Dr. Mercola February 19 2003 669 views
Subtle changes in diet and lifestyle, including walking an extra mile or eating 100 fewer calories each day, could prevent the average weight gain of 1.8 to 2.0 pounds that individuals put on each year. While this isn’t enough to lose weight, it may stop the obesity trend facing America from increasing.
Researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study and found that while currently 25 percent of the U.S. population is obese and two-thirds are overweight, by 2008 close to 40 percent of Americans will be obese.
In the long-term, stopping the obesity epidemic will require a social change in support of an environment that promotes healthy lifestyles. In the short-term, however, researchers examined the amount of calories people consume in relation to how much they burn off.
Researchers estimated that individuals are gaining, on average, 14-16 pounds in eight years, which they broke down to about 50 extra calories per day. Since excess energy is not stored at 100 percent efficiency, they reasoned that for every 100 extra calories consumed, at least 50 would be stored as fat.
By slightly adjusting their lifestyles by consuming a few fewer bites of food each day or walking an extra mile, people could use up, or not consume, the extra calories.
Once people begin to make small changes, it could lead to other small changes, which could ultimately lead to weight loss. One of the most important changes is a fundamental one in which people strive to make conscious efforts to become physically fit.
Science Blog February 7, 2003
Science February 7, 2003;299:853-860
An important study in a highly reputable journal that documents the amazing results that can be achieved by omitting only a few calories a day or adding a bit of exercise.
Though this is not earth-shattering news, it is reassuring that we don’t need to make dramatic changes to see significant differences in our weight and health. In reality, however, it is very difficult for most of us to cut out even 100 calories a day.
Why?
Briefly there are two primary reasons:
There are many strategies that you can use to address elevated insulin levels, but I continue to remain very impressed with the potential of nutritional typing to accurately determine which foods help to ideally balance insulin levels.
To address the emotional component of foods, there are many strategies that can be used. In my office we use EFT as a primary tool to help address these issues. Aside from my free EFT Manual, I also offer my EFT Series on DVD or VHS to give you in-depth instruction on how to perform this simple and effective technique.
As the above article suggests, exercise is another powerful tool in the long-term solution for weight gain.
My new book The No-Grain Diet, which will be available on April 28, extensively reviews this topic.
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