We all know what losing body fat will do for our overall appearance. Altering your body composition by losing weight improves the way you look. However, many people use the mirror as a means for physical assessment. If they look fit, they’re often content. Sadly, in today’s image-conscious society, the way you look equates to how healthy you are. Losing weight is not just about looking good, that should be an added benefit and motivation to exercise. Carrying a healthy amount of body fat and maintaining a weight that’s consistent with your height and age is equally critical for emotional and physical wellbeing, as well as for fighting a myriad of disease conditions.
However, this does not imply that losing weight is an easy task. For a large number of individuals, conquering weight issues is a life-long task. Some people become so frustrated with the process of losing weight or become so uncomfortable with their bodies, going to the gym is no longer an option. Not because they’re physical incapable, but because they are emotional bankrupt. Let us let you in on a little secret – Despite what the critics say, there are natural options that have been specifically proven to burn fat, enhance energy production, and increase your metabolic rate.
Risks of Being Overweight or Obese
If you’re not aware of the risks of obesity, you should be. Obesity is directed related to significant health problems. In fact, studies have shown that individuals who are 35-40% overweight are twice as likely to die a premature death as someone who is within a normal weight range. The CDC and National Institutes of Health have estimated that 112,000 – 300,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of obesity. As if this number isn’t significant enough, experts suggest that it takes as little as 10 year for the risks of carrying excessive body fat to become apparent. Interestingly, these risks are compounded if you carry central or abdominal fat; women with 35+ inch waists, and men with 40+ inches, are at increased health risk due to this fat.
Diseases associated with being overweight:
Stroke
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Type 2 diabetes
Cancers (endometrial, colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney)
Fatty liver disease
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Sleep Problems
Gallbladder disease
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Arthritis (particularly osteoarthritis)
There are also psychosocial and social effects related to obesity. Emotional suffering may be one of the greatest overlooked problems impacting overweight and obese individuals.
Metabolism – Your metabolism (i.e. metabolic rate) is how efficiently your body converts food into energy and also how well it uses digested nutrients for bodily repairs. Your metabolism also influences how many of the calories you consume will be stored as fat. In most cases, the faster the metabolism, the better. If your metabolism is slow you have a greater propensity to store the food you eat as body fat.
There are several factors that determine our metabolic rates; including:
• Genetics
• Age
• Muscle-to-fat ratio
• Activity level
• How often we eat, and perhaps most importantly,
• Our health status and nutrition.
Miscellaneous studies have highlighted the benefit of nutritional supplementation when combined with regular exercise and proper diet.