Overweight and obesity have become so serious a problem across the world that it has now been recognized as a major health problem. Over a billion people all over the world have overweight problems or obesity. Over 60 percent of the adult population in the United States has this condition. It is associated and identified easily with the phenomenon of urbanization in the developed and developing countries. It is associated to the modern lifestyle and dietary practices. Also associated is the sedentary lifestyle. The weight loss market is estimated to be about US$80 billion. Investment in research to find out the causes and ways of weight loss has been going on. While there are many claims, equally are there counter claims. While the debate, often inconclusive as yet, goes on, so too have beliefs and notions about overweight problems and weight loss proliferated. Often some of these popular notions simply do not have any basis.

The immediate response to an overweight problem is to take on a starvation diet or crash diet to burn away the excess fat accumulated. This is based on the firm belief that starvation or near starvation is the best way for weight loss. However, this may seem to work in the beginning. The metabolism goes down but hunger increases. It could also leave one weak and undernourished. It is better not to starve but instead take more number of intakes of lesser quantity of food.

There is a popular belief that carb-free diet will make the unpleasant flab vanish. It is not as though that all carbohydrates are bad. There are good carbohydrates that body needs which make one feel full for a long time. This not only reduces hunger, but keeps away the craving for food. Weight loss requires that the digestion is slow. The insulin is released slowly. Fat in the body is burnt away. Bread digests fast and is an example of bad carbohydrate. Weight loss diets are also available in the market. Some of them are the 7 day diet, Anne Collins Weight Loss Program, The Atkins diet, Negative Calorie Food & Recipes, NutriSystem, Fit Yummy Mummy, Diet Smart and Beverly Hills Diet. You need to check out what suits you based on your needs.

The important thing is to lose weight and to maintain this weight for years. You should find out the reasons why you are overweight. You should also know your food compatibility.

Some people believe that skipping meals is good for losing weight. But then the body would respond in the compensatory mode leading to over-eating the next meal. It is better to identify what food suits your metabolism. Keeping a record of the food that you eat and how your body reacts to the food, is a good way of knowing what food would keep your weight down while keeping you healthy. Cutting down fat content in the diet is believed to be good to lose weight. But the human body requires some amount of fat for keeping healthy. A drastic reduction in fat could lead to imbalance in the hormones and could result in diseases. One must learn to choose the right amount of natural fat. For instance, olive oil, avocado oil, mustard oil and walnut oil reduce the speed of digestion contributing to weight loss. It is not as though that more calorie consumption equals more fat accumulation.

There is the widespread belief that a higher calorie intake means overweight. Alternatively it is believed that a reduced calorie intake will reduce weight. Rather than reduction in calorie intake, it is actually the type of food that matters. Instead of reducing the calorie intake, what is required is to avoid or drastically reduce food that is metabolically more fattening. For example, instead of taking fruits in the form of juice, it is better to consume whole fruit to lose weight.

You can keep your body physically fit by regular physical exercises. It also helps in keeping away fat accumulation. Popularly sweating, and more of it, is equated to burning away of the fat. However, this is not true. Sweating is a body mechanism to cool the body when heated up. Everybody does not sweat alike. Sweating varies from person to person. There are many ways to lose weight. There are also many type of exercises to lose weight. You should be able to identify the type of exercises that your body needs. There are also workout without weight for those who prefer this type of exercises.

There is a mistaken belief that drinking more water is vital for losing weight. Some also drink hot water after each meal. No doubt that drinking water is important for the body as most of the body consist of water which s also the medium for its functions. Besides this the toxins in the body gets flushed out better with more water. But water does not flush away the fat by any chance.

Since a good diet was always hunted, when the watcher diet first came out in the 60’s, it explained everything so clearly with it’s point system that it was like a fat loss for everyone guide.

The points system elaborated by the fat loss for everyone weight watcher’s diet is an innovation amongst the losing weight diets and has registered an immense success in Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and United States. The method is flexible, easy to use and can be adapted to many daily schedule. If you want to lose weight 7 days, this is a good method.

If you want to lose weight efficiently and to maintain your figure, it’s not enough just to lose the extra pounds. If you want to register success, you will also have to forget the unhealthy food habits you currently have. You can do this easily with the help of this diet’s effective system.

The fact that this diet can be understood by virtually anyone, it make it a fat loss for everyone method. The whole thing is based on just three rules:

1. A person that wants to follow the diet will be given a number of daily points, depending on his age and sex, medical background, weight, height and so on. These are not the only things that need to be taken into consideration, because the points also take into consideration a person resistance to stress and the resulting irascibility, personality and temperamental issues.

2. Each food has a certain number of points, calculated according to their caloric and fat composition for 100 grams. The fatter the aliment, the more points it gets. The diet takes into consideration the quality of fats one aliment contains, so the ones that have good non-saturated fats will get less point than the rest of fat aliments.

3. Daily excercises or activity can earn you extra eating points for the day. The fact that nothing is fixed and everything depends on you is a great stimulant.

You don’t have to watch what type of things you eat, you just have to add up their points. If we know we want to eat something that goes over our daily value, we can simply supplement that value with the respective amount of efforts. This way, we can go through the holiday season without much trouble and still eating everything we want.

There’s really no such thing as specific exercise programs to lose weight, and you’re going to love how straightforward it is to alter your body shape medically with effective quick weight loss tips. This is really the difference between a healthy program of exercise and diet, and others that have been published; this approach is supported by the medical profession, whereas some others appear to be little more than fashionable rather than functional.

Before we get started, we need to discuss these misleading rumors covering the best ways to lose weight and about losing weight through exercise:

Exercise burns fat

Totally Misleading Having said that, if you exercise for extended time periods, it is likely that you’ll burn small amounts of fat – but you need to be exercising for very long sessions (which is pretty much impossible for most of us) and it requires that, after considerable aerobic exercise, you still have the motivation to control your body’s urge for food after extended exercise. There are the exceptional people who can do this, but it’s the exception rather than the rule!

There’s No Gain Without Pain

Absolute rubbish! In fact, worse than rubbish, it’s clinically dangerous. If you are overweight and you exercise so much that it hurts, you could endanger your health and risk heart problems. If you’re not exercising on a regular basis, you must exercise for the reason of improving your circulation and muscle toning. That’s adequate to improve your posture and toning, and will be helping reduce your risk of heart disease – even with low impact and relatively easy exercising.

For fast weight loss, your exercise program has to be for 1 hour, no fewer than 3 times a week, or it won’t be effective

Nope – another untruth. I will shortly be describing isometric exercises which will tone up your muscles and improve circulation with just a few minutes work each day. All extra aerobic exercise you do, in particular walking, is only going to have a positive impact. My advice would be to walk 15-20 minutes a day (a simple task to fulfil by either alighting from the bus one stop away from work or parking the car at the end of the car park).

To exercise properly, you really need to understand a few technical terms. By understanding the purpose of what you are doing – which is certainly not rocket science – you regain control over your health and body. And think about this, this is You we’re talking about, nobody else is going to take the care needed to protect your health, and knowing how to look after yourself there’s no restriction on how fit you can be. The concept of effective exercise is very easy, and once you get to grips with them, you won’t be mislead ever again by people passing themselves off as experts or gurus whose main objectives seems to be making a significant proportion of the overweight population feel guilty simply because they are not looking to compete in the next Olympics!

The accumulation of body fat is called overweight and obesity. This could adversely affect the health. Body mass index (BMI) is the indicator to determine whether the person is overweight or obese. It is a measure that compares the weight with the height of the Person. If the BMI is within the range of 25 kg/m² and 30 kg/m²c, the person is considered to be overweight which is the pre-obese stage. If the BMI is over 30 kg/m² then the person is obese. There are a number of health problems which are associated with obesity particularly heart disease, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a result of a combination of factors such as excessive intake of calories, absence of or very low physical activities, genetic susceptibility, psychiatric reasons and medical reasons.

Though a preventable health problem, the prevalence of the problem in adults and in children amongst all sections of the populations in the developed countries and the more affluent in the developing countries are truly alarming. It has become one of the most serious public health issues in the 21^st century. There are a number of ways in which this problem is attempted to be addressed. This includes dieting, physical exercises, medication, dietary supplements, appetite suppressants, anti-obesity drugs, and surgery.

South Africa’s Kalahari Desert is the origin of Hoodia. The versatile San Bushmen consumed Hoodia when they went for hunting which took a number of days. The consumption of Hoodia suppressed their appetite. When this came to light and to the attention of the media, they highlighted this particular use. Very soon there was a rush for Hoodia which was marketed widely in different forms such as Hoodia capsules, Hoodia powder, Hoodia extracts, Hoodia liquid extract , and Hoodia shake.

The vast traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples is a store house of knowledge on medicinal plants. This has been a subject of intense research. Many of them are finding its way into modern application as products for various uses. It is now well recognized that all the traditional communities have a knowledge that is an ecological map of biodiversity of their habitat. The modern world has been making painstaking expeditions to extract this knowledge which often includes enticement and threats ending in biopiracy to a mutually beneficial partnership. Africa is richly endowed with a variety of ecologically diverse regions with rich biodiversity about which there are knowledge accumulated through centuries embedded in the traditions of the local native inhabitants. This knowledge also encompasses knowledge of medicinal plants which now finds its way into modern products to cater for health needs. The cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries have been eager to dig deep into this treasure house of knowledge, and to bring them out as remedies and treatments for various ailments and health conditions. This Dark Continent has now contributed one more vital piece of knowledge in the form of Hoodia.

A major health problem that has emerged is overweight and obesity. The problem can be overcome with different approaches. Their main causes are the present sedentary lifestyle, the substitution of natural foods with junk food or fast food leading to changed dietary practices and drastic reduction in physical activities. Genetic predisposition or other physical conditions are also other causes in certain cases of obesity. Change in lifestyles and dietary practices, more physical exercises, medications and in certain cases, surgical interventions, are ways of combating obesity. However, the safest as well as the natural approach to weight loss and better health would be to combine diet and physical practices.

Physical exercises improve the cardiovascular system. The immune system gets strengthened. It is useful in high blood pressure, insomnia, and depression. It has a therapeutic effect on the mind and mental health. The level of Cortisol, a stress hormone that causes physical and mental problems, is reduced. Cognitive functioning also improves by exercises. Exercise prevents or reduces neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. It improves myocardial thickness and cardiac volume increasing the efficiency of the heart. It increases the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain. It improves the creation of new nerve cells. The lung capacity is increased when you inhale and exhale during the physical exercise. This in turn reduces the work load of the heart. They also improve and maintain a healthy bone density and mobility of the joints.

There are numerous weight loss diet plans such as the 7 day diet, The Atkins diet, Jon Benson’s Every Other Day diet, Anne Collins Weight Loss Program, NutriSystem, Diet Smart, The New Banana Diet , Master Cleanse Secret, Beverly Hills Diet and many more in the market. Anti-obesity drugs are also available which can reduce your appetite. There are also the weight loss pills, health drinks, syrups, capsules, shakes, herbal formulas, weight loss supplements and many other recipes for quick weight loss that are also available in the market besides the diet plans. Increasingly products that promise to suppress appetite are launched.

The weight loss market is growing rapidly. There are diet courses, medications, physical fitness programs, CDs, crèmes, body belts, books, lotions, pills, and food products and supplements.

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant found in Namibia, Angola, South Africa and Botswana. The San people of Kalahari Desert were found to possess the knowledge of its many uses. They used the plant as an appetite suppressant when they go for hunting which would last a few days. The extracts of this plant was patented by South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1997. CSIR named the extract P57. CSIR then sold the exclusive rights of P57 to Phytopharm, a British drug company. Phytopharm in turn licensed the right to produce to Pfizer. But Hoodia became internationally well known only after BBC reported on the plant in 2003. Later in 2004, 60 Minutes reported its use as a natural appetite suppressant.

The drug was introduced and sold in the market as a weight loss drug. In all these hype, the San people were simply not considered. When the media confronted Phyotopharm about biopiracy, the company claimed that the San no longer existed. But the San Bushmen lived in the Kalahari Desert part of South Africa and other region where Hoodia is found. CSIR decided to share a portion of their royalty with the San in 2003. The share was estimated to be 0.003% of retail sales. The P57 rights were later returned by Pfizer to Phytopharm who in 2004 licensed it to Unilever. Unilever was also producing such diet foods as Slim Fast. Unilever claimed that it would use Hoodia to introduce functional food products.

Many Hoodia products soon began to flood the burgeoning weight loss market. The products were launched in various forms such as pills, diet food, shake, liquid and capsules. These were launched under various brand names such as Dex-L10 Hoodia, Hoodia Extract, H57 Hoodia, Hoodoba, Hoodia SlimQuick, Hoodia Pure, Hoodia Shake, Tru Hoodia Diet, Hoodia Gordonii Shake Mix, HoodiThin Liquid, Desert Burn and Hoodia Supreme. Invariably the products contained Hoodia along with other useful ingredients. Some of these products are attempting to carve out a niche market. The focus of ads for Slimquick Hoodia is women for instance. It includes calcium, Vitamin D3 and Green Tea in addition to Hoodia

Two additional patents have since been acquired by Phytopharm fro treating gastric disorders. A number of patents have also been filed subsequently. Hoodia, it has been discovered, could be useful for treating a number of other disorders like sexual dysfunction, and the operation of glands such as the prostrate, saliva and sweat glands.

The measure adopted to determine obesity in a person is body mass index (BMI). The BMI compares the weight and height of a person. A BMI measure from 25 kg/m² to 30 kg/m² is considered to indicate the condition of overweight while a BMI measure of over 30 kg/m² is marked as obesity. Many health problems are associated with obesity and overweight. This includes heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain type of cancer, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. Obesity and overweight makes one lethargic, less agile, tired and less energetic.

The estimates made by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that over 400 million adults in the world are obese. Obesity was declared as a global problem with epidemic proportion. Obesity is found to afflict move than half the United States urban adult population. It is a paradox that while a sixth of the population of the world are starving and going hungry, yet obesity due to over eating is a major problem. The booming weight loss market is brimming with revenue of $30 billion annually.

Weight loss programs are many. Some of the weight loss diet plans are 7 day diet, Anne Collins Weight Loss Program, Master Cleansing Secrets, The Atkins diet, Diet Smart, NutriSystem, Jon Benson’s Every Other Day diet and Beverly Hills diet. There are many other weight loss formulas. The anti-obesity drugs claim to directly burn away the fat and block the accumulation of fat or act as an appetite suppressant.

From the point of view of health, it is more important to lose about 10 percent of the weight and maintaining it for over a year rather than a drastic slimming down. This contributes to improvement in the health. This can be achieved by consuming low-calorie and low-fat diet, increased level of physical activity and regular monitoring of weight to ascertain the progress in weight loss. A standard practice adopted to loss fat and reduce obesity is to go on a starvation diet. Body needs on an average calorie intake of 1800 calories. There will be assorted problems if the calorie intake goes below 1200 calories. It is better and safer to maintain this normal calories intake but switch over to a more balanced diet combined with physical exercises.

What stops people losing weight? One of the main things that is lack of MOTIVATION. There are some uncomfortable truths in this article and if even ONE person commits to a weight loss program and carry it through to complete success, then this article was worth writing. Overweight or obese people are ‘stuck in a rut’ – meaning they live in a comfort zone and have made a decision that they don’t want to change anything. Maybe some of the things in this article may ‘nudge’ a person into finally making a firm decision to lose weight.

1) HEALTH PROBLEMS The heavier a person becomes, more and more health problems arise, and the list is endless. It includes heart disease, diabetes, stroke, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, foot problems, joint problems, sleep apnea and heaps more. The doctors do their best to control these conditions as they arise. Most are fatal while some are painful, but the root cause is obesity. Many now believe that obesity should be called a disease in its own right. If the person concerned would only make up their mind to take action, this disease is entirely treatable . Did all that scare you? If not, then this might. Obesity is fast catching up to cancer as the major killer in western society, especially in the USA, Australia. The person who died of cancer had no choice, but the person who died of obesity did have a choice! So make up your mind right now, do want to live or do you want to die?

2) LOSS OF ENJOYMENT OF LIFE The heavier a person becomes, the less they are able to take part in enjoyable activities. Being slim, healthy and fit is a wonderful sensation; being overweight or obese makes one feel terrible. If you are obese, can you remember the things you used to enjoy doing when you were slim? Surfing, skiing, dancing, bushwalking, water sports, tennis, soccer, basketball, netball, martial arts, mountain climbing – the list is endless. If you have had to give up any of those things, don’t you look back with sadness at the good times of years ago? Wouldn’t it be just wonderful to be able to do them again? Well, you can. Just make a decision right now to definitely do something about your weight. Then you won’t have to long to do those things again, you can do them!

3) THE FINANCIAL COST OF BEING OVERWEIGHT You will incur a lot of additional expense slim people don’t have if you are overweight or obese. This especially applies if you are seriously obese. There will be extra visits to the doctor on a regular basis, and you will need to buy a steady stream of medication to help your body cope with the health issues those extra pounds bring.

4) THE EMBARRASSMENT OF BEING OBESE Things become difficult for those that are obese that slim people do without thinking all. It is more difficult to get in and out of a vehicle. You can’t fit into a ci! nema seat, or an airliner seat, or a bus seat, or a seat at the game. You huff and puff going up stairs. People find it more difficult to get around you or get past you in a confined spot such as a doorway. When people look at you, you can see the pity in their eyes (Goodness gracious, did you see that?)- and children often stare. You are so embarrassed you no longer go out if you can help it. You can save that embarrassment and be proud of your body again if only you would make an irrevocable decision to take off your excess weight.

5) THE SHAME OF BEING OBESE If you are obese or seriously overweight you are almost certainly bitterly ashamed of your body, and probably try to hide it. Because you feel this shame, you may tend to raid the fridge as a ‘consolation prize’ and get a bit of satisfaction out of the nice feeling of food in your mouth. Please realize that the taste of indulgent food will NEVER feel as good as the feeling of being slim.

6) PERSONAL DIFFICULTIES You will face many personal problems every day. It may be difficult to tie shoe laces and put on socks. Can you still cut your toe nails? Are you still able to get into and out of the bath – or is that impossible now? When you use the toilet, can you still reach round the back to wipe it with tissue? Maybe it’s hard getting up out of that easy chair you spend so much time in now you are not so active? This immobility is also contributing to your weight problem.

7) THE DOWN HILL SPIRAL There is a vicious circle where your excessive weight curtails activity, and the less active you are the more gain weight. It is like a down hill spiral, at the bottom of the which is misery, heartbreak, regret and eventually a miserable death. I ask this vital question again: do you want to live or die? Would you rather have a joyous active fun filled life? Or do want to die as a useless fat blob where life is so awful that death is almost a relief? Why not make that decision to lose weight now? THE STATISTICS The real statistics are quite frightening, and it is hoped that they will become part of this wake up call. 48% of the European population is overweight. 64% of the entire population of USA is overweight (including chidren). 27% of the population of USA is classed as obese. 750 million people are over weight World Wide. $61 billion was spent on weight loss in 2008. Obesity causes 325,000 deaths in USA each year. 300 million people are obese World Wide. Obesity cost Americans $75 billion in 2003. When are you make the decision not to continue to be part of these statistics?

THE CONCLUSION

It is never too late to make a start to lose weight. It is vital for your health and that of the World that you take a firm stand on this issue. Whether you are just a few pounds overweight, or a hundred or more pounds overweight, it is just as important that you do something about it. Start by deciding that you will not use any “fad” diet, and you will only consider a method or program that offers a permanent life changing system. You must also be prepared to make the changes to your eating habits. There is help available for you to effectively lose weight and keep it off. Harvard researchers have proven that being part of a social network of people losing weight together can guarantee success. A ground breaking study released by the New England Journal of Medicine showed that weight loss can spread from person to person through social networks of friends. A social networking site specifically to help people lose weight can be found at www.weight-loss-neighbourhood.com . There you will find help, tips, encouragement, inspiration, ideas, recommended weight loss programs, companionship, and, especially, some weight loss buddies – you help them while they encourage you. Now there are no excuses not to make that important decision. But please, don’t procrastinate, do it NOW.

Changing eating habits, and increased physical activities or physical exercises are the most common approach to weight loss. There are food supplements, diet programs, herbs and medicines to burn away the excess fat, to suppress appetite and to reduce fat absorption.  Commonly four types of exercises are adopted to combat overweight and obesity. They are flexibility exercises, aerobic exercises, anaerobic exercises and strength training exercises.

The motions of the joint, and the movements of the body as well as the muscles are improved with flexibility exercises as stretching. Equipments can be used or the assistance of a partner can be requested to do the stretching. Aerobic exercises include playing games, running, walking, rowing, swimming and cycling. They improve the blood circulation and tone up the muscles. Oxygen intake is improved with aerobic exercise. It improves the metabolism or energy producing processes of the body with intense exercises. Usually cooling down with rest follows 20 minutes of aerobic exercises. Muscles are strengthened and built up with anaerobic exercises that includes weight training, sprinting and functional training. Various body movements are used in the strength training exercises in order to burn away excess fat and to tone up the muscles. Strength training exercises include push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. Normally this type of exercises is preferred by those who want to keep the body fit but do not opt for strength training equipments. There is also the body weight exercise that does not depend upon any free weights but on the body weight.

Obesity and overweight has been increasing.  Studies and researches are conducted to find out its causes and the means to effectively overcome them. The transformations weight loss program has an area contested and debated extensively. Weight loss has become a specialized field. .

Physical fitness programs combine a variety of exercises. These include Cardiovascular Fitness, Strength Training, Flexibility Training, Body Composition, Muscular Endurance and General Skill Training. Various sports too have physical training as part of their coaching. These build up muscles. They also reduce weight. These sports include power lifting, strongman, bodybuilding and weightlifting. One can choose from the wide range of workouts that are available. They range from meditation to wresting and swimming to gymnastics.