America is currently undergoing a healthcare crisis! This crisis is NOT because of a lack of health care coverage for all Americans. The problem is obesity. America is fat! 6 out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese. Americans spend $4.4 billion per year on gastric bypass every year. Americans spend $147,000,000,000 (that is Billion!!!) per year on obesity related health issues. Of note, we spend $90 billion per year on cancer.
If you went from being obese to being at your ideal weight, you would save $1,000,000 over 40 years. Obese employees earn $7000 per year less than non-obese people. Individual and healthcare costs are enormous for obese people.
Losing weight boils down to a very simple concept. Burn more calories than you consume. Thus, there are 2 components to weight loss: calories burned (metabolsim) and calories consumed (diet/nutrition). It is important to address weight loss from both of these perspectives as they both play a critical role in successful, long-term weight loss.
Calories burned through metabolism can be broken down into 2 categories: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and activity. Activity metabolism is a result of daily activities and exercise. The more active you are, and the more you exercise, the greater your caloric expenditure. Your resting metabolism is due to a number of factors such as body composition and hormonal influences. The greater your lean muscle mass, the greater your caloric burn - even while you sleep. This is why it is important to include muscle building activities into your exercise program. It is also why yo-yo dieting is so detrimental. When you diet inappropriately and do not support your body with proper nutrition and exercise you often end up metabolizing your muscle to support normal body functions. This results in a loss of lean muscle mass and a subsequent decline in metabolism. These people often gain their total weight back but with a lower lean muscle mass.
Metabolism is also supported by proper nutrition. Your body will often decrease its metabolic rate in 'starvation mode' as a survival mechanism. It is important to fuel your body with proper nutrition for ultimate health. You need carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in appropriate proportions. However, it is important to ensure that most of your carbohydrates are complex, low-glycemic index carbohydrates and your proteins are derived from lean sources. Fats should be unsaturated (such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) - avoid saturated and trans fatty acids. Your total caloric intake must be less than your metabolism/caloric burn or you will not lose weight and burn body fat. Do NOT assume that severely cutting your calories will yield the results you want.
There are things that can be done to 'tip the scale' in your favor. These will be the subjects of future posts. There are no 'magic pills' or quick solutions. Anything, or anyone, that promises fast results without ultimately addressing these 2 issues is either extremely unhealthy or a scam (in my opinion). Start considering your exercise and nutrition plan and we will cover more next time. Losing weight really is this simple but there are many factors that can confound these issues. See the next article (But Are You Ready?)
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