The Effects of Obesity You Can't Always See

With all of the news about diets, weight loss and healthy living, Americans just keep on gaining weight.

The media preaches one thing and then we are lured with advertisements about fast food and junk food that have been engineered to stimulate the addictive centers of the brain.

Obesity is detrimental to your health because it can lead to various complications such as joint pain and osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gallstones, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

BMI Categories:

Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by taking a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared.

Below 18.5 - Underweight

18.5 to 24.9 - Normal or healthy weight

25.0 to 29.9 - Overweight

30.0 to 40.0 - Obese

Over 40.0 - Morbidly Obese

Morbidly Obese:

Morbidly obese individuals have a BMI over either over 40, or are100 pounds heavier than the ideal weight. It is estimated that more than 15.5 million Americans are morbidly obese and that number is expected to grow higher in the coming years.

Obesity By Race:

According to the Journal of American Medicinal Association (JAMA), 48.1% of African-Americans are obese, making them the highest obesity population. This is followed by Hispanics at 42.5%, Caucasians at 34.5% and Asians at 11.7%. Overall, 40.2% of middle aged adults (40 to 59 years old) in the U.S. are obese.

Arkansas is the most obese state at 35.9%,

The CDC estimates that in children and adolescents from 2 to 19 years old, have an obesity rate of 17%.

Some of the Various Causes of Obesity:

1. Sedentary Lifestyle

2. Poor Dietary Choices

3. Genetics

4. Being on Certain Medications

5. Psychological Factors

6. Environmental Factors, Including Toxins

7. Economic Factors

10 Effective Strategies to Lose Weight:

1. Try to have the proper mindset and attitude. You must make it a priority.

2. Seek professional help. Qualified professionals can get to the bottom of your condition, allowing them to create a program that you can follow.

3. Join support groups to can help bolster your confidence.

4. Eliminate junk foods and processed foods and only eat meals that are prepared from scratch.

5. Drastically cut back or eliminate sugar.

6.. Reduce and try to avoid grain consumption.

7. Increase your intake of healthy fats.

8. Try to eat all organic produce.

9. Get on an exercise program and gradually increase the intensity, after consulting a healthcare professional.

10. Pray for strength and guidance on your quest to better health.

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