiological stress. This causes it to store fat. Lack of sleep also causes sluggishness during our waking hours, and decreases our ability to cope with stress during the day. Many of us, whether knowingly or not, reach for a snack when we feel pressurised and stressed. Another typical reaction to a lack of sleep is late-night snacking. This is a dangerous habit as it not only increases our daily calorie intake, but also means that we go to bed soon after eating, allowing no time for the metabolism of the food.

Adults need approximately 8 hours of sleep every night. If you are feeling irritable, sleepy, or sluggish, this may be an indication that you are not getting enough sleep. Of course, regular exercise makes one sleep better, so that is always a must on the health regime. Read more »

Weight loss and fitness continue to challenge both men and women alike. Whether we desire to lose weight for aesthetic or medical reasons, it remains one of the largest uphill battles of our time. W could all do with a few tips and hints to aid our efforts, and here they are:

1.    Savour your flavour – savouring your food will cause you to take longer to eat it, giving the stomach time to register that it is full before you have crammed it to an overloaded stage. This also prevents thoughtlessly popping snacks into your mouth as a habit or form of comfort.
2.    Sweat the small stuff – making a lot of small changes may mean big results. Changing your milk from 2% to skim / fat-free, opting for wholewheat bread instead of white, popping a sweetener into your coffee instead of a sugar and replacing creamy sauces with low-fat salad dressings will all aid in your efforts. You are sure to be surprised by how tasty good food can be without having to sacrifice too many of your firm favourites. Read more »

If you’re looking for a great way to jump start your diet, look no further. There are lots of different diets to choose from and it can be difficult to decide which is best. But a low carb diet is a very popular choice, and for good reason. With a low carb diet, many people find that they start to lose weight almost immediately. Of course, you should check with your doctor before starting any diet, just to be sure you’re in good health. You also should know how low carb diets work, what foods to avoid, and what foods to eat.

You may wonder how low carb diets work. Foods are classified into three main types: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Basically, your body uses proteins to build new cells, and burns carbohydrates and fats to provide energy. Your body can also store extra energy for the future in the form of body fat. Since your body can’t store carbs, it can convert excess carbs to fat for storage. Since both fat and carbs can be stored in the form of fat, eating too much of either one can cause weight gain. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat, you can make your body start using stored fat, so you lose weight. One advantage of low carb diets is that the weight loss often starts quickly and proceeds rapidly. Read more »

With the With the holidays here along comes the holiday gatherings and holiday eating, it’s easy to worry about gaining back the weight energy into losing|successfully worked hard on losing prior to the season of indulgent eating. So, that you don’t stress any further here are some fast and easy tips to decrease the chance of gaining, if any, weight during your many upcoming holiday parties to come.

1. FILL UP ON MORE SENSIBLE FOODS
Foods that are high in fiber or water will give you that full sensation and help keep you from over eating on empty calories that will make you eat more in the long run. For example eat an extra scoop of vegetables and fruit when filling your plate, and by the time you finish, you will not have the space in your tummy for the other foods which are higher in calories and more likely to cause you to gain weight.

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I don’t want to beat the recent Oprah Winfrey weight re-gain news to death. However, since my recent post about yo yo dieting was one of the most read and 2nd most commented blog posts I have written this year,…

Controlling your weight and avoiding weight gain as you get older are important ways to prevent a host of weight-related health problems.

Indeed, if you are more than 20 pounds over your ideal weight, you are at greater risk for a rogues’ gallery of potentially deadly conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, endometrial cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, and breast cancer.

What’s more, most people who are overweight tend to avoid exercise, and that avoidance just adds to the toll paid for extra pounds.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight, you are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. And, if you already have a medical condition such as high cholesterol, being overweight puts you at higher risk for complications.
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Eat right, keep moving.

You just have read all that you need to know about how to prevent being overweight. That simple set of instructions should be easy to follow, but not for 35% of Americans who are unable to prevent being overweight.

Of course, once we are overweight, we usually want to trim down for a whole lot of reasons, some related to health, others having to do with looks.

In addition, it is never too late to lose weight. But the fact is, it is a whole lot easier to prevent putting on pounds than to try losing them later on. And if there is one thing we all know, it is that weight gain is likely to happen if we do not take forward-looking steps to stop it.
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