What is Obesity? What is BMI (Body Mass Index)?

 Diet, Workout  No Responses »
Jan 182010
 

If you’re curious what obesity means, and how BMI is related to it, you can check out this link:

What is Obesity? What is BMI (Body Mass Index)?.

It’s a good resource for understanding this condition. Here’s an excerpt from that resource page regarding obesity:

An obese person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person’s bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over you are considered obese.

Now for the BMI, here’s another excerpt:

The BMI is a statistical measurement derived from your height and weight. Although it is considered to be a useful way to estimate healthy body weight, it does not measure the percentage of body fat. The BMI measurement can sometimes be misleading – a muscleman may have a high BMI but have much less fat than an unfit person whose BMI is lower. However, in general, the BMI measurement can be a useful indicator for the ‘average person’.

So if you naturally have big muscles like I do, our BMI will be higher. Now this is a dilemma for me. Where should I base my weight loss targets now? Should it be on BMI or should it be on overall physical appearance? With regards to my insurance premiums, I’m obese. So should I just target the normal BMI? But what if it is impossible given my body type?Hmmmm.

Anyways, I’m still overweight, so I still need to lose weight. Once I achieve a slimmer and firmer body, I’ll reevaluate my targets again.

For now, it’s back to my workouts and healthy eating habits.

Original article source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/obesity/what-is-obesity.php

 Posted by on January 18, 2010

"Want some poop in your drink, sir?" – Think again

 Diet  1 Response »
Jan 152010
 

I came across a very alarming article in CNN Health, about how researchers found “Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination.” Yup you read that right, “fecal” contamination. Bacteria in poop, sh*t, feces, whatever you want to call it, was found in their sodas. The researchers still don’t know how that got there but what they’re sure of is “Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.”

Directly quoting the article:

“The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern… and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced,” the authors wrote.

Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.

There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.

They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems). Continue reading »

Slow eaters don't get fat

 Diet  No Responses »
Jan 062010
 

I read in the news today that researchers have found that by using a device to tell obese children to eat slowly, these kids lost weight and decreased their eating speed by 11%.

In a trial with 106 obese children the gadget showed promising results, the British Medical Journal reports online.

After 12 months of use the children weighed less and ate smaller portions. Their speed of eating was reduced by 11% compared with a gain of 4% in a comparison group.

Experts believe eating too fast can interfere with an inbuilt signalling system that tells the brain to stop eating when the stomach becomes full.But early in life, with instructions like “make sure you eat it all up”, children are taught to override these signals.

I guess the old reminders to eat slowly really works.

So how do you eat slowly?

Here are some ideas:

  • Chew more. Chew your food until it’s all mushy inside. That will help digest the food better and gives your jaw muscles a good exercise.
  • Drink a glass of water before a meal to feel fuller.
  • Eat fruits before a meal. Again your adding non-fattening volume ahead of the main meal.
  • Use chopsticks. Imagine using chopsticks in all your meals. Good luck to eating fast (unless you’re a chopstick master).
  • Don’t swallow a spoonful.

I’m giving this a try.  Let’s see if I can manage to slow down.