Weight loss
How do we get to be overweight?
We become overweight by eating. Don’t get me wrong eating is essential for our daily lives. So as weight loss. We obtain energy to survive from the food we eat. Our bodies process food into usable energy to survive and maintain our daily activities.
Calories…
The human body needs a certain number of calories to burn as energy per day. If we consume too much energy rich food like carbohydrates. Our bodies will process it into excess amounts of energy that we do not currently need at that time. That energy will be stored on our bodies as fat. This fat accumulates as we continue to eat more than our bodies require. This in turn causes a problem of being overweight which then leads to obesity.
Health issues of being overweight
Being overweight or obese comes with a variety health issues. These include; lack of mobility, musculoskeletal issues. This is a result of that your skeletal system has to support much more weight than before. Difficulty in breathing and lack of oxygenated blood to your cells.
The heart does not enlarge as you gain weight. This person’s heart will now have to pump oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to and from the cells of a much larger body than it was intended to.
Heart failure
This often results in heart issues or even heart failure to obese individuals. The heart now has to work twice as hard to maintain blood circulation. An increased amount of fat in the body also causes hypertension and even a stroke. Arteries and veins that transport blood can sometimes get restricted by the excessive amount of fat causing a blockage in the system.
Steps on How to lose weight
Prevention is always better than a cure. It is very difficult to lose weight because in order to lose weight one has to burn more calories than he consumes. Difficult as it may be here are a few steps to try if you are willing to lose some weight;
- Be on a low-calorie diet.
You need to eat less calories so as to give your body a chance to burn already existing calories. Avoid energy rich foods like; starches, sugars, processed foods and all sorts of fast-food.
- Do not eat large meals instead eat many small meals.
Large meals will stretch your stomach and make it harder for you to feel full on a small meal.
- Drink plenty of water, try to always drink a glass of water before and after a meal.
Having water before a meal will tell you if you are hungry or not. People often mistake being thirsty to hunger. If you drink water and it goes away that means you were not hungry in the first place. Remember that water is also essential for digestion.
- Do not eat if you are not hungry.
Remember the aim is to give the body enough food for the sufficient energy production. Not excess amounts of energy that will be stored as fat.
- Be active especially after meals.
Avoid eating too close to bed-time. After a meal you need to be active to help your body digest the food better.
- Workout.
You need to workout to burn excess calories in your body and lose weight. Often people look for magical pills that will help them lose weight without having to do anything, this is highly unlikely.
Even if you are on a diet you still need to exercise to lose weight. You can lift weights, run or do any form of exercising, however exercising does not mean you only have to go to the gym; a daily 30-minute walk is good enough, or a few sit ups, push ups or rope skipping in the comfort of your home. - Persistance . Remember losing weight will not happen over night so there is no need to over exert yourself. Take up sports like soccer with your children or friends, tennis with friends, volleyball or any sports for fun as an activity to keep yourself active. While playing your favourite sport you are burning calories without even noticing because you are having fun. Also try to avoid hiring people to do things that you can do for yourself like home maintenance, mowing the lawn or gardening can be a way to keep you active and help you lose weight.
- Try to eat at the kitchen or dining area only and then if you can, try to avoid those areas of the house until it’s time to eat.
Places where you usually eat will trigger the desire to eat within you even if you are not hungry. Only use eating areas for eating only, use other rooms for relaxation and other activities.
- If you are into videogames, try to go for interactive games that will keep you active like Nintendo wii etc.
