In order to fight obesity, it is important to understand how so many people have become obese in this modern day and age. Being so fat that you are classified as obese is the result of consuming a high calorie diet of processed foods.

Who is to blame - the person eating the food, or the companies that make it?

To discover the causes of obesity you should take a closer look at the food we eat, why we are made to eat it and the contemporary lifestyle that fuels the consumption of these ‘fast foods’. Only then will you know how to fight obesity properly.

Your Inactive Lifestyle Choice

It’s easier than ever before to lead an inactive, sedentary life. Most professionals are desk bound and overworked, a common set of circumstances that have been linked to obesity. Physical inactivity is the main culprit behind gaining weight over time. As the technology age has risen, leisure activities have been transferred from outside lively games and sports, to inside television watching and digital gaming.

What this essentially does is it prevents you from burning any extra calories that you have gained throughout the day. Couple this with a high fat, high calorie diet and you are heading for a rapid spike in childhood and adult obesity rates.

With technology slowly replacing our basic need to venture out into the open air, more and more people are finding that to fight obesity is a near impossible task. The average day begins by driving or commuting to work, sitting at a desk for 8 hours, returning home the same easy way, and then watching television until you have to do it all over again. This is no way to live or fight off obesity.

Fast Food Equals Fast Money

The processed food industry grows larger every year as the need for quicker, bigger meals replaces normal eating habits. Because people are more inactive than they once were they gain weight, and consequently need to eat more every day to stay satisfied.

Fighting obesity has never been more difficult. Our entire society is built around processed foods.

Fast food restaurants litter the streets; grocery stores are stocking boxed, microwavable meals instead of fresh produce. You have virtually no chance of being of a normal weight if you are inactive and eat this kind of food.

Fast food corporations claim that they are only filling a need, or supplying what people want. They sell fast food to millions of people because it is less expensive than fresh produce. Processed foods packed with chemicals like MSG keep adults and children coming back again and again.

To fight obesity you have to realize that fast food is designed to make you fat so that you need more fast food. It induces cravings because of the chemicals inside it.

In order to defeat this cycle of inactivity and high calorie dieting that leads to rapid weight gain, you need to break out of the norm. To truly fight obesity you must avoid ‘easy’ foods. Prepare fresh meals for yourself. Exercise as often as you can. There are cycles of health and weight loss that you can get into as well. Be mindful of the profit hungry fast food industry and its deadly food. Stay healthy, stay motivated but most of all fight your obesity!

It is beyond any doubt that bad fats are harmful for our health. This is especially valid with the ugly trans fats which are much worse than saturated fats. The high ratio of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fats to the omega-3 fats which is typical of the western diets, is another serious reason for concern because it is well proven to promote chronic inflammation. The en masse, however, demonization of the fats has opened a secret door for a much more vicious and life threatening enemy: sugar and all the sugary substitutes most of which are nasty chemicals.

A huge industry of low fat and fat free foods flourishes because of our abysmal ignorance and the consequences for our health are detrimental.

Some examples of these foods:

- Frozen foods ready to be microwave

- Cakes,cookies and the like.

- Ice creams,candies and pastries.

- Frozen yogurts,etc.

Despite,however,the general adoption of the low fat foods the situation in Greece with the obesity epidemic is dramatic. More and more people exhibit the medical disorders of the metabolic syndrome.

But why?

Because the “low fat” label makes us eat big quantities of these foods without guilt or fear. We think that we will not get fat because fat is absent.

We seem to ignore that the extra sugar will convert to fat and get stored as adipose tissue. We seem to forget that a consistent caloric surplus will definitely make us fat. And while fat has considerable satiating properties,processed carbs cannot easily satiate our hunger and thus we tend to eat more and more.

We experience every day the results of this habit in our families and in our microcosm/environment. The statistics simply come in corroboration of what we already live and feel.

The biggest problem with obesity is not fats! This title belongs to sugar. Sugar is the real source of nearly every problem pertaining to chronic,degenerative diseases.

And do not forget that our prevalent pursuit in life should be to live better and not longer!

To your great health!

Chris Strogilis

The number one health issue in the U.S. for children today is obesity. There have been many studies done recently on percentages, reasons, etc, but everyone agrees that something must be done to change this epidemic or the number of children with weight related health issues will skyrocket. Also, as this generation grows up they will become a generation of very unhealthy adults.

Exercise and increasing metabolism is a huge part in the plan for decreasing obesity, but another area of concern is in the food the kids are eating and the foods they are not eating in their regular diets. If we as adults would keep a journal of the things we eat we would see that we are probably not getting the foods we need in our diets, but it seems much more so for kids. They are often not given good healthy choices for food at their schools, events, etc. So many times in classes or other sessions kids are given candy as a reward. Even at school, where most of the time, kids are left to choose their own foods, poor choices are being made leading to unbalanced meals. Kids need to be taught about healthy choices and may even need some guidelines to go by at school, so they know what they can and cannot choose.

The first step to evaluating what your kids are eating, is to keep a record of the food they are eating on a daily basis-how much and what kind. If they are older, they may not like you recording their every nibble, but it is important for both the child and the adult to see what they are actually consuming regularly. If a doctor is involved, they will have you do this step anyway. Once the type and amount of food being consumed is recorded, compare that to a chart of what is the normal caloric intake for a child of that age and size. A doctor will be able to help you determine what a healthy caloric intake should be.

Once some parameters are set, then a child’s diet will need to be adjusted accordingly. For some it may be helpful to wean down on certain foods so they do not experience a crash from not having a certain food in their diet, like carbohydrates or sugary foods.

As with other things in a child’s life, they are more likely to succeed at something if they are being modeled that behavior by an adult. So, this is where the whole family can get involved. The pantry, fridge and cabinets will need to be cleared of the foods and drinks that are not helping, for example, the sugary, empty calorie snacks and candies, sodas, etc. These may be okay on occasion, but should not be a part of our daily diet.

We seem to hear more about what we can’t have instead of what we can have. There are so many foods that can be used to replace foods we don’t need regularly. The internet has so many ideas and useful recipes for low fat, low carb recipes, as well as healthy snacks. You may choose to follow a diet plan outlined in a book, but check with your doctor first before starting a child on a set diet. Usually by reducing the amount of unnecessary food, unhealthy food and increasing healthy foods, like fruit and vegetables and lean meats, a child’s weight can begin to reduce quickly. Of course, exercise is a strong part of this process by increasing metabolism to burn off the excess weight.

Do you know the difference between being overweight and obese? The majority of people do not understand theses two words and they use them interchanging. The true definitions of these words are as follows:

- Overweight: this is when you are 10 to 20 percent over your ideal body weight

- Obese: this is when you are more than 20 percent above your body weight with excess body fat.

- Morbidly obese: if you are 50 to 100 percent over your ideal body weight and have severe health or normal functioning.

When you think of the word obese you probably think of “Jaba the Hut” from Star Wars. If you do, you are wrong. There is no way that this term could apply to you, is there? You can be overweight without being obese, but the extra weight must come from water, muscle, and bone. You are obese if you are carrying around a lot of body fat. The majority of people that are overweight are also fat.

Some professionals define obesity by percentage of body fat. If you are a woman with more than 33 percent body fat, and a man with more than 25 percent body fat you are considered to be obese. There are a number of ways to figure out how much of you is actually made of fat. The most popular way that people measure by fat is by using skinfold calipers. This method is often used in gyms. The results from having your body fat measured this way is inaccurate and should be done by a professional to ensure the most accurate results. Another way that body fat is measured is by jumping into a pool that is especially designed for this type of weighing. Once in the pool you are hooked to electrodes and tiny parts of electricity is shot through you. This is the more accurate of the two choices.

The idea of ideal weight has been around for many years. The reason these have come about is that scientist have drawn conclusions about the general population. These assumptions are general and may have nothing to do with you. The first problem with the concept of putting people into standard categories about their weight is the idea about your ideal weight being based on height and weight. This idea is outdated and doesn’t mean anything! Your genetics and your overall build have more to do with your particular weight more than anything else.

The range of healthy weight is different for everyone because we are all different. Your weight gain and loss are also not the same for you or anyone else. Just like your eyes, ears, and habits they aren’t the same as anyone else’s exactly. This has more to do with heredity. You can thank your ancestors and the food industry for your big butt. The food industry contributes by the types of food you put into your body and the amount of it. This is also compounded if you are doing nothing but watching television.

Obesity is now defined by medical practitioners as one of the most common nutritional disorders. It is a problem among adolescents and children, especially in the United States. The one possible reason behind it is the food that most of them eat everyday. Some examples of these foods are burgers, pastas and pizzas that somewhat high in fat and carbohydrate content. Their lifestyle can also cause or contribute to these kind of conditions among them. The available data or statistics about the percentage of American children and adolescents that are obese is approximately 18%. And approximately 24% are overweight among them. This problem is very common to their age and ethic group. The obesity among children can lead to type two diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, reproductive dysfunction, liver disease and renal disease. They also have the big possibility that they become an obese adult. These can also cause cardiovascular disease.

The obesity among adults are according to the statistical analyzing of data with regards to the association of body mass. That results to some risk of long-term and acute morbidity. And because these acute complications are not common in obese adolescents and children than obese adults. Those who conducts studies and investigations regarding to this nutritional problem have used some terms like overweight, morbidly and obese in order to refer for those adolescents and children that weighs is exceeding against the expected weight for their heights by the appropriate percentages. BMI as define as body mass index, is not used consistently for validating children below two years of age. It is because the weight may vary continuously.And as constantly analyzed, these childhood conditions are continued towards the growing stages of the person and it is most likely to happen in most cases of obesity that starts from childhood condition.

And as demonstrated in McGavock et al., low fitness with regards to cardiorespiratory aspect and the low fitness in a long time is one main reason that can be associated to gain weight. And as of the analysis of 902 children in school, it reflects or shows that within a period of twelve months, more weight are gain among children and adolescents that are low with this kind of fitness. They increases their waist circumferences and shows conditions of being an overweight. That simply shows the rapid gain mass they acquire within the period of time given for the experiment.

The definition between overweight and obese is the line between twenty-nine and thirty for adults. This refers to the body mass index (BMI) as calculated by weight divided by height. A similar distinction is true for children and teens though the calculation of the BMI is slightly different for individuals in those age groups.

There are three factors that are known to play important roles in obesity for both child and adult. There are also other factors that seem to play a role. These are continuing to be studied and will be touched on later in this article. The three known factors are:

? Genes

? Diet

? Activity

These three factors are significant in each individual. Understanding their role in obesity and your own condition relative to overall health can prove useful. Shaping a healthy lifestyle is a long-term commitment. It involves education and determination.

In some cases genetic factors can result in conditions that directly cause obesity. This is true in the child and the adult, Prader-Willi syndrome is one example of this. In instances of genetic problems it is recommended that you consult a doctor. In some cases detecting the genes before the syndrome fully develops may be helpful. There may also be ways to combat the obesity that occurs with such syndromes.

Diet has come to be known as an obvious factor. However, it is often an underestimated factor. While realities such as genetics and even activity will determine how your body processes food, the number of calories that you consume has a simple and direct impact on your weight. What has come to be referred to as the Caloric Balance Equation is a good way of understanding the relation.

If you imagine that on one side of a scale you have the calories that you consume and on the other side of the scale you have your body functions and the activities that you engage in then you have an image of what occurs in the body. If more calories are consumed than used then weight can increase; if fewer calories are consumed than used then weight will likely decrease. This makes a healthy diet important for adult and child.

Activity affects your obesity in a number of ways. First, as seen in the caloric balance, an increase of activity may tip the scales in a downward direction itself. In addition though activity often results in the burning of fat and the building or toning of muscle. These may contribute to an overall increase in metabolism (or calories used for body function). That can further increase the calories that your body uses simply to function and further reduce your weight.

Unfortunately diet and activity are not often healthy in child or adult within the United States. Likewise, worldwide obesity has reached a disturbing level. As a result studies are beginning to examine such things as environment as possible factors in child and adult obesity. The group occurrence of many of the high level populations seems to suggest that environment does play a role.

Hopefully with continued study, medicine will become better able to help both child and adult populations to live healthier and happier lives free from obesity.

When I look back on my childhood during the 1970’s, I can remember that there were very few really overweight children. There were chubby children (I was one of them!) but very few very heavy children. This prompted me to think what has changed over the years? It can’t just be the fact that they have access to more food, there must be more to it than that. And I believe there are some key factors that have lead us all down this path. And it’s not all doom and gloom - it is easily rectifiable.

The Art of Home Cooking is being lost

My Mum always cooked for us. There were no ready meals, no ready made sauces, and veg was cheaper than meat. So we had lots of veg, and my Mum had complete control over what was going into our bodies. I now do the same with my kids - I’m not saying I cook big meals every mealtime, but I don’t buy convenience food, unless you count tins of chopped tomatoes as convenience food. One of their favourite meals is boiled egg and soldiers - how simple and nutritious can it get?

There’s also the myth that healthy food is more expensive than convenience food. Tosh. Six bananas are far cheaper than six bags of crisps.

Kids are chauffeured around

We only had one car when I was a kid, and my Dad had to use it for work. Money was not plentiful, so we walked. Everywhere. And I didn’t think anything of it. My senior school was 3 miles away, and I walked or cycled every day. And so did most other kids. And the best bit? Getting to chat to my mates as we walked home. Why do parents feel they have to ferry their children around? Give them some fun, responsibility and FREEDOM.

It’s now ‘normal’ to be obese

When considering what size we are, we always compare ourselves to other people. If we are the same, then it seems to sanctify whatever we are. If there are more overweight people it becomes acceptable to be overweight.

Kids are either don’t want to, or aren’t allowed, to play outside

I remember spending nearly all day every day outside during school holidays. I came home at mealtimes, and spent the rest of the day charging around with my mates. This isn’t some Utopian dream of a safe place where kids can roam free, there were very real dangers, but I was with my mates, and I was TAUGHT by my parents what to do if anything nasty should happen. It IS safe to let your kids play outside, as long as they are aware of the dangers and what to do about them.

An important point about playing outside - children’s TV was only on for a couple of hours (if that) a day, and there weren’t computers or consoles, so we had to entertain ourselves. And we LOVED it.

Many people consider themselves weight loss resistant. They have tried several diets, and none of them have worked. Some of them have even gained weight from dieting!

The problem is not with these people. The problem is with the diets. Most diets are completely unrealistic. It is impossible to never eat carbs again or to eat grapefruits and cabbage soup for the rest of your life.

Many of the low carb diets are so restrictive that the dieter ends up actually craving carbs and day-dreaming about what they are going to eat as soon as they are done with the diet. Guess what happens as soon as the diet ends. The dieter pigs out on all the carbs he or she has been “missing out on” and all the weight comes back, plus a little bit more.

That example shows exactly why most diets fail and why most people are weight loss resistant. There is a great alternative weight loss program called “Strip That Fat.” It works miracles for people who thought they could never lose weight. The program will work effectively for somebody who wants to lose 5 pounds and for somebody who wants to lose 100 pounds.

“Strip That Fat” comes with meal plans that are easy and teach portion control. It tells the dieter what foods to eat and what foods to stay away from most of the time. It stresses the importance of how much to eat, how often to eat, and the best times of day to eat.

The program also comes with a very moderate exercise program that is fun and easy to do. There is even software that comes with the program to take all the guesswork out of dieting. A dieter can type any kind of food into the computer, and the program will calculate the perfect portion size based on the dieter!

This is a program that can be incorporated into anybody’s lifestyle and followed long-term. It truly is life-changing.

Rimonabant, which is sold under the trade name Acomplia, is a drug that intends to fight obesity and address problems of related metabolic risk factors. It is able to control and push a person’s weight down by targeting his/her appetite. It is considered safe to use in one country. The United Kingdom has launched the drug last July 2006 into its market after its approval in June 2006. It is sold now in the United Kingdom by Sanofi-adventis and in Denmark by Sanofi-Synthelabo, which is a French pharmaceutical company who discovered the drug. Other sources say that the drug will be distributed in other countries such as Ireland and Norway. It is the first CBI receptor blocker approved for use in the United Kingdom. The United States has sent a letter of approval for the Acomplia drug last February 2006. However, it is still subject for review for this year. The drug companies are planning on selling the drug under the trade name of Zimulti in the United States. The drug was also found to help a person quit smoking; however, it is not yet approved for this use in the United Kingdom.

The drug works by blocking the CB1 receptors found in all of the cells throughout the body, including the fat cells. It is usually found on the surface of the cells. The cell with CB1 receptors, are also found in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that is known to control a person’s food appetite. Cannabinoids are chemicals released by the body that stimulates the CB1 receptors to send signal on the brain making a person crave for more food. The CB1 receptors are overactive in overweight and obese people. The drug is found to curb the activeness of the receptors resulting to lesser appetite and food intake.

People are adviced to use the drug with the right diet and enough exercise. The right nutrition intake is important so that the drug will work on the normal circumstances. Eating the wrong type of food like the ones with great amount of fats will just make the drug work less effective. Regular exercise also makes the blood circulation better and the cardiovascular condition more healthy resulting to better internal body condition that aids the drug combat obesity.

It is also important that the people who intends to use the drug know the basic specifications for the proper use of the drugs. People with body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2 are the only ones allowed to use this product. People who have type two diabetis and dyslipidaemia, on the other hand, should have at least 27 kg/m2 to be eligible for the drug use. As a responsible consumer, one should be aware of the side effects of this newly introduced drug. The drug was found to affect the mental condition of a person bringing problems such as depression after other persons have tried it.

Before using the drug, consult your doctor and do research on it. Our site intends to give enough information to familiarize you with this newly created and introduced drug. After all, your health comes first.

There are four studies conducted under this program namely RIO-Europe, RIO- North America, RIO- Lipids, and RIO- Diabetes. Every program has specific goals and objectives. To have an overview of the methods and specifications of the program, read on the following details below.

The RIO- Europe included one thousand five hundred and seven (1507) participants. The study was conducted for one year. The RIO- North America included three thousand and forty five participants in the study. It was held for two years. It had the longest period among all the RIO programs.

To qualify for the RIO- Europe and RIO- North America Study, one has to have a BMI of at least 30 kg/m2 or 27 kg/m2 for patients with comorbidity.

RIO-Lipids study was also conducted to test the effect of the drug on the fat content of the body. It employed one thousand and thirty three participants. The study was one year long. The BMI of the participants are between twenty seven to forty kg/m2. The BMI requirement is important so that the study can examine the effect of the drug on weight reduction as well. To be eligible for the study, one has to have dyslipidemia.

RIO- Diabetes program, on the other hand, was intended to test the effect of the drug on blood sugar level of a person. One thousand and forty five participants were included in the study, which is held for one year. To be eligible for the study, one has to have untreated type 2 diabetes. The participants should have between twenty seven to forty kg/m2. The BMI requirement was needed to examine the effect of the drug on weight as well. People who are taking medication for diabetes were not allowed to join the study. Through out the study, the participants did not take other medication other than the rimonabant drug.

All of the programs were randomized and double blinded. It is done through giving placebo pills, 5 milligram and 20 milligrams rimonabant pills separately to randomly chosen individuals. Through out the study, people underwent hypocaloric diet to make the effect of the drug better. People with history of psychological and mental disorders were not allowed to participate in the study.

The areas of assessment are weight, waist circumference, and metabolic risk factors. Effects on psychological condition were assessed through Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. The side effects of the drug were also the main concern of the authors of this study.

The individuals were given the opportunity to discontinue or continue the experiment at their own will. In case they do not feel comfortable with the drug, they are allowed to stop their participation to the study.

The result of the study was analyzed through comparing the performance of the individuals who took placebo pills with the individuals who took small and large dozes of rimonabant drug. Significant differences were noted to determine the effectiveness and side effects of the drug.

The overall result of the studies showed reduction in weight and the waist circumference. The RIO- Lipids study showed favorable effects as well. Study on effect of the drug on diabetes showed positive results too. The metabolic risk factors were also improved.