Obese Like Me

Good Nutrition in School Can Help to Fight Childhood Obesity

Perhaps you are trying to help your obese child lose weight, or you feel he or she may be in danger of becoming overweight or unhealthy because of their eating and exercise habits.

If so, it is important that you consider the impact of your child’s time at school as you think about what you need to change.

As the U.S. government has studied obesity, many of their agencies have produced reports and established guidelines to help parents and school systems understand how to make important changes.

These guidelines are designed to encourage our children to eat healthy foods and get plenty of exercise.

Across the country, schools are beginning to offer more good food choices, and look at their physical education and extra curricular activities to ensure that they encourage good habits.

Of course your involvement and understanding is important if your child is going to get the right support while she or he is in school during the day.

And, you need to ensure that your child understands the importance of CHOOSING the healthy foods and participating in exercise programs, but the first step is to make sure these choices are AVAILABLE to your child.

Working with medical organizations, the USDA published a ‘Prescription for Change’, and ‘Healthy School Nutrition Environments’.

These reports were meant to be used by schools to improve their nutritional program.

Here are some of the recommendations included in those reports.

** The Serving and Dining Environment
** The Federal, State and local government must provide adequate funding for food and eating environs to support healthy eating.

** Dining space will be adequate, pleasant and socially accommodating, and will accommodate all students and staff scheduled to eat at a certain time of day.

** Serving areas will be sufficient to ensure that every student has access to meals with a minimum of waiting time, so that they have plenty of time to eat before their next class.

** The staff and administration of the school, AND the students and parents will analyze the current environment, working together to create a space that matches the needs of all parties.

Nutritional Concerns Regarding Meals and Foods

** Meals should comply with USDA nutritional standards and guidelines, and students should have plenty of food choices, with new foods introduced to keep the menu interesting and healthy.

** Food preparation and preferences should be varied enough to comply with various tastes and ethnic preferences or religious requirements.

** Additional food and drink offered, over and above meals served, e.g. vending machines and packaged ‘snacks’, will represent the 5 major food groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.

**Students must have designated lunch periods, long enough for them to get their food and eat at a healthy pace.

** Lunch periods should be as close to the middle of the day as possible and should allow time for socialization and a relaxed eating pace.

** All decisions made by the school system regarding the type, variety and quantity of food and drink to be sold in the school will be based on nutritional goals and sound guidelines, NOT on the profit the school can make.

Nutrition and Health Focused Curriculum

** Kindergarten through Grade 12 classes should include education and information on healthy eating habits and the types of foods a child should eat to stay healthy and help them grow.

Now that you understand the concerns and recommendations of the USDA and the national medical organizations, go to a school board meeting and talk to the board members about what they are doing to comply with these guidelines.

If you don’t know what your child’s eating environment and food choices are, visit the school and find out. Get involved with the PTA or PTO in your school system and get to work!

Victor K. Pryles is the publisher of “Child Obesity”-What It Is & How To Cope at http://www.paupertravel.com/childobesity/obesity.html You can join The Puaper Book Club be sending a blank e-mail to: ilovebooks@prosender.com

While it is usually not one’s objective to learn how to become obese, there are clear signs that you might be heading to an unhealthy body weight that will earn you the “obese” label. When an individual is 20% or more above the normal weight for their height or when their Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30, the medical community considers them obese. Whether you are nearing the BMI of 30 or are already in the obese category, it makes sense to examine your lifestyle and behaviors and consider making some changes.

Below are the top five ways people find themselves becoming significantly overweight. By considering these unhealthy behaviors, you can identify them in your own life and make the necessary changes to lose weight and get your health back on track.

1. Eat Large Quantities of Food
While it may seem like common sense, many people have forgotten that large amounts of food make you fat. Our plate sizes in restaurants have expanded over the years, and our waistlines have followed suit. People have grown accustomed to eating large platefuls of food on a regular basis. In a culture of excess, our belts have taken the real hit, and it is no surprise that childhood obesity is on the rise as children are raised in homes in which overeating is the norm and completely accepted.

2. Consume Primarily Fast Food and Convenience Food Items
Ah yes, we live busy, chaotic lives, and that’s why fast food and convenience food items seem like a necessity. For many people, a typical day of eating looks something like: a donut from the convenience store for breakfast, a mid-morning sugary, gourmet coffee drink, fast food restaurant for lunch, a trip to the office vending machine in the afternoon, and the local bar and grill for dinner. The problem is that these foods are usually packed with trans-fats, sugar and carbohydrates—these essentially make up the roadmap on how to become obese.

3. Drink Soda and Other Sugar-laden Beverages. From soda and coffee drinks to energy beverages and sports drinks, we have at our fingertips an endless supply of drinks with a high sugar content. While these beverages may provide a quick boost of energy and a brief moment of satisfaction, these sensations are short-lived. In no time, you feel more lethargic and thirsty than you were to begin with. What’s worse, you have ingested numerous empty calories—meaning they contained little if any nutritional value.

4. Eat in Secret. If you are too embarrassed to eat what you are eating in front of someone else, chances are you are eating foods that will contribute to weight gain. It is unlikely that you will eat in secret if you are enjoying, say, a salad or a regular, balanced meal. It’s much more common for a secret-eater to be binging on a half-gallon of ice cream or an entire bag of chips. If you are trying to learn how to become obese, take up secret eating. If not, eat your meals with others, or at least not in the closet.

5. Avoid Exercise at All Costs. You’ve likely read the magazine articles on losing weight. One key suggestion is to get more exercise—take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a walk instead of watching the third hour of television in a row, or actually go to the gym instead of just paying for an unused monthly membership. If you are enjoying your path to obesity, don’t do it. Avoid exercise every chance you can. It burns calories and cleanses your body and even improves your outlook on life, which may help you to conquer overeating.

Yes, it is silly to think someone would want a guide on how to become obese. But it can be an eye-opening experience to actually stop and consider the common behaviors of obese individuals and then determine if you see these behaviors in your own life. By making small changes in your lifestyle today, you can be on your way to a healthier, slimmer body that is worthy of a “normal” body weight label.

Do you hyperventilate while trying on a pair of denims or while climbing a flight of stairs, it could be an indication of serious health related problems. Morbid obesity is one such lifestyle disease that has taken its hold over many people across the barriers of age, gender and country. It can attack anyone depending on the regular lifestyle of the person. An unhealthy lifestyle results in lack of exercise, consumption of junk food, irregular eating hours and resulting diseases such as obesity. Many marketers and advertisers are cashing in on this and providing the allurement of various exercising gadgets and dietary supplements that are supposed to help one lose weight. It works for some, for most it does not and the condition remains untreated. Gastric bypass surgery could be the solution that has the ability to free you from the grips of morbid obesity.

Gastric bypass surgery would be the ideal solution for people who have been unable to reduce or maintain their weight through regular exercise and a balanced, nutritious diet have become severely overweight and are suffering from health hazards due to obesity. The surgery involves the creation of a small pouch at the top of the stomach and a bypass is added around the segment of the intestine. The top of the stomach is sealed off from the rest of the stomach. The food that can be consumed by the person after the gastric bypass surgery is reduced by manifolds. As the food now directly passes on to the small section of the stomach, this also limits the amount of calories that can be consumed by the person who has undergone a gastric bypass surgery. This surgery therefore helps in bringing about drastic weight reduction in patients undergoing a gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric bypass surgery can be of different kinds depending upon the need of the patient. A surgery could be either mini-gastric bypass, proximal or distal gastric bypass surgery. However not everyone can go in for a gastric bypass surgery. A competent team of medical professionals carry out an extensive examination of the candidate who is willing to opt for a gastric bypass surgery. Only when the patient meets the required health criteria, he is accepted as a candidate for surgery. The benefits of a gastric bypass surgery are also many as it may improve or cure the conditions associated with obesity. The treatable conditions are ‘Type 2’ diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and such other diseases that may be related to the obesity of a person.

A gastric bypass surgery can shrink the size of a stomach by almost 90% and within a year or two a patient could lose upto 50% – 60% of their body weight and maintain the normal weight on a long term basis. The gastric bypass surgery outlines what food and what quantity can be eaten by the person who has opted for the surgery. The initial three months after surgery require the person to consume liquid, pureed and soft food. Once the process is successful, a regular balanced lifestyle and diet can help the once obese person lead a healthy and happy life after the surgery.

Nicholas Bowen is vastly experienced in weight loss procedures. He advises obese people about the best methods of reducing weight depending on their health and body condition. One of the reference sites he mentions regularly for information about weight loss surgery, gastric band, and gastric bypass surgery and stomach band techniques and Gastric bypass,Gastric Banding is http://www.gastricband.com

Isn’t it cute when you give a baby his first taste of ice cream? Oh, the exclamations of joy and laughter as the baby begins to act frantic for the next bite. Congratulations. You’ve just set that child up for a lifelong struggle with overly sweet, processed foods.

Infants need regular feedings to grow and develop (flourish), yet trouble begins when month-old babies are given their first taste of ice cream, pieces of candy, cookies, or even hamburger meat before they’ve even gotten their first tooth. Store bought jars of baby food also often contain sugar, an absolutely unnecessary ingredient for an infant, but cheap filler for the manufacturer. Check the label of that infant formula too. Any dextrose or other sweetener?

Vegetables are sweet by nature such as carrots, so why add sugar to vegetables and for that matter why buy special little jars of mashed up vegetables anyway? Mash some from your own dinner. Teach good eating habits by example.

The early introduction to overly sweet and nutrient devoid foodstuffs sets you and your baby up for a lifetime struggle of refusing healthful foods in favor of treats. First you struggle to get them to eat, “Come on honey, just one more bite for mommy,” and soon you struggle to get them to stop, “No, you can’t have another cookie! You’ll ruin your dinner.”

Children that are not given sugar during infancy have a greater resistance to disease and are less likely to become sugar addicts in later life as well. Wait as long as possible to introduce your children to processed foods, especially “fast foods,” ideally until they are at least two years old, and you’ve taken a giant step toward leading them on a healthy path, rather than down the sugar driven path to obesity so many kids take.

Overweight Kids: Don’t Restrict Calories Instead Increase Activity

Kids learn to overeat at an early age especially when cookies and candy are offered instead of hugs when the child falls, or gets his feelings hurt. Food, especially gooey, sweet treats are offered as a reward for good behavior, instead of a small toy, trip to the zoo, park or special favors. Give your kids smiles and hugs as rewards, not food based treats.

Once a fondness for sweets sets in, it’s difficult to change. Many kids are much less active than in previous generations. TV watching, the Internet, Nintendo and PlayStation have all contributed to the “couch potato” lifestyle. This lack of exercise and excess food consumption equals overweight and even obesity for generations of our children.

So what do most parents do when they realize their kids are getting too fat? They put them on the same dangerous fad diets they’ve tried themselves. Popular diets (“fad diets”) are proven ineffective — they simply don’t work. Restrictive dieting for children can be outright dangerous and should be avoided in nearly all circumstances.

Kathryn Martyn Smith, Master NLP & EFT, Weight Loss Coach, Author of the free weight loss E-book “Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss.” Learn to use EFT & NLP for weight loss with The Daily Bites http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/getnews.html

Those who are struggling with clinical obesity are often tempted to turn to weight loss surgery as their first option. However, before you make this drastic choice, you should make sure that you have pursued all of your other options.

The Natural Way

The natural way to lose weight is to increase your caloric output while decreasing your caloric intake. Of course, this is easier said than done, and it does not lead to rapid weight loss. For some, losing weight the natural way does not create change fast enough to help with the serious health problems that come with obesity.

If you do try to go the natural route to deal with your obesity, you need to focus on eating fresh foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be a staple of your diet. You also need to eat whole grains, not refined grains. At least half of your grains should be whole grains. These help you to feel full and do not cause the blood sugar crashes common with refined grains. For your protein, choose poultry and lean meats. Eat more fish, as it contains healthy oils that your body needs. Beans, nuts, and seeds are alternative healthy sources of protein.

Increasing your caloric output is also essential to natural weight loss. If you are significantly overweight, this can be difficult, but even a brisk walk is considered exercise and will help. Make it your goal to spend 30 minutes in some sort of activity every day whenever possible. As you lose weight, increase the intensity of your workout. Keep it varied in order to encourage yourself to stick with it.

Weight Loss Drugs

Another alternative to weight loss surgery is taking a weight loss drug. There are both prescription and over the counter weight loss medications available. They work by either suppressing your appetite or blocking some of the fat that you eat from being absorbed into your body. These work in conjunction with lifestyle changes to help you lose weight more quickly. However, they can have uncomfortable side effects, so make sure you do your research before choosing to use weight loss drugs.

Weight Loss Surgery

If natural weight loss methods are not working fast enough and you are not able or willing to use weight loss drugs, you may need to consider weight loss surgery. However, this is only an option if your body mass index is 40 or higher. You may qualify if your BMI is 35 or higher if you have a serious health complication that is caused by your weight.

Gastric bypass is one weight loss surgery option. In this procedure, the physician will create a small stomach pouch by stapling the stomach and attaching the resulting pouch to the middle part of the small intestine. This limits both the amount of food you can eat by making the stomach smaller, and also the amount of calories your body absorbs by bypassing part of the small intestine. Portions of the stomach and intestine are removed, making this a permanent change.

Another popular weight loss surgery is the Lap Band surgery. LapBand is a gastric banding device that is placed around the stomach laparoscopically. It creates a small stomach pouch, thus limiting the amount of food that is eaten. Many patients choose Lap Band surgery over gastric bypass because it is far less invasive and does not permanently change the digestive system.

A third, rarely used option is a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. This creates the small stomach pouch and connects it to the last part of the small intestine, bypassing most of the small intestine. It is rarely used because it puts patients at risk of malnutrition when compared to other weight loss surgery options. If you are considering weight loss surgery, be sure to discuss each of these three options with your doctor in detail so you can choose the best one for your body’s unique needs.

Lapband weight loss surgery is designed to induce weight loss by limiting food consumption. The adjustable gastric band is the safest surgical procedure for weight loss, unique because it is adjustable and reversible. When learning about the advantages of the adjustable gastric band, be sure to visit the CIBO Weight Loss Clinic.