Description Simply put, obesity is an excess of body fat. A commonly used demarcation is that a person is obese if s/he weighs 20% or more over the maximum desirable weight for his/her height and build. Some calculations are more sophisticated and are also based on body fat percentage, which can be measured using specialized instruments or scales. The scale, which can be stood upon like a traditional scale, measures your body fat percentage by sending electrodes through your body. The electrodes move at different speeds through fat tissue and lean muscle mass and accurately gauge the percentage of fat carried by your body. Up to 18% body fat is healthy for men and 25% is a healthy maximum for women. Opinions concerning a healthy minimum body fat percentage vary greatly. For instance, marathon runners and competitive body builders often fall off the charts and there is great debate as to whether those body types are considered "healthy". Other definitions of obesity are more qualitative and consider people to be obese only if their pattern of fat distribution increases their likelihood of acquiring certain diseases. Whatever the definition, obesity has become an increasingly greater problem in North America, where one third of the population is considered dangerously overweight -- and this is despite growing trends of fad diets and "miracle cures". We collectively spend billions of dollars each year on diet products and programs yet we are gaining more weight. The concern is not merely one of aesthetics: obesity, along with all its complications, is second only to smoking as the greatest killer in North America.
Symptoms and Signs: Modern culture tends to value slenderness. Never has there been greater societal pressure for people, especially women, to be "thin". This pressure causes undue emotional and self-esteem issues for women and men alike. Be careful though: there is a significant difference between being healthy and attaining a magazine-cover figure. In fact, many models follow unhealthy diets in order to maintain their body shape. Do not be pressured into thinking "the thinner the better". Recognize, however, when your weight is interfering with your daily activities or your general health. Recognize also if your naturopath or other health practitioner advises that you lose weight in order to alleviate the symptoms of another medical problem.
Causes: Obesity is caused by an unbalance between the consumption and expenditure of calories. Too much energy (food) is taken in without sufficient output of energy (activity). High-calorie and fatty foods provide our bodies with stored food energy as well as protection for our vital organs. This was important in the hunting/gathering era, when humans would remain without food for days. Some theories link our "love" of high-calorie foods to a survival tactic from those times. This may explain why a bag of potato chips generally leads to more cravings than sliced vegetables. In modern society, most of us eat several times a day and "storing" all that energy has become not only unnecessary, but destructive. Obesity is not simply overeating. Obese people may have a very low metabolic rate, food sensitivities, or metabolic and endocrine imbalances, including hypothyroidism and hypopituitarism. Diabetes is also linked to obesity. Studies show that heredity is also a factor. Although only 7% of children born to normal-weight parents grow up to be obese, 40% of children will become obese if only one parent is overweight; and that figure jumps to 80% if both parents are overweight. These figures, although seemingly alarming, do not unveil the whole story. Children often mimic their parents and pick up on environmental and social factors, including the eating and exercise habits learned at home. Those habits often continue as children grow into adults. It is true that many hormonal disorders accompany obesity and some people tend to gain more weight than others, despite following the same diet and exercise regime. However, the overwhelming majority of obese people do not suffer from those disorders. In most cases, obesity is caused by poor diet and eating habits, accompanied by a lack of exercise. In today's fast paced society, we tend to have a dependence on convenience and junk foods, which supply many calories but little nutritional value. Studies show that North Americans have so little time to prepare healthy meals that over 25% are now eating in their cars. We find little time in our busy schedules to exercise, yet our jobs are becoming less physically demanding. A vicious cycle is created: being less active makes us more tired, giving us even less motivation to exercise. Our children are less active too. They are spending more time watching television, playing video games, and surfing the Internet. The days of rushing to the street to play stickball have long past...
What to Expect: Do not expect to lose weight overnight. Weight loss is necessarily a lifestyle choice and is often a difficult process. Life-long, bad, habits are not easy to break and new, healthier, lifestyle choices are not easily adapted. It should take months, if not years, to attain your weight loss goals in a healthy manner. However, once your weight loss goal has been achieved -- through making life choices rather than drinking the newest diet milkshake -- your weight loss can be properly, if not easily, maintained. Crash diets and "miracle" cures do not work and often cause additional damage to your body. 95% of people on such diets quickly regain the weight and "yo-yoing" can cause additional health problems due to the physical and emotional stresses of severe weight fluctuation. Remember that miracle cures exist to sell products, not to make people lose weight and be healthy. Being obese increases your chances of becoming seriously ill. High blood pressure and stroke are twice as likely to occur in obese people than in lean people. Heart disease and heart attacks are much more prevalent among obese people. The adult-onset of diabetes mellitus is five times more common among obese people. Obese men are at a greater risk of colon, rectal, and prostate cancer. Obese women are at a greater risk of cancers of the breast, uterus and cervix. Being overweight also puts undue strain on your back, legs and joints, which can lead to further health complications, including knee and lower back problems.
Remedies
Exercise If in a sedentary position, it takes 190 minutes to burn the fat from only 10 potato chips. Walking burns about five times more calories than if you were watching television or reading. Walking merely 30 minutes a day helps your body burn fat for fuel. Great times to walk include before breakfast and in the evening. Walking not only burns fat, but is relaxing, relieves stress, and is very energizing. Short walks after meals are especially beneficial. They help balance the blood-sugar response to meals, allowing you to burn more fat as fuel. Exercise also naturally suppresses appetite. Physical activity reduces hunger stimulation to ensure that your body is performing at its peak capacity. Exercise helps you understand your body and what it needs, especially on deciding when to eat and the appropriate food to have. Because we do not subject our bodies to appropriate physical challenges, we do not obtain enough knowledge about our physical strengths, weakness, and what we should eat. This knowledge should be within us, but is now obtained in the form of diet "point-systems" and calorie-intake plans. As a result, our eating habits become transformed into the calculated numbers and percentages of fad diets that we buy off television commercials -- the very same diets that prove futile in effectiveness. Do not overdo it. We are not all marathon runners. Some physical activities can be physically strenuous and often counter-productive, leading to serious injuries and even sudden death. Many people each year die as a result of a heart attack while simply shoveling snow from their driveways. If you are overweight, there are even greater risks of physical injury when beginning a new exercise regime. Do not be anxious to do too much too soon. If you are unfamiliar with exercise programs and their benefits, seek advice from your health care provider or a fitness consultant so that an appropriate exercise regime can be constructed for you. The best exercise regime, however, is always a diverse one. Try workouts that include cardiovascular training, muscle toning, as well as stretching exercises. Although cardiovascular training burns more calories, muscle toning prepares your body to use calories at a faster rate. Stretching not only feels good but it burns calories and protects your body from injury. Exercising in a swimming pool can prove to be very effective: it provides you with challenging workouts with little impact on your joints. Above all, ensure that you choose exercises that you enjoy. Exercise is most effective when it becomes a lifestyle choice, much like getting up for work in the morning. Simply put, exercise makes you live longer. Recent studies indicate that one hour of exercise adds two hours to your life -- not a bad deal!
Foods to Avoid It is important to analyze your lifestyle as a fundamental step toward achieving weight loss. Diets that do not provide you with enough vitamins, minerals, and protein coincide with both weight gain and low energy levels and mood swings. Diets high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils, soft drinks, and "junk food" do not provide any meaningful benefits to your body and are not adequate to achieve or maintain good physical health. In addition, if your overall health is poor, it is likely that your mental and emotional well-being may also suffer. This closed cycle of binge eating and sugar cravings is often an effort to counter depression and mood swings. Excess snacking is also the body's way of scavenging for essential vitamins and minerals. Simply supplementing with a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, in addition to B vitamins and C (see Vitamins, below) can improve mood and mental function and provide your body with the nutrients you need. Stay away from chemical, fat alternatives that are used in some "junk food" products. They rid your body of essential nutrients, cause dehydration, numerous digestive complications including severe cramps and diarrhea, and have not been tested thoroughly enough to rule out other possible side effects. Also, avoid appetite suppressant medications. These products do not address the behaviour patterns that lead to obesity and will not resolve the situation. Two addictive and popular North American items should also be reduced or eliminated from the diet. These are caffeine and alcohol. An intake of roughly 700mg or more of caffeine per day (equivalent to 5 cups of coffee) is often associated with depression and mood swings. Caffeine increases blood-sugar levels over the short-term, followed by a dramatic decrease. Caffeine consumption is similar to sugar in terms of energy "ups" and "downs" and resulting cravings. According to one study, cutting out caffeine and refined sugars for as little as one week has been clinically shown to improve mood in many individuals complaining of depression. Alcohol consumption, particularly before bedtime, disrupts the body's natural production of melatonin -- a hormone required for proper, restful sleep. In addition, alcohol is quite high in calories per gram. As mentioned above, reduce or eliminate soft drink consumption. Soft drinks contain sugar, caffeine and industrial sweeteners such as aspartame that stimulate and then depress the metabolism. Caffeine and soft drink acids leech minerals from the body, while the acids put unnecessary stress on the kidneys.
Foods Fibre-rich foods provide low-calorie, stomach-filling nourishment. They aid in cleansing and in digestion. Drink plenty of water. This vital "food" helps flush toxins from your system and can help fill a hungry stomach. Best of all, it replaces high-calorie alternatives such as alcohol and soft drinks, helping you to achieve you weight loss goal. Try and drink eight 8oz glasses of water daily, especially before, during, and after you exercise. If you are not used to drinking this quantity of water, start slowly, at 4 glasses daily and work your way up over the course of a week. Herbal teas mixed with unsweetened fruit juices are low in calories and are also very filling. Eat well-balanced meals but refrain from eating fatty proteins. Lean protein alternatives include organic soy products (such as tofu), fish, chicken, and turkey breast. Avoid red meats as they are associated with problems beyond their high fat content, such as heart disease and cancer. Eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Low-calorie vegetables include carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery. Low-calorie fruits include apples, cantaloupe, strawberries and grapefruit. When cooking your vegetables, or anything else, avoid frying. Try putting lemon juice and fresh herbs on your vegetables and grilling them on the barbecue. Kelp aids in weight loss. Add to soups, stews, or salads. If supplementing, take 1,000 to 1,500mg daily.
Herbs Alfalfa, cornsilk, dandelion leaf, gravel root, horsetail, hydrangea, hyssop, juniper berries, oat straw, parsley, seawrack, thyme, uva ursi, white ash, and yarrow all have diuretic properties (encourage water flow and reduces water retention) and can be prepared as an infusion. See the dedicated sections on these herbs for more information. Use the links located at the end of this section. Aloe vera juice improves digestion and cleanses the digestive tract. Drink one or two glasses daily. Fennel removes mucous and fat from the intestinal tract and is a natural appetite suppressant. Ephedra, guarana, and kola nut are also natural appetite suppressants. Consult with your herbalist, naturopath, or other health practitioner before employing ephedra to determine the appropriateness of this herb for your needs. Fenugreek is useful for dissolving fat within the liver. Licorice root reduces cravings for sweets by strengthening adrenal glands. NOTE: Licorice can elevate blood pressure. Avoid it completely if you have high blood pressure and do not use it for more than seven days if consuming daily. Red clover aids in detoxifying the body burdened by excess pounds. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons dried herb per cup of hot water. Drink up to 3 cups daily. This dosage can be quite cleansing and may be too much at first. Build up to this dose over a few days. If supplementing, take 100mg three times daily. Red raspberry leaf tea reduces appetite, balances the hormonal system, and increases energy. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of herb. Cover for 10 minutes. Take 3 times daily Siberian ginseng reduces the stress of adapting to new eating habits and aids in moving fluids and nutrients throughout the body.
Homeopathy Certain remedies can be used in acute situations if your symptoms fit the symptom picture of the remedy. For dosages, see the dedicated section on Homeopathy. Consult your homeopath or naturopath to determine your constitutional remedy: the remedy that best fits you as a whole person. Your homeopath or naturopath will take a complete case history considering all of your mental and physical ailments and match these symptoms with the symptom picture of the remedy. Argentum Nitricum: Reduces cravings for sweets in some individuals. Calcarea Carbonica: Useful for some individuals who have difficulties controlling appetite.
Lifestyle Do not give in to food cravings. Eating, for some, is an addiction, much like drugs or alcohol. Find the best ways to become distracted (reading, writing, listening to music.) and continuously remind yourself of your weight loss goals. Exercise is always the best distraction. Skipping meals does not work and is unhealthy. When your body is provided with too few calories it only slows down to preserve every nutrient. One pound of fat is equivalent to approximately 3,500 calories. Burning 500 calories more than your daily intake means you will lose about one pound per week. This is a healthy goal. These numbers are provided only as a reference and are used to reflect the dangers of rapid weight loss. The idea is not necessarily to eat less, but to eat properly and complement this with a healthy exercise program. As mentioned above, crash dieters regain the weight they had lost and often more. A fourteen year Framingham study showed that people who have had severe weight fluctuations have a greater risk of heart disease and premature death. Learning to love your body more is a great way to lose weight. A Stanford University study dealing with 177 moderately obese men and women for a year found that those who most want to lose weight may, in fact, have the hardest time doing so. Two groups of people have the most difficult time losing weight: overweight women and men who are extremely dissatisfied with their bodies and people with a history of "yo-yo" dieting and weight loss. If you are unhappy with your body, you may feel uncomfortable exercising at gyms with others and, as such, may not exercise regularly. The gym, however, is not the only venue for achieving weight loss. Walks through the neighbourhood or in the local park are enjoyable on a number of levels. Walk with friends or by yourself and take in the scenery. You can also start an active/outdoor hobby such as gardening, crafts.even babysitting! Thyroid Issues Reducing caloric intake may result in short-term gains, but the weight usually returns once the diet ends. A large drop in caloric intake slows the conversion of the thyroid hormone T4 to T3 (triiodothyronine) -- a metabolically active form of thyroid hormone. As a result, the body burns less total calories when at rest. After dieting, thyroid function often continues to be depressed, resulting in less calories burned while you return to a normal caloric intake. Individuals with weight problems may already have a depressed thyroid, so this situation is not desirable. A thyroid test may be taken to determine how this gland is performing. Overall, have a realistic weight goal and a positive body image, regardless of your weight. This will help set you on the road to weight-loss success.
Minerals Zinc enhances the effectiveness of insulin and boosts immune function. Take 25 to 50mg daily.
Vitamins A B-50 Complex facilitates proper digestion. Take one 50mg capsule once or twice daily. Do not take more than 50mg at one time as your body cannot absorb a larger amount in a single dosage. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids can help speed up a slow metabolism and are necessary for normal glandular function. Take 3,000 to 6,000mg daily. Start at 3,000mg and increase up to bowel tolerance.
Actions and Remedy Listings
See also Depression, Eating Disorders, Hypothyroidism
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