Hello everyone,

With people learning more and more about their health thanks to researchers and science, we are paying more attention to what we eat. We are reading labels; we are buying healthier foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts; and if we are not, we should be. We are also realizing that keeping in shape and keeping track of our weight is just as important.  Today, one out three Americans is overweight.

There are many online sites which promise weight loss in a week or a few days, some even claim substantial weight loss in a single day. Most of us know that being overweight is one thing and being obese, is something else. Some of the people who are obese are either in denial or have someone who is enabling them. The reasons may vary but they are there nevertheless.

I heard somewhere, I believe from a counselor, a comment that someone made to him about how they could be locked up in a room with no food and still gain weight; and he said that “if that was the case, someone had to be sneaking the cookies through the key-hole.”

Someone who is becoming obese should consult an Endocrinologist. Is it a glandular problem or is it an overeating problem with little or no physical activities? Talk to your physician if you feel that you are doing all the right things and are still gaining weight or not losing the weight, it might be your thyroid, and your metabolism may be slow. You might need medication.

Obesity is not just bad by itself, but it is accompanied by other diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoarthritis, gall bladder problems and even cancers. I could go on, but I believe you get the picture.

The above is just part of the physical consequences of obesity, and I have not touched upon the tremendous psychological stress that obese people have to endure. They become ostracized, people call them names, in school, children call them nasty nick names, and are abusive.

To lose weight is good, but rapid weight loss has many side effects. An ideal plan to lose weight is around one pound per week, which is quite possible, but if you wish to lose more, then you increase your physical activity. Try aerobics, walking, dancing, or whatever you enjoy best.