Americans Blind to the Obesity Epidemic

By Amanda Gardner (HealthDay Reporter)

Americans have skewed perceptions when it comes to their weight, often believing they are lighter than they actually 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% of those classified as obese felt they were simply overweight. Among the heaviest group, the morbidly obese, almost 60% pegged themselves as obese, while another 39% 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% of adults aged 20 and older are obese, and 34% are overweight. Among children, 18% of teens aged 12 to 19 are obese, 20% of children aged 6 to 11 are obese, as are 10% 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% of overweight people and 75% 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% 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% of overweight respondents, 48% of obese respondents and 27% of those morbidly obese feeling they ate more than they "should in general."
A third of overweight people, 55% of obese people and 59% 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.

4 surprising reasons women can't lose weight by By Jennifer Benjamin, Health.com

(Health.com) -- Most of us already know that eating less and moving more are the keys to dropping extra pounds. But if you're already doing everything "right" and can't seem to lose weight -- or are even gaining it -- you may have a hidden health condition that's sabotaging your efforts. And the symptoms may be so subtle that even your doctor can miss them. Here, some possible weight-loss blockers -- and how to get the help you need.
A Sluggish ThyroidYour thyroid gland makes hormones that regulate the way your body uses energy. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) disrupts your metabolism, as well as many other aspects of your health. Some estimate that as many as 10 percent of adults have hypothyroidism, which is more common in women and is most often diagnosed in the 40s and 50s.
Could this be you? Besides weight gain or an inability to lose weight, you may notice fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, joint pain and muscle weakness, heavy periods, increased sensitivity to cold, even depression. Many people with low-grade hypothyroidism just feel "off," with no obvious signs of being truly sick.
How to get tested: Ask your internist to run a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) screening. In general, the higher your TSH level, the slower your thyroid is. "While traditional 'normal' values are between .45 and 4.5, if your level is above 2, you might still struggle to lose weight," explains Dr. Jamie Kane, M.D., medical director of Park Avenue Medical Weight and Wellness in New York City. Your doctor may also want to check your levels of T-3 and T-4, the two main thyroid hormones. But hypothyroidism isn't always a straight numbers game; more and more doctors are now treating the symptoms, not just the blood-test results. "If a patient isn't feeling well, it's often because her thyroid isn't functioning as well as it should for her body," says Dr. Erika Schwartz, M.D., an internist in New York City.
How it's treated: Your doc will usually start by prescribing a low-dose T-4 thyroid hormone like Synthroid. If your symptoms don't improve, discuss upping your dosage or switching to a combination of T-3 and T-4.
Health.com: 25 diet-busting foods you should never eat
Out-of-Whack HormonesAs many as 1 in 10 women of childbearing age have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition in which a woman's ovaries produce an excess of male hormones. In addition to causing ovulation problems and infertility, PCOS may go hand-in-hand with insulin resistance, a glitch in the way your body processes blood sugar, which is often associated with excess fat storage, especially around the waist. Left untreated, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Could this be you? You may have irregular periods, excess facial and body hair, acne, some male pattern balding, and trouble getting pregnant, along with unexplained weight gain (though not everyone with PCOS has weight issues).
Health.com: How carbs can help you lose weight
How to get tested: Your gynecologist or internist can test your levels of sex hormones for an imbalance of testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen, says Dr. David Katz, M.D., director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. She may then test your blood sugar and insulin levels or perform an ultrasound to check for cysts on your ovaries.
How it's treated: Lifestyle changes are usually the first step. If you're already eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, you may have to kick it up another notch to see results. If you have insulin resistance, Katz says, you'll also want to cut out refined carbs and added sugars. If you've made these changes and still don't notice a difference, your doc may prescribe a drug called metformin, which is used to treat insulin resistance as well as assist with ovulation (if you're trying to get pregnant).
Health.com: America's healthiest superfoods for women
Trouble-Making FoodsMost people know if they're allergic to certain foods like nuts or shellfish, but many aren't aware of food intolerances. While a true food allergy results when your immune system mistakenly identifies a food as harmful and mounts an immediate response, food intolerances can have a variety of causes, including lack of a certain digestive enzyme (as with lactose intolerance) or sensitivity to food additives, and tend to manifest over time, says Dr. Elizabeth W. Boham, M.D., R.D., a family practitioner at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. Eating a "trouble food" -- the most common being dairy, gluten, eggs, soy, corn and nuts -- can lead to bloating and water-weight gain, among other symptoms. Experts estimate that food intolerances affect as many as 1 in 10 people.
Could this be you? You may regularly have bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation -- as well as seemingly unrelated symptoms like mild asthma, eczema, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue.
Health.com: The 50 fattiest foods in the states
How to get tested: An internist or gastroenterologist can help you diagnose the problem, but you can begin to figure it out for yourself through an elimination diet. Boham suggests that you start by removing gluten and dairy (these are the biggest culprits) from your diet for two to three weeks. If you don't notice a difference, also eliminate eggs, corn, soy, and nuts, and consider nixing additives such as food coloring and preservatives. After a few weeks, slowly reintroduce the possible culprits, one at a time, noting any reactions.
How it's treated: If the reaction is severe, you'll need to cut the offending food from your diet. For mild reactions, try a daily probiotic supplement, which restores the good bacteria in your gut necessary for digestion and can help prevent bloating and water weight gain. Boham recommends one with at least 10 billion live bacteria per pill.
Pills That Pack on PoundsWeight gain can be an unwelcome side effect of some drugs, including antidepressants, steroids, and, more rarely, birth-control pills (due to a temporary increase in water retention).
Health.com: What to do when the drugs you need also put on the pounds
Could this be you? You may notice weight gain within a few weeks of starting a new medication, though it could take several months before you see any effects, Kane says.
How to get tested: No special test is needed; you know if you're gaining weight.

How it's treated: Talk to your doctor, who may be able to prescribe an alternative. In the case of anti-depressants, bupropion has been shown to cause less weight gain and possibly even lead to weight loss. With birth control pills, switching to a version with a lower dose of hormones might minimize weight gain. But remember, treating the condition you're taking the drug for is your biggest priority, so you should never go off any meds on your own.

Copyright Health Magazine 2010

Best diabetes fitness plan: aerobics plus weights by Carla K. Johnson, associated press medical writer

CHICAGO – People with diabetes should mix aerobics with weight training to get the best results in lowering blood sugar, a new study suggests. The combination worked best for weight loss too, compared to aerobics or weight training alone.
Blood sugar is fuel to muscles, and more sugar is burned during aerobic activity. Weight training builds more muscle, and both activities change muscle proteins in ways that enhance the process.
"It's clear that doing both aerobic and strength training is superior to either alone," said lead author Dr. Tim Church of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. "It's almost like taking two different drugs."
Patients in the study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, achieved the results over nine months, exercising three days a week for about 45 minutes each session.
"People can manage this amount of exercise," said Laurie Goodyear of Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, who wasn't involved in the new study but does similar research. "They didn't have to go on a diet. This was purely an exercise effect."
The researchers' goal was to test three exercise programs that doctors could realistically recommend and patients could stick with. They compared aerobics alone, weight training alone and a combination. U.S. guidelines recommend aerobics and weight training combined for all adults.
All three groups worked out for about the same amount of time. A fourth group of patients was offered only weekly stretching and relaxation classes for further comparison. The study was completed by 245 people with diabetes.
Led by trainers, patients walked on a treadmill that raised the uphill grade by 2 percent every two minutes for the aerobics. Weight training, also supervised, was done on machines that worked muscles in the upper body and legs, with more weight added as participants increased their strength.
"It gave me a lot more energy. That was one of the first things I noticed," said Deidra Atkins-Ball, 44, a biology professor, diagnosed with diabetes a year before she joined the aerobics-weights group.
A distant aunt with diabetes lost both legs and her vision to the disease. Too much blood sugar can damage nerves, eyes, the heart and blood vessels.
"I remember as a kid having to do things for her, going to the store for her," Atkins-Ball said. "It really scared me."
The researchers found that only the group that combined aerobics and weights both lowered their blood sugar and lost weight, although all three fitness groups reduced their waist sizes.
Fewer patients in the combo group started taking new diabetes drugs than in the other groups. Decisions on medications were left up to the patients' regular doctors during the study.
Forty-one percent of the patients in the combo group either decreased their diabetes medications or lowered their average blood sugar as measured by a common blood test, compared to 26 percent for weights only, 29 percent for aerobics only and 22 percent in the non-exercise group.
The blood sugar reduction achieved by the combo group was enough to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other complications, the researchers wrote, citing earlier studies.
Atkins-Ball's results were good, if not long-lasting. She dropped 4 pounds and saw her blood sugar reach near normal levels. When the program ended, she joined a gym and kept exercising — for a while.
Then she got busy, let her gym membership lapse after a year and has seen her blood sugar levels climb. She's now taking two diabetes drugs, instead of the one she took during the study.
Atkins-Ball is trying to get back into an exercise routine by walking two miles with her husband in the mornings. Her advice for others with diabetes is to get into a structured exercise program.
"That's what helped me the most," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_he_me/us_med_diabetes_fitness;_ylt=Aih36.TQdj.dt9_Vg_g2vWus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFkbmJzNG80BHBvcwMxNDIEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9oZWFsdGgEc2xrA2Jlc3RkaWFiZXRlcw--

Developing A Roadmap To A Healthier You

Most people are astonished by the fact that I am able to cut my weight down so fast for a contest and often ask me how it is possible. Losing 20-30 pounds in 12 weeks are results that most people dream about and struggle to do for years. The fact of the matter is that sometimes you need a goal and a system for tracking progress in order to achieve desired results. For me, the goal was to step on stage and show off a drug free 190 lb 5% body fat physique.

Your goals may be anything from being able to fit in a certain size pants to lowering cholesterol or blood pressure to a certain level. The fact is that goals should be measurable and include actual numbers that way progress can be tracked. For example, "I want to lose weight" or "I want to lower my cholesterol" are too vague but are also the goals that most people set for themselves. It becomes obvious to me why people don't see the results they want. This is because they not only don't know where they are trying to get too nor do they have any idea where they are in comparison to where they were. Setting a goal like "I want to weight 120 lbs by December 31, losing 2lbs per week for 10 weeks" is perfect because it is detailed and creates a road map for a person on their journey to better health. The next phase after setting a goal is choosing a designated time each week, or twice a week to even better track progress, allowing for adjustments to be made mid week. For example, you would need to weigh yourself at the same time (preferable upon waking on an empty stomach) each week in order to track your progress and figure out what went wrong or right each week.

This is the exact method I use when preparing for a natural bodybuilding contest. I first set a desired weight goal (190 lbs), then a date (contest date), and how I am going to achieve that weight (lose 2 lbs per week for 12 weeks for a total of 24 lbs). I then figure out that I will weigh myself twice per week (Saturday and Wednesday morning on an empty stomach) in order to make necessary adjustments mid week if my weight loss isn't moving along like it should. I then figure out what went wrong or right with my week or first half of the week based on the weight I came in at. This is done by taking a look at my caloric intake, calories burned with cardio, and strength training regimen. The old calorie in calorie out equation comes in to play here and I am often able to figure out what needs to be adjusted or what part of the formula needs to be intensified (burn more calories or consume less calories).

I will admit that it takes some serious dedication but the results are worth any and all frustration you feel when counting your calories or pushing yourself through tough workouts. You will also train yourself to live a healthier lifestyle and realize that down the road you wont have to spend as much time analyzing your calorie charts because you will learn what foods to eat and how much cardio to do. In this way, living healthier becomes second nature. It is getting through this "training period" where all of your knowledge is gathered that will make for a healthier thinking mind in the long run. There is nothing better than being able to refer back to accountability journals from the past when you are feeling yourself falling off track. This allows you to see what you were doing for cardio, what foods you were eating, how many calories you were consuming, and the amount of time you spent strength training. So lets get started. There is no better time than now!

-Justin Medeiros,  NASM-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Natural Bodybuilding Competitor