Saturday, July 3, 2010

Are Your Children at Risk for Obesity?

There are a lot of articles written about lose weight gain life and numerous weight loss programs around, but only a few of those address the fact that our children are also overweight.This is very sad considering that the number of obese children and teenagers has tripled in the last twenty years and those numbers are increasing.From 4% in 1974, the percentage of overweight children from 6-11 years has risen to 17.5% in 2004. The same is true for teenagers. Overweight teens aging from 12 to 19 have increased from 6% in 1974 to 17% in 2004.Today, 32% of children are overweight. 16% are obese. And 11% are considered extremely obese.

Children are under even more peer pressure about their weight than most adults can imagine. Adolescent girls, as young as 13 years old, are begging for, and some are actually having, gastric surgeries to reduce their weight quickly. Some see bulimia or anorexia as their only solution.

The biggest threat with childhood and teenage obesity is these children are much more likely to become obese adults. The difference is they’re being affected at a much younger age with the same health issues that plague obese adults.It has been foreseen that the children of this generation will be the first in history to have a shorter life span than their parents.

It is futile to talk about the reasons why we’ve let our children get fat. We all know the reasons, and we should take responsibility for it as adults, not the children.

We continuously feed them junk food instead of healthy, nutritious meals. Instead of oatmeal for breakfast, we feed them sugar induced cereal.They eat too many overly processed, nutritionally lacking, calorie-laden snacks instead of fruits and vegetables. There are also too many fast food, too much and too often.To add to that, we’ve stopped encouraging our children to go outdoors and be active. It’s too easy to let them spend one mind-numbing hour after another in front of a TV screen or a computer monitor.

They’re growing up so sedentary that even playing outside seems like work. What have we done to our children?

If you have a child suffering from obesity, it is time to be accountable for it and step up to the plate. The effect is only on their physical body, but on their emotional state as well.Children shouldn’t have to suffer with issues like depression and a lack of self-esteem. They shouldn’t have to endure the daily teasing and rude comments from thoughtless classmates that chip away at their self-image.It is not fair to let your children’s body struggle with the added demands of carrying around excess weight when they are just starting to develop. I am asking all parents and grandparents who have overweight children to do something about it.

Involve your child in physical activities. Make sure that they eat healthier meals and snacks. And use Weight Loss Breeze Program to reduce your child’s weight to a normal, healthy level. This program is a natural, reasonable approach to weight loss. But most importantly, it works.



Lose Weight Gain Life- 10 Tips for Sustainability

Lose weight gain life motivation is the bane of all dieter's lives. It comes and goes like the wind. For many of us, keeping hold of it is like trying to control the elements themselves - impossible. That is until you realise that a dieting mindset is the route cause of your loss of motivation!

You may also be hooked into the belief that somewhere there is a 'quick fix' that will see you shed your excess pounds quickly and easily. Worse still you may even believe that it is your fault when the diets don't work. Therefore to create a successful change that leads to healthy eating habits we need to update our mindset to one that motivates.

Think about it for a moment. What is it that a dieting mindset generates the most of? Negativity - a constant focus on food that is labelled by us as 'bad'; the feeling of failure when our motivation and will power wane; the emotions of guilt, shame and self-loathing and of course the constant nagging feeling that we are 'Not Good Enough'. Negativity cannot sustain motivation in the long-term, only positive attitudes and beliefs can do that.

So let me ask you a question, "When did you ever buy a product or service (except for a diet related one) and blame yourself when it did not work?" That's what we have been doing for decades. It really is time to focus on the truth (from over 3 decades of research) that prove diets don't work, for most people, as a long-term solution to weight issues.

The truth is that diets are the cause of much of our weight gain (dieters are 3 times more likely to become obese) and our lose weight gain life motivation. Not convinced? Since when did negative thoughts or feelings ever motivate us to do anything? How can we possibly feel motivated in the long-term when we believe it is our fault we can't lose weight and gain life , that we are just 'Not Good Enough'?

The answer is you can't sustain motivation based on the foundations of negative belief systems, thoughts and feelings. So where does our motivation truly come from? The reality is that it comes from life and mindset changes that have their basis in the one thing that keeps us happy, joyful and motivated - self-love.

So what are the ten top tips for changing your mindset to one that motivates us to lose weight and gain life ?

1. Believe that you are perfectly normal and not a failure;

2. Banish guilt and shame from your life - they only lead to more comfort eating;

3. Slowly start to find ways of loving your body image as it is - you can still love it but want to change it. This way when you lose weight and gain life you will keep on loving your body and feeding it with the fuel it really needs.

4. Acknowledge that food restricting brings with it craving, binging and overeating - make all food good whilst considering the frequency with which you eat them;

5. Learn the habits with food that people who have never needed to diet use - how to replace comfort eating with comfort loving;

6. Start to eat 'consciously' in touch with your satiety levels and how foods make you feel physically and emotionally;

7. Train yourself to eat smaller portions of more healthily balanced foods - cut down not out;

8. Tell yourself that all food is good and then carefully think about what you really want to eat that is loving and caring for your body;

9. Increase the 'happiness hormones' in your body by taking regular exercise that is fun and enjoyable - you will never stick at it otherwise.

10. Exchange the battle with life and food with a search for loving experiences and actions that 'Feed Your Soul'. The more you fill yourself with love, the less stressed you are and the less you need food as a comforter.

It really is possible to lose weight permanently and find the weight you were born to be when you change a predominantly negative mindset for a positive one. How do I know?