What’s your weight/fitness story?

I was 5’2 in height and 273lbs in the 8th grade.

Over the last eight (8) years, now at 29 years old and still around 5’2ish, I have lost and maintained a 123lb weight loss without gastric bypass surgery, any commercial diet programs or fad diets.

I attribute my weight loss success to strengthening my faith, determination, patience…and a treadmill.

Exercise has been the central tool in my transformation, but it’s still only one part of the puzzle towards health. I significantly changed how I eat; altering my relationship to food and eating. Again, I adhere to no specific diet. I practice mindful eating, remaining disciplined and limiting my intake of carbohydrates, sugar, dairy products and caffeine.

What was your turning point and/or “Ah-ha!” moment?
There was no major incident that caused me to have an “aha moment” really. One day I was home visiting from college. And I just said to myself “I had enough!” Enough of wearing body girdles to fit into certain outfits, enough of being the girl that guys never acknowledged. Overall being obese had caused me to miss out on enjoying simple things in life: I had not worn a bathing suit since I was 9 years old, was never able to ride a roller coaster because the safety bar did not fit over my stomach, and did not have my first boyfriend until graduate school.

Where were your parents while you were gaining all of this weight as a child?

My parents tried everything from putting me in dance classes to medical weight loss programs at Childrens’ Hospital here in Washington, DC to only stocking our cabinets with “healthy” food. Even still I would get up in the middle of night while everyone was sleeping, and binge on all the leftover “healthy” food my mom made for dinner. Also, I was a bit of a “Food Hustler” at my Catholic grade school. I would trade stickers and glow-in-the-dark pencils for my classmates’ Hostess cupcakes, Lunchables and/or cheese whiz and crackers! The only exercise I got was playing this Nintendo game that came with an actual running pad!

How has losing weight/being healthy & fit changed your life?

Outside of all the superficial stuff of being able to wear cute clothes and a guy or two noticing me, my weight loss has made me more driven all around. Losing 123lbs has made me feel as if no obstacle is too big whether its school, work-related or family-related. Life has taught me that God is never gonna give me more than I am capable of handling.

How often do you exercise?
My key to success was learning to replace an unhealthy addiction: mindless eating while sitting in front of the television, with a healthy addiction: hitting the gym everyday. “I eat everyday, so I workout everyday,” is my number one fitness tip when giving advice to others.

What is your favorite workout?
For 60 minutes, I love to do a combined high speed and high incline walk on the treadmill while listening to music and/or watching a mindless reality show. It really makes me feel like I’m challenging myself and using every muscle in my body to pull myself up on the incline. And it has also given me a great booty!

What 5 food items are “must haves” in your kitchen?
Costco’s Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasoning – Sure it is healthy, but I have just never been a fan of salty food. Economy size bag of frozen chicken breasts. – I think of chicken breasts as my “chameleon food.” I can make them adapt too almost any dish and they are a convenient source of lean protein. Frozen veggies such as cauliflower, spinach and bell peppers – Being that I am a single lady and feeding only me, fresh veggies tend to spoil very quickly. Frozen veggies of course last longer, are usually already chopped and cheaper!

Leak-proof Tupperware – I am a creation of convenience. On Sunday, I typically cook my lunches and dinners for the week and put them in Tupperware. That way I always have healthy food ready that I can just pop in the microwave.

Bottled water, water, water and more water – I live in Washington, DC and there has been way too much controversy on drinking the tap water here. Water keeps me well hydrated for my workouts and lubricates my joints for tough workouts as well.

What is your favorite motivational/inspirational quote?
“Those who can most be accounted brave are those who know best know the meaning of what is sweet in life and what is terrible, and then go out undeterred to meet what is to come.” ~Pericles (a gift from Tulane Professor Cinda Lanza, when I was having a really bad day)

How do you find balance in your life?
My faith, exercise and travel have become my therapy.

What is your greatest accomplishment?
It would be expected that losing 123lbs is my greatest accomplishment. However, my greatest accomplishment is coming to peace with the car accident death of my two teenage cousins and absence of my father after my parents’ divorce. For many years, I was angry at the world and God about these two things. I dealt with my anger by vacuuming in Hot Pockets and Hostess cupcakes. Perhaps my real “aha moment” was reaching a place of forgiveness.

What do you love most about your body?
I love and admire my body’s stamina when I am at the gym. My body’s endurance when working out surprises me everyday. And of course I love my booty!

Best compliment?
A cardiologist looking at a sonogram of my heart, told me that I have the heart and heart rate of a marathon runner!

What are the last 5 songs played on your iPod?
Bootylicious – Destiny’s Child
Keep Hope Alive – Crystal Method
Again – Faith Evans
All Nite (Don’t Stop) – Janet Jackson
On to the Next One – Jay Z

What weight loss/fitness tools do you use that you rely on in your weight loss/fit life journey?
Good, comfortable and affordable workout clothes from discount designer stores like Marshall’s and Ross. You really can find the durable sweat resistant workout clothes there for half the price. For me, having cute fitness clothes, motivates me to workout.

My IPOD and Black Berry! A few weeks ago I learned how to stream music through my Black Berry so it’s a stand in for my IPOD from time to time.

I am a member of many online wellness and fitness communities. Discussing health and wellness with individuals from all over the world keeps me motivated and most of all EDUCATED on adhering to a health lifestyle.

My 123lb weight loss story has been featured in Essence Magazine (March 2006) and SHAPE Magazine (January 2010).

This post was submitted by Caroline Jhingory.

When a person is suffering from obesity-related problems, he/she usually looks for obesity help. This is a service generally provided by health institutes and other social welfare associations. Obesity help assists persons who need a clear idea about obesity, its symptoms, its common causes, its diagnosis, and its treatments.

Obesity is a severe, often overlooked, disabling chronic situation that affects all. It is also defined as a body mass index (BMI) more than 30 kg/m2. Anyone more than a BMI of 40 is considered morbidly obese. This state increases the risk of many health conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, and some cancers.

Obesity may be caused by hypothyroidism, genetics, poor diet, lack of exercise, poor lifestyle habits, medication side effects and excess alcohol intake. A lot of precautions have to be taken while prescribing medicines for obesity. These medicines are not generally suggested for treating obesity because of the risks that outweigh their benefits. The common medicines include diethylpropion, fenfluramine, mazindol, and phentermine.

An experienced health practitioner can give you information about obesity treatments, including weight loss pills and supplements, surgeries and their complications, etc. Many educational campaigns about the benefits of improved diets and better physical activity are the other sources to find right obesity help. Websites created by health organizations and social service groups are devoted to providing relevant information regarding obesity issues.

The main reason for finding obesity help is the increase of poor life-long nutrition choices and the lack of exercise. Poor nutrition is the cause of not only obesity but numerous other diseases. Good obesity help will help you feel healthy, perform daily activities better, and empower you to eradicate the need for obesity help in the future. If you follow a sound, healthy nutrition plan now and exercise on a regular basis using a good quality fitness program, you’re likely to get rid of the need for obesity help. Obesity is affiliated with Morbid Obesity Surgery.

Author: Damian Sofsian
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In a world where media and societal mores hold beauty and fitness to high standards, an overweight person can feel depressed, left out, and suffer low self-worth. Television and fashion magazines bombard us with pictures of reed-thin models and actresses and athletes with washboard abs, glamorizing certain impossible ideals to a point that a normal person is destined to feel inadequate. One can imagine how an overweight or morbidly obese person must feel to be exposed to this environment.

Aside from emotional factors that come into play, obesity brings with it various health risks that must be addressed first.

Low Mortality Rate

The Center for Disease Control attributes 300,000 deaths in the US annually to obesity-related illnesses. People with a BMI of 30 or above suffer a 50-100% increased risk of premature death from illness as opposed to people at normal weight levels.

Arthritis

As a person gains weight, the pressure in the body to carry the extra load increases. As a result, overweight people suffer an increased risk of pain in the joints, in particular osteoarthritis – which affects the knees, hips and back.

Heart Disease

As high blood pressure is more common among overweight people than people at normal weight levels, so increases the risk for heart disease. Instances of high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol as found in obese patient can increase the chances for heart attack, angina, and congestive heart failure.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT, is characterized by a clot in the leg veins that forms after a prolonged period of inactivity. While DVT is common among people confined to wheelchairs and business travelers who sit for long commerical flights, DVT can present a problem for the obese. Immobility plays a large factor.

Stroke

Obesity is often associated with inactivity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, the same conditions which may cause blood clots to form in the arteries. These clots in turn slow blood flow to the heart and cause strokes.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition where a person will stop breathing while asleep. As excess fat crowding air passageways leads to this condition, obese patients often suffer sleep apnea. Lack of blood flow to the body during sleep can contribute to drowsiness during the day, headaches, and a host of other problems.

Type 2 Diabetes

Commonly known as adult onset diabetes, Type-II diabetes is thought to be caused by the body’s gradual inability to use insulin. Prolonged inactivity, obesity, and age are common factors in the increasing risk of onset diabetes. As a person gains an inordinate amount of weight, blood sugar levels can fluctuate out of control and lead to serious imbalances.

Reduce the risks associated with obesity

It’s as simple as this: the more excess weight you lose, the better your risks of serious illness will decrease. An exceptional loss of weight can be the difference between having to have surgery for arthritis or dealing with minor physical therapy. First, though, you have to lose the weight. Consult with a physician with regards to the weight loss program that is right for you, and don’t feel frustrated about the length of time it takes to be well. Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight, and with steady determination you will see results.

Kat Lively is a freelance health writer for Compuslim, hoodia pills [http://www.compuslim.com] for appetite suppression, FlowCushion, the ergonomic seat cushion for home and office, and for Rainfloresta, quality acai products for good health.

Author: Kat Lively
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

* The rate of obesity among children and youths tripled over the past 30 years; and
* Overweight people are more at risk for diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, and other ailments diminishing quality of life and causing premature death (The Boston Globe, October 11,2003).

– According to the U.S. Surgeon General report obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.

It is alarming that childhood obesity affects more than 15 percent of the population under 18 years old who are classified as overweight. An estimated 22 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide. The prevalence of obese children aged 6-to-11 years has more than doubled since the 1960s as well as an increase in the number of teen boys and girls who are obese. Many of our future generation could die young because they are obese as children.

The World Health Organization says that overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance. The non-fatal, but debilitating health problems associated with obesity include respiratory difficulties, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility. The more life-threatening problems fall into four main areas: CVD problems; conditions associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes; certain types of cancers, especially the hormonally related and large-bowel cancers; and gallbladder disease.

Raised BMI also increases the risks of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, endometroium, kidney and gallbladder. Chronic overweight and obesity contribute significantly to osteoarthritis, a major cause of disability in adults. In the analyses carried out for World Health Report 2002, approximately 58% of diabetes and 21% of ischaemic heart disease and 8-42% of certain cancers globally were attributable to a BMI above 21 kg/m2.

Obesity not only impacts lifestyle but can also lead to lower self-esteem, cause depression and discomfort in social situations, and significantly diminish quality of life. Qualified people are overlooked for job opportunities because they are overweight.

Statistically,
* 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
* Eight out of 10 over 25′s Overweight
* 78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations
* 25% completely Sedentary
* 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs. old since 1990

So what exactly does obesity mean? Obesity is the state of being well above one’s normal weight. Obesity has been more precisely defined by the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) as a BMI of 30 and above. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.) A person has traditionally been considered obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. Ideal weight takes into account the person’s height, age, sex, and build. For example, A 5-foot-7-inch adult who weighs 190 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which is considered the threshold for obesity.

Weight gain and obesity are caused by consuming more calories than the body needs and most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle, or both. We live in a country where food is readily available and fast food and processed foods are very convenient to our fast pace lives. Children spend more time on the computer than they do getting exercise. What people don’t realize that they are also toxic. Processed foods contain ingredients that are toxic to the body and those toxins are stored in the fat cells, creating an environment for disease.

What you can do to start losing weight right now making any one of these changes will lower your weight. Making all of them will transform your life!

* Incorporate a proven, complete nutritional program into your daily life. View this as a life style change and not as a diet,

* Enhance your nutritional program with a complete multivitamin supplement because no nutritional program is perfect and our food sources have been deficient for minerals for decades.

* Start adding healthier foods to your diet such as: fruits, vegetables,lean meat and beans and stop eating foods with empty calories such as candy and soda. Soda by the way is highly acidic and it throws your PH out of balance. This also creates an environment where disease can live. It takes 32 glasses of water to neutralize the impact of 1 can of soda on your body, and it would be impossible to drink that much water in one day!

*Adding a greens helps to alkaline your body, balance your immune system and detox your body. A good one would have the nutritional value of eight plus servings of fruits and vegetables.

* Detoxify your body. Toxins encapsulate in your fat cells and are difficult to remove. Much of the weight on our bodies is caused by toxins accumulating in the fat cells. There are systems available, that are all natural, easy to use, that will help detoxify your fat cells while tighten, toning and firming the skin.

* Use a behavior modification and motivational program that will help you stay on track with your nutritional plan.

* Find an exercise program that works for you that you can stick to. Make it fun and commit to doing a regular routine. If you need to find a group of people who will exercise with you.

* If you eat something bad for you, or miss a day of exercise, don’t give up. Instead pick up right where you left off and start again.

* Stop procrastinating and begin your journey to overcome your weight issues and return to a healthy balanced body right now. It is never too late to start a new way of living. Every day that you put it off brings you closer to more physical complications in your life.

I support you in discovering a healthy new you and I support organizations that focus on fighting childhood obesity!

Katelyn
“The Inch Loss Diva”

Author: Katelyn Mariah
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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You may find it hard to believe that the doctor actually reduces the size of your stomach to about the size of a whiskey shot glass, but this is true. Of course it seems abnormally small and you won’t be able to hold more that three tablespoons of food at a time. This can make it extremely easy to get sick from overeating or drinking too much water.

Over time your stomach pouch will expand and you’ll be able to hold up to a cup and a half of food. That’s an increase of about six times the size of a shot glass. This is dramatically more food, but its still a little bit less than the average dinner meal for a person. The stomach has amazing stretching abilities, which is part of what allows some people to become obese. Due to increased food intake over time their stomachs become larger and they can hold even more food.

Even with a larger stomach pouch over time you’ll still need to take vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest of your life after obesity surgery. The surgery will have reduced the length of time food spends in your intestinal tract, which reduces the amount of nutrients that you absorb.

Also because you won’t be eating as much food you will need to drink more water in order to get sufficient fluids. Most of us get our eight daily cups of water from both the water in food we eat and our drinks.

Despite the limits of your new smaller stomach there are still ways to cheat and not lose weight or even regain weight. If you don’t stick to a strict meal regime of three meals a day plus snacks and instead just ‘graze’ all day you can take in too many calories. Some people continue to eat high calorie foods or will eat ‘mindlessly’ while watching television or performing some other task which can also lead to too many calories.

Author: Geoff Godfrey
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News

Float freely like the butterfly

Imagine floating freely as the butterfly; imagine the feel of having got over with the problem of obesity. The two goes together doesn’t it? Yes there is no exaggeration; when the question is of loosing a few ten pounds, the effect is of floating in the air. Phentermine offers you the venue to try the adventure of flying for the first time. What was difficult is made easy with the sucking out of all those layers of fat that was the most desirous thing to have happened in your life. Buy phentermine and start the efforts to balance your body. The shaky start that you had initially in your career as a friend, a boy friend and as a colleague gets the color that would have never crossed you in your wildest trance. phentermine online is the best way to get closer to the drug if the deep thrust inside your heart is to overcome the hurdles caused by obesity.

A reason to live

With a reason to live life, phentermine offers you to have a closer view of the necessity to have a slim figure. Once you get cut down with cheap phentermine, a routine exercise should be the way to carry forward with the process to keep you fit. Food is the last thing you have to be extravagant on; as that which once took you to the verge of a collapse should not ignite the passion of a trap easy to fall for. A scroll of the mouse takes you to the world of phentermine where serious concerns of obesity are dealt with. This is not for those conscious freaks who believe that a two pound above their normal ought to mean that they are on a path treading to obesity. Phentermine is more a prescription drug that has more a doctor associated with it.

Among the Tides

Now with a reason to enjoy life, forget that you are obese; its time to get in touch with cheap phentermine to have the most necessary outcomes that you had longed for till now. Dreams start crystallizing and nightmares start fading; now when you sit gazing at the tides yonder, you see yourself between them crossing the highest and the strongest ones. This is the reality that the drug phentermine has to offer. When the promise is so high, it surely is the time to buy phentermine and take the challenge ahead with ease. The plight of your obesity vanishes without a trace. You are no more an amorphous bundle but a well built strong human having the potential to challenge fate.

Author: Sharon Hanna
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The obesity implant “tricks” the nerve cells lining the stomach to release a chemical signal that tells the brain the stomach is full. Feeling stuffed, you stop eating.

The end result…calorie restriction and weight loss.

What’s an Obesity Implant and How Does it Work?

A small electrical device, similar to a computer chip, is implanted under the skin just below the rib cage. Two wires from the implant connect to the outer wall of the stomach and deliver a low-level electrical current, when activated by muscle contractions.

The electrical current triggers the release of a chemical signal which tells the brain that the stomach is full. The impulse may also cause the stomach muscle to relax and distend as if full of food, tricking the body into feeling full.

Researchers hope the obesity implant can regulate appetite signals and boost metabolism.

The devices currently used in Europe are intended for severely obese individuals. However, several biotechnology companies are developing obesity implants for the mildly obese individual.

In the U.S, clinical studies are in the early phases and focus on collecting safety data and overall effectiveness. It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but the results look promising for some obesity implants to be approved for use in the U.S in 2007.

Early reports of one clinical trial estimates that obesity implants will help one-third to one-half of obese patients. But among those who do have success with the implant, the average patient has lost about 40 percent of excess body weight.

Potential Benefits from Implants

First, obesity implants could offer a low-risk alternative to major bariatric surgery. Surgery is expensive, costing $20,000 or more, and it carries a significant risk for serious medical complications and death.

Some estimates show that one in every 200 patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery dies.

Secondly, if the devices are truly effective in restricting calories, they could play a role in treating certain eating disorders and regulating blood-sugar levels in diabetic patients.

One company is currently recruiting patients for a trial involving obese people with diabetes. The objective is to gauge how weight loss affects diabetes and how the obesity implants might regulate certain hormones, like insulin.

Conclusion

Obesity implants look promising as low-risk alternatives to surgery. Other benefits might include treating eating disorders and diabetes.

To Healthy Living!

Author: Michael Smith, MD
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Older people who have undergone a certain type of procedure known as the duodenal switch have an increased number of complications following bariatric surgery, according to a study in the March issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

But there is an ever increasing number of bariatric surgeries being performed to induce weight loss which keeps rising dramatically. These procedures are technically demanding and performed on patients whose obesity and related conditions may put them at risk for complications after surgery. Therefore, it is important to understand risk factors that may influence risk, including body mass index (BMI), age, other illnesses and choice of procedure, the authors write.

Robert W. O’Rourke, M.D., and colleagues at the Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, reviewed data from 452 patients (372 women and 80 men, average age 44 years) undergoing inpatient bariatric procedures at the university between 2000 and 2003. The patients received either gastric bypass surgery, which involves sectioning off a small portion of the stomach into a pouch that connects directly to the small intestine, or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, a less commonly used procedure in which surgeons remove part of stomach but leave a slightly larger pouch and then also perform an intestinal bypass-like procedure by attaching the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) to the lower part of the small intestine. Researchers examined several variables, including patients’ age, BMI (calculated by dividing their weights by the square of their heights), gender, surgeon experience, other illnesses, type of procedure and whether they underwent open or laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery.

Participants lost an average of 54 percent of their excess weight in the year following surgery.

During the study, which followed patients for an average of 419 days

1.) four (.9 percent) died

2.) 10 percent had major complications

3.) 13 percent had minor complications

4.) Patients who were age 60 years or older were more likely to develop complications than younger patients, a risk that appeared to increase with each additional year.

The duodenal switch procedure was also associated with more complications than gastric bypass surgery. BMI, sex, diabetes, surgical approach (open vs. laparoscopic) and surgeon experience did not appear to be associated with increased risk for complications.

Given the amount of risks for the patient the surgeons should warn older adults and those considering duodenal switch procedures of the risks involved. “While some investigators have suggested a specific age limit as an absolute contraindication to bariatric surgery, we do not employ such limits for our patients,” they write. “We nevertheless approach older patients with caution, especially in light of recent data that suggest that the benefits of bariatric surgery with respect to longevity may wane in older patients.”

Author: Glenn Freiboth
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Smoking to lose weight? Am I getting it right, or are my ears playing tricks with me? I am still in a right frame of mind and my ears have lost no power of audibility, then it must be the gravity of the situation that has shocked me, shaking me violently off my reverie. It is a heart throbbing experience, contemplating on the means we use to get to our own selfish ends, trampling any opposition ruthlessly and giving a deaf ear to the pleas for mercy of the vanquished, forgetting that its our own body were crushing into bits and tatters, shattering into pieces.

I still cannot comprehend or come into terms with the maddening trend, where girls take up a wholehearted effort and dedicated approach to smoking in order to lose weight. The grit and determination of this young generation of self-assured bevy of teeny-boppers to lose weight is so intense, displaying a maturity beyond their years that even an older woman would pride to boot about. My heart goes out to them, they who are hot and happening and they who throng the hot and happening places, with cigarettes in their lips, puffing the thoughts of obesity and overweight away. I am not sympathizing with their cause, rather I understand their plight.

Its we, the older generation that has left indelible marks and set umpteen numbers of examples, leading the misguided bunch of youngsters to the road to perdition. We have been living on a daily diet of chemical-laden pills for any and every little ailments that befall us. We are just a bundle of contradictions, a mixture of opposites, who preach what we dont practice. We pass across the message to the young generation that smoking is injurious to health, though we keep smoking all along. Tired of our lip-service, they look out for ways to fend for themselves. And left to themselves, they are sucked in by the myth that smoking, an appetite killer, can contain obesity.

With the Internet opening floodgates of information, bordering on total insanity at times, the young crowds have their hands full with theories and axioms on weight loss. As they scratch only the rim, they have their eyes set on the toppings, never for a moment relishing the rotting taste inside. They follow a simple logic: smoking leads to no appetite, no appetite leads to no food, no food leads to weight loss. But, my dear girl, life would be a bed of roses, if things were that simple. The Mama Mias of the world are not that stupid. Smoking can have severe repercussions and ramifications on weight loss itself; your weight loss strategy might fire back its cannons making you all the more obese.

Anyone would call upon the heavens to stand by the fact that smoking kills appetite. But few realize that when they smoke to lose weight, they lose their body to nicotine. You are bargaining for a Faustian deal, exchanging the welfare of your body for a glamorous look that is momentary. Well, grow up, Dr. Faustus had no happy ending, and you are playing with fire that will only engulf you in its flames with time. Once nicotine gets into your system, it is hard to completely remove its toxins. Say, you have been smoking and you have regained the figure you would kill for, but what next??

Would you give up the means as you have got to your ends? Smoking is not a commodity you can pick and throw as you wish; it has its own set of rules. To enlighten you with a simple example, the craving for your usual after dinner smoke would haunt you like a recurring nightmare if you try to give up smoking. The only way out is to have a rich sugary food that can compensate for the decreased sugar level in your body after you have quit smoking. So, you either continue smoking or stuff yourselves with cakes and chocolates. Ahem, not a nice situation to be in.

There is nothing like a free lunch, it always comes with a bill attached. When you sell your body to nicotine for that glossy look, you are the ultimate loser. You end up smoking, and you are still overweight and obese. So girls, better keep away from smoking, if you dont want to get into the vicious cycle of smoking and obesity. You dont need logic to comprehend Smoking can make you Obese.

Author: Naore Rome
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a phrase that sounds like it was made up for a science fiction title, yet it is a real medical term. And for those suffering from this condition, it isn’t entertaining but instead is very debilitating. OHS, sometimes called Pickwickian Syndrome, is a form of sleep-disordered breathing that results in low blood oxygen levels and high carbon dioxide levels, making breathing much more difficult and affecting many major organs. Worse, if left untreated it can quickly become life threatening. This little known condition is directly linked with the obese, and since obesity affects over 30 of Americans we will be hearing more about it in the future. It behooves us to learn more about it and how new medical research confirms hope for us in how we can combat OHS.

Symptoms of OHS:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness combined with obstructive sleep apnea (or cessation of breathing). Since sleep apnea often goes undetected for a long period of time, this can make detection of OHS difficult. With Sleep Apnea, a husband or wife is often awakened by snoring and then observes that the spouse alternately stops breathing and fights for air during sleep.
• Labored breathing during the daytime.
• Headaches, chest pain, high blood pressure. OHS puts strain on the heart and can cause heart murmur, enlarged liver, blood leakage, and swelling of the legs.
• Depression, when combined with 2 or more of the symptoms noted above.

Prolonged OHS dramatically increases health care costs and reduces quality of life, but the primary concern is increased incidence of premature death. One in ten people who are in treatment will die prematurely, and over the course of five years that number jumps to one in two premature deaths.

The cause of OHS is always obesity, as this results in excess body fat around the diaphragm, chest and lungs. This excess body fat constricts the normal chest and diaphragm movement needed to obtain the proper amount of oxygen. In some instances there is thought to be a defect in the brain’s breathing mechanism as well, but in all cases obesity is the primary cause of the condition.

Where obesity remains, treatment options include:

• Night time breathing assistance using special ventilation machines which focus on opening the airways. While effective, these are costly at about $1000 apiece, and can make sleeping difficult.
• Medications, which are not advised even by medical professionals, due to side effects
• Surgical ventilation or tracheotomy is a step that is only taken in an emergency as it requires ongoing oxygen after the procedure.

Recent medical studies confirm that the only known cure for OHS is significant weight loss. All people with a BMI of 30 plus are at risk, and the risk increases dramatically with a BMI of 40 or above.

So where does the hope lie for many OHS sufferers? We can assume that many of us who have been termed obese have tried to lose weight unsuccessfully, and have also suffered from other conditions caused by overweight such as diabetes, heart problems, and even cancerous conditions. A place to start is to select a proven weight loss plan, whether that be an online diet plan which has solid testimonials, or a local diet center that is recommended by someone you trust.

The key for success is to then surround yourself with like-minded individuals or groups for added support. Start with a small step, such as joining an easy walking group, and later adding a gentle Tai Chi session at the lake, coupled with a weight-loss coach, buddy or therapist. Getting involved and committed to a few of these types of activities can increase your chances of success a great deal, as it keeps you in constant touch with people who are at different levels of success and also helps you in being accountable to your own weight loss plan and healthy lifestyle.

Author: Kate E. Walker