First world problems!

Obesity

I beat anorexia!

I’ve got a good joke.  Did you know that Dr. Lughead is so fat that if he sits on an I-phone, it becomes an I-pad?  

One of the funniest pictures I’ve seen is a HUGE guy standing next to a buddy holding an adult beverage.  He has on an XXXL t-shirt that says “I beat anorexia.”  Obesity (Body mass index >30)  is a first world problem.  Up until 100 years ago, we used to worry about getting enough food.  Now we are dealing with the problem of having too much food.  As of August 2017, the most obese state in the country was West Virginia at 37.7%, with Colorado bringing up the rear (Har!) at 22.3%.  What’s crazy is that in 1990, the most obese state was Mississippi at only 15.0%.  Yes, we’re big, and it’s happened fast.  Thankfully, in the past year (2017), obesity rates increased in only 4 states.          

Does being overweight promote heart disease?  

In a word, yes!  In the Interheart study it wasn’t total weight associated with heart disease but waist to hip ratio (the gut, the beer belly, the food storage container, the paunch etc…)—even more than high blood pressure.  Body mass index (a ratio of height and weight) was not associated with heart disease.In a Swedish observational study, the absence of a belly was strongly associated with less heart attacks.  

So you’re saying that fat on the belly is the worst kind of fat?  

A waist size of < 37 inches in men and <34 inches in women had the lowest risk of heart disease.  Further study has shown that those who do have heart attacks and have a large belly are more likely to die in the years following a heart attack than those who do not.            

So you’re saying belly fat causes heart disease?  So if I lose my belly will I reduce my risk of a heart attack?  

Unfortunately there’s really no study of people with heart attacks and then half losing their belly and the other half told to keep or grow their belly, and seeing what happens.  So we really can’t say that one causes the other but the observational data is strong.  

How do I lose weight.  I eat great already but I can’t lose weight.  

Well for starters you could try the McDonald’s diet.  One guy wrote a book about how he lost 37 pounds by eating only McDonald’s for 90 days.  In part, his purpose was to show that weight is a personal choice and not the fault of fast food companies.  Regardless, you can pick from hundreds of other diets.  Let’s see there’s the Keto diet, Atkins diet, Vegan diet, Fit for Life diet, Slim Fast diet, South Beach diet, and even the Israeli Army diet.     

Diets are expensive.  Do they really work?  

Here’s news for you:  Your chances of keeping weight off after a diet are less than your chances of surviving metastatic colon cancer.  Let that sink in.  

So If diets don’t work, what can I do?  

My point is, I don’t want you to diet, I want you to adopt a healthy pattern of eating for life.  That eating pattern is discussed here.  But what do you do if you are overweight?  Most people need help to lose weight.  I have two recommendations for weight loss.  The first is for people who like scales and the second is for those who don’t.                     

The US weight loss industry is worth 66 billion dollars…and we’re getting chubbier.  Maybe dieting really isn’t the answer

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How to get rid of the belly

Okay, tools to lose weight.  I’m all ears. 

For those who like scales, the best studied programs that show long term maintenance of weight loss are Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.  My personal preference is weight watchers because their system teaches you how to eat the food that you make for life.  The other nice thing about weight watchers is accountability that occurs on a regular basis where you are weighed weekly at their stores.  It does cost money–but what a great investment.                  

What’s the other tool for weight loss?  

For those who don’t like scales (and have a smart phone), and like free things,  I recommend a particular calorie counter called Lose It!  The App removes guilt about eating because you know if you can eat more based on your calorie budget or not.  It also will surprise you how much some foods contain in calories.  For example, tortilla chips are like a calorie bomb.  Truth be told, I have no great medical studies based off calorie counters but the App taught me how to eat for life.  

In Summary

Lose belly fat.  Try Weight Watchers or the Lose It! app.