Tag Archives: overweight

Obesity Now Can Lead to Disabilities Later in Life

When we think of losing weight, it’s usually about immediate gratification. How I look now. How I feel now. But if you want real motivation to lose the excess weight, think about what it may be doing to your body in the long run.

A new study confirms what is a pretty logical assumption anyway. Obesity in early adulthood can lead to disabilities in your golden years. But the important thing to note is that, even if you lose weight, you may be at a higher risk of disability even if you lose weight. If you’re already overweight, don’t despair. You still stand to benefit from getting to a healthy weight. That’s because the longer you are overweight, the greater the risk of having mobility limitations later in life. (more…)

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Jason

Smoking and Obesity are Equally Fatal

When we think of smokers, most non-smokers think about the elementary fact that they are at a serious risk of premature death. And often, people scoff at the behavior as being careless, which usually begins in the impressionable teenage years. But research now shows that it’s not any more dangerous (or frivolous) for young adults to smoke than it is to be overweight.

Dr. Martin Neovius of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and his colleagues stressed that since overweight and smoking are both associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, that if young adults fall in either category, they are at risk of an early death. Although the pathogenic mechanisms differ, he said, a synergistic effect of smoking and obesity may be possible.

The researchers found that obesity and being overweight in late adolescence increased mortality risk, regardless of whether or not they also smoked.

Researchers concluded that “overweight, obesity, and smoking among adolescents might be good targets for intensified public health initiatives.”

(via: MedPage Today)

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Jason

Find Your Happy Weight

From BMIs to skin calipers, there are many different tools and calculations you can perform to measure your weight. But many of these numbers are just that – numbers that are averaged from hundreds of statistics on risk factors for illness and other health predictors. What about finding your ideal weight? The one that feels good for you and most importantly, that is realistic.

In a recent health article by Karly Randolph Pitman, she elucidated five tips for finding your healthy weight. The five tips are:

1) Recognize Your Own Body and its Own History. Self magazine features a healthy weight calculator that takes into account your age, height, children and activity level. As a caveat, I took this health assessment and if I weighed what the Self Happy Weight calculator suggested I could weigh, I would not be very happy. While Pitman’s other tips for finding your ideal weight are pretty spot-on, this Self Happy Weight Calculator could use some fine-tuning. (more…)

Posted on March 2, 2024 by heather

Singer K.C. Clifford Loses 100 Pounds, Visits Biggest Loser

K.C. Clifford's weight before and after. (Oklahoman.com)

Where does a singer who has lost 102 pounds in 18 months on her own and has a desire to help the hungry go on a Tuesday night? Well, Biggest Loser of course! K.C. Clifford, an Oklahoma City singer who says her love of comfort foods pushed her to 278 pounds, will be featured on an upcoming episode of Biggest Loser.

When she saw how quickly she was pushing the 300 pound mark, she decided to change her diet and start exercising. And it has worked. Much like the Biggest Loser contestants she will soon meet, she had to understand her personal food issues.

“It’s been a long road for me with food,” she said, “just learning the ‘why’ behind why I ate and what my behaviors were and really learning how to relate in a different way to food.”

K.C. is passionate about helping the hungry, a cause Biggest Loser is highlighting during season seven with its Pound for Pound Challenge, where they’ll donate $1 to Feeding America for every pound you pledge to lose.

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Natalie K

Cankles, a Sign of Good Health

Ever look down to find that your calf and ankle seem to have morphed into one continuous body part? Popular culture has termed this attractive feature the “cankle.” Everyone from pregnant women to those carrying some extra weight have been plagued by the cankle, but none have yet to embrace it.

Studies on fat distribution in the body show that an ankle that has lost definition, having joined itself with calf, could be a signal of better health, for those who aren’t obese. Those carrying extra weight in their lower body are less likely to have weight-related health problems, like those who carry weight in their abdomen, which puts additional strain on the organs.

Wendy Kohrt, PhD, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado – Denver, says “leg fat may protect postmenopausal women by drawing triglycerides out of the bloodstream, where they constitute a risk factor, and into fat deposits in the legs.”

Source: Prevention Magazine March 2024

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Natalie K

More People Obese than Overweight

If you think the sky is falling when it comes to the health of the American people, I have some disquieting news to make you even more anxious. New statistics from the U.S. Government show that the number of people who are overweight has been surpassed by the number of people who are obese.

Obesity and overweight are calculated using the BMI (Body Mass Index) formula. Someone with a BMI of 25 to 29 is classified as overweight, while 30 to 40 counts as obese. Anything over a 40 is morbidly obese. (more…)

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Jason

Miami Tips Scales as Heaviest U.S. City; Salt Lake City Most Fit

Not all the bodies in Miami are toned and tanned.

Men’s Fitness magazine released its annual research on the heaviest cities in the U.S., and the sunny South Florida town is living largest. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Salt Lake City is the most fit city.

The analysis was extensive. The editors of Men’s Fitness worked with a research firm to examine the nation’s 50 largest cities. They graded them in over a dozen categories, including the percentage of overweight people, the number of fitness center sports stores, a high rate of TV viewing among residents, long commutes, and poor air quality. (more…)

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Jason