I’m not fat!

The article below points out a very big perception problem, many Americans don’t see themselves as overweight even though they really and truly are! There are so many ways that our minds fool us into thinking incorrectly. I suppose those that are fat would hang out with other fat folks and then start thinking that fat was the new normal…??

WAKE UP AMERICANS…obesity is a huge problem in this country. Gluttony is not a desirable trait. The bible even talks about this and highly suggests that people not indulge.

Many Americans Don’t Even Know They’re Fat

Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds 30 percent of those overweight think they’re normal size

By Amanda Gardner

HealthDay Reporter

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THURSDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) — Many Americans have skewed perceptions when it comes to their weight, often believing they are thinner than they really are, even when the scales are shouting otherwise, a new poll finds.

As part of the Harris Interactive/HealthDay survey, respondents were asked to provide their height and weight, from which pollsters calculated their body-mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height. Respondents were then asked which category of weight they thought they fell into.

Thirty percent of those in the “overweight” class believed they were actually normal size, while 70 percent of those classified as obese felt they were simply overweight. Among the heaviest group, the morbidly obese, almost 60 percent pegged themselves as obese, while another 39 percent considered themselves merely overweight.

These findings may help to explain why overweight and obesity rates in the United States continue to go up, experts say.

“While there are some people who have body images in line with their actual BMI, for many people they are not, and this may be where part of the problem lies,” said Regina Corso, vice president of Harris Poll Solutions. “If they do not recognize the problem or don’t recognize the severity of the problem, they are less likely to do something about it.”

And that means that obesity may be becoming the new norm, raising the specter of increasing rates of health threats such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

“I think too many people are unsure of what they should actually weigh,” said Keri Gans, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “For many, they have grown up in a culture were most people are overweight and that is the norm, or they have been surrounded by too many celebrities and fashion in the media and think very thin is the norm.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of adults aged 20 and older are obese, and 34 percent are overweight. Among children, 18 percent of teens aged 12 to 19 are obese, 20 percent of children aged 6 to 11 are obese, as are 10 percent of kids aged 2 to 5.

Most respondents to the poll who felt they were heavier than they should be blamed sloth, rather than poor eating habits, for their predicament.

“In the mindset of most Americans, they’re not looking at this as a food problem as much as an exercise problem,” Corso said.

According to the poll, 52 percent of overweight people and 75 percent of both the obese and morbidly obese felt they didn’t exercise enough.

“We’re seeing the couch potato stigma [syndrome],” Corso said. “Three out of five Americans overall are saying they don’t exercise as much as they should.”

Added Gans: “It is sad that 59 percent of people who responded know they should be getting more exercise but yet aren’t. Maybe they set the bar too high and forget that simply walking counts as exercise.”

Food appeared to be a lesser culprit than lack of exercise in people’s minds, with 36 percent of overweight respondents, 48 percent of obese respondents and 27 percent of those morbidly obese feeling they ate more than they “should in general.”

A third of overweight people, 55 percent of obese people and 59 percent of morbidly obese people felt they ate too much of the wrong types of food.

As for weight-loss interventions, the respondents deemed surgery the most effective method, followed by prescription drugs, then drugs and diet-food supplements obtained over-the-counter.

About half felt that procedures such as gastric bypass and stomach stapling were either very or fairly effective in helping people shrink their girth. Faith in these remedies seemed similar, regardless of the respondents’ weight.

“Americans like the quick fix and that’s what they think the surgery is even though there are so many other things” that work, Corso said. “And so many people reverse their own surgery. These numbers are staggering.”

Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, noted that “when [Dr. Everett Coop, surgeon general in the 1980s] wrote ‘Shape Up America,’ he said the biggest health problem facing America was not AIDS, not cancer, it’s obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Since then … we’ve seen nothing but a rise in obesity despite all of these efforts that have gone on now since the 1980s.”

“The American public knows this but it’s hard and it’s something that they’re not quite ready to do,” Corso added. “This wake-up call still isn’t ringing as loudly as it could.”

The poll included 2,418 adults (aged 18 and over) who were surveyed online between Aug. 17 and 19.

More information

Read more about the poll methodology and findings at Harris Interactive.

To check your BMI, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

SOURCES: Regina Corso, vice president, Harris Poll Solutions, New York City; Keri Gans, R.D., spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association; Mitchell Roslin, M.D., chief of obesity surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City

Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

BW Extras

So grab a carrot or celery stick when you get hungry. Get serious about losing weight and you will not regret it. You will feel better and have more energy to say the least!

Healthy Weight loss, Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is a very useful tool for not only losing weight but for general health! Many people I speak with use it and are very happy with the way they feel over time.

I use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. It comes in very handy when you make up salad dressings. A tablespoon a day can keep the doctor/pounds away!

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

Since Ages, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is used as one of the most productive medicinal tool in reducing body weight. It is believed that inclusion of Apple Cider Vinegar in your diet can prevent numerous diseases and ill effects, leading a very energetic healthy life.

There is an old saying-”An Apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Don’t you think all these ancient adages or sayings carry a great amount of wisdom? Certainly they do. This above mentioned saying points out the immense importance of Apple Cider Vinegar in diet.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

By turning the pages of medicine history, we can find that even Hippocrates, father of modern medicine had praised Apple Cider Vinegar diet for its unique medicinal values. For ages, it is being used as remedy for many diseases.

Formation

It is obtained by the process of Fermentation of apple juice into alcoholic apple cider. This alcoholic apple cider is then let interacted with the oxygen which turns the alcohol into acetic acid. This acetic acid along with apple pectin forms the core of the finished product- Apple Cider Vinegar.

Constituents

The studies have derived that Apple Cider Vinegar is a combination of ninety different substances including eight types of ethyl acetates, thirteen types of carbolic acids, eighteen types of alcohols, four types of aldehydes, twenty types of ketones etc. It also contains minerals like Potassium, Calcium, Sodium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorous, Sulfur, Copper, Chlorine, Silicon, Fluorine etc. There are Vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Provitamin beta-carotene etc. along with enzymes, potash and apple pectin, a dietary fiber.

Advantages of Apple Cider Vinegar in Diet

There are numerous advantages of ACV. Smooth metabolism functioning; Reduction in cholesterol level, Regulation of the cell water content in body; assistance in regulation of blood pressure, smooth functioning of circulatory system, assistance in maintenance of body temperature… The list goes on!

It is a very safe supplement, with no known side effects. For long times, it has been used as a tool for weight loss and circulatory health. Again, the pH of ACV is identified as very beneficial factor for the health.

Health Benefits

1. Cholesterol Control – Increased levels of cholesterol is considered as the main reason behind heart attacks. Apple Pectin present in the Apple Cider Vinegar is basically a water soluble dietary fiber which absorbs the fats and cholesterol and then excretes it outside thus helps reducing its level.

2. Diabetes – Apple pectin, the dietary fiber also helps in absorption of glucose, thus reducing extra amount of glucose.

3. Arthritis – Arthritis is an inflamed condition of joints, caused by a build-up of toxic wastes in the tissues due to unhealthy life styles It has been reported that apple cider vinegar have a positive influence on the patients suffering from Arthritis.

4. Blood pressure – The potassium present in ACV is believed to be beneficial to both the heart and blood pressure.

5. Cold – Here it is believed that the Ph factor of ACV is instrumental. Prior to a cold, the pH of the body becomes a bit more alkaline. ACV helps to rebalance it.

6. Constipation – Often, improper bowel movements are blamed for constipation. As in old age, there is reduction in release of digestive enzymes like pectin, hydrochloric acid; more and more toxic waste products are retained and absorbed back by the body instead of throwing them out. With apple cider vinegar diet, we add fibers like apple pectin which helps in having proper bowel movements.

7. Diarrhea – Although, there are various reasons for diarrhea, ACV can offer a way for the body to get rid of harmful ingested compounds. The pectin in apple cider vinegar plays very important role to calm down the pain. As, the intestinal enzyme secretion transforms pectin into a kind of protective coating which pacifies the irritated inner lining of the colon.

8. Candida – Apple Cider Vinegar can be useful in the treatments of yeast infections like Candida caused by the unbalance of acid levels in the body. Douching by making a solution of ACV in Luke-warm water can get you rid off from the symptoms.

9. Indigestion – In intestine, Hydrochloric acid and pepsin, an enzyme are essential to proper break down the food which is then absorbed by body. Sometimes, intestine is unable to produce required amount of these enzymes which ultimately leads to the indigestion. However, ingestion of apple cider vinegar can assist in rebalancing this acidic environment and can be proved as effective medicine.

10. Metabolism – Liver plays a crucial role in the metabolism process. If the food is not metabolized properly, it will result in the weight gain by the body. For centuries, ACV is used in assisting liver to detoxify the toxins and in helping in the digestion of rich, fatty foods, and for proper metabolizing of proteins, fats and minerals into the required byproducts.

11. Fatigue – Due to the overexertion by muscles extra amount of Lactic acid is produced and we call the stage as fatigue. Amino acids present in the apple cider vinegar interact with this lactic acid and break them down. Moreover, potassium present in ACV helps to regain more energy and vitality.

The list has no end. Apple Cider Vinegar is believed to help in conditions like, nasal congestion, chest congestion, sore throat, stiff joints, headaches, cataract, depression and so many. The biggest advantage it carries is of help in reducing the body weight.

In many ways, Apple Cider Vinegar Diet Helps. It is recommended that you should take three teaspoons of apple vinegar before each meal. Well you may face some difficulty to swallow three teaspoons down initially, but a practice of few days can make you habitual of it. So, Begin your new healthy, revitalized journey with Apple Cider Vinegar Diet.

I do love Apple Cider Vinegar with the ‘Mother’, such as Braggs brand!