Why You Should Burn Body Fat

Are you overweight? Then you probably want to lose some weight. It is obvious that you'll burn body fat by increasing your metabolism. But be sure that what you burn is fat, not muscles.

Some statistics

• After age 25, the average person in America gains one pound or more a year, which means at the age of 50 an average person is 25 pounds or more heavier than he or she was 25 years ago.
• As you age your metabolism is slowing down, causing your body to burn less fat.
• Without exercising regularly, the average American loses a pound of muscle each year.
• A minority of Americans exercise in a significant way, which means less than 50 minutes of exercise per week. Two out of five Americans do not exercise at all.

Motivations for weight loss

• Most people's primary motivation for weight loss is to improve their appearance.
• Other motivational factors are the many health benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Why obesity is dangerous

Reduction of excess body fat plays a vital role in maintaining good health and avoiding disease. Medical evidence shows that obesity poses a significant threat to health as well as to longevity:. Excess body fat is connected to

• heart disease
• cancer
• diabetes
• gall bladder disease
• gastro-intestinal disease
• sexual dysfunction
• osteoarthritis
• stroke

Why is excess body fat linked to heart disease?

• About 4/5's of deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to life-style factors, inactivity included.
• Your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs and to the extra fat throughout your body. Therefore it takes more energy for you to breathe. This extra workload might cause your heart to become enlarged and high blood pressure and life-threatening erratic heartbeats might be the consequences.
• Overweight people often also have high cholesterol levels, making them more likely to develop arteriosclerosis. When blood vessels are so narrow that vital organs like the heart, kidneys or brain don't get enough blood, this becomes life-threatening.
• It might go without saying, but the narrower the blood vessels become, the harder your heart has to pump, which results in increased blood pressure. High blood pressure itself poses several health risks, like heart attack, stroke and kidney problems.

Does excess body fat cause cancer?

• In general, research has linked cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) to excess, actually as a storage place for these.
• Excess fat has been linked to a higher rate of breast and uterine cancer for women
• Excess fat has been linked to colon and prostate cancer for men.

How is excess body fat related to diabetes?

• There is a delicate balance between the relative amount of body fat, the level of blood sugar and the hormone we call insulin.
• Excess blood sugar is stored in the liver and other vital organs, and converted to fat as soon as these organs have got what they need of it.
• The pancreas of overweight people often produces more and more insulin. The problem is however, that the body is not able to utilize this to regulate it's blood sugar levels.
• This poor regulation of blood sugar and insulin causes an inbalance in the system, which results in diabetes. This disease may in it's turn cause heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and death.

How Reducing Body Fat Reduces Disease Risk

At an American University, researchers studied a sample of people following a certain weight management program. This study showed

• decreased HDL cholesterol levels
• decreased triglyceride levels
• decreased blood pressure
• increased waist-to-hip ratio
• an active lifestyle can slow or stop the disease process for most people, even those with a history of heart disease in the family.

Other studies have shown that programs that includes

• regular physical activity
• low-fat diets
• stress reduction
• reverse heart disease processes.

while other studies shows that reducing body fat through an active lifestyle and low fat diets mean reduced risk for

• prostate cancers for men
• breast and uterine cancers for women
• non-insulin dependent diabetes for both genders.

So, what shall I do?

You have to change to a new lifestyle, by committing yourself to a long term process that gradually will lead you to a healthier life. This process requires persistence and patience, especially in the beginning. If you stay persistent, your new lifestyle will automatically take over, and it will become natural for you. This process will contain

• moderate, long term fat loss
• aerobic exercise
• strength exercise

Here is the benefits 90 percent of overweight people following this advice has gained:

• improved heart function
• improved blood pressure
• improved glucose tolerance
• improved cholesterol levels
• lowering requirements for medication
• eight times less likely to die from cancer than the unfit
• 53 percent less likely to die from other diseases than the unfit
• eight times less likely to die from heart disease than the unfit people.

But, how can I get started?

The first phase in such a process has shown to be the hardest - it is here most people drop out. The longer you stay in the process, the more likely you are to succeed. And trust me; after you - by means of persistency and patience - have passed this critical start phase, the fun and excitement you gradually will experience will make the change well worth the effort.

• You must make the decision to commit to this lifestyle changing process
• If you ever feel tempted to skip it for a day or even give up, confront yourself with your commitment, and go on.

How to stay motivated?

Allow plenty of time for the changes. You should give yourself several years for the changes to take place. If you do so, your body will adjust comfortably and the probability of maintaining this healthy lifestyle permanently, will be higher.

About the Author

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net. Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with rapid weight loss with negative calorie food as well as low carb diet.

Dallas Weight Loss Surgeon Adds Bariatrician Sacramento Bee As a Board Certified Bariatrician, Dr. Obi will head up the Bariatric Solutions AfterCare program as well as assisting patients during their pre surgery diet requirement for the weight loss surgeries performed at Bariatric Solutions: Lap Band, ... and more »

Houston Weight Loss Surgeons Discuss How to Choose the Right Bariatric Practice PR Web (press release) Drs. Yu and Scarborough discuss key aspects to look for in a practice before undergoing a weight loss procedure such as gastric plication to help improve results and get patients back on track towards leading a healthier life. and more »

USA TODAY

Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com ... Mass Device MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A pair of outpatient clinics in Los Angeles stopped offering weight-loss surgeries using the Lap-Band gastrointestinal device amid ongoing controversy over a marketing campaign. The FDA late last year issued warning letters to 8 ... Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeriesLos Angeles Times Lap-Band surgeries halted at two LA clinicsUSA TODAY Allergan stops selling Lap-Band to 1-800-GET-THIN doctorsInjuryBoard.com California Healthline -French Tribune all 51 news articles »

Weight-loss couple urge others to take up challenge This is Plymouth A COUPLE from Devonport embracing the loveLIFE campaign have lost five of their 15 stone weight loss target. Chris Searle, aged 30, and Charlotte Telling, aged 25, who are both unemployed, signed up to The Herald's loveLIFE campaign to help improve the ... and more »

Daily Mail

Dawn French discusses weight loss on This Morning in dress with bright and ... Daily Mail She spoke about her weight loss, kissing Michael Buble and working with Simon Cowell - which she said was still a mystery to her. No more weight loss talk, please! Dawn told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that she was bored with people ... Dawn French on slim new figure: 'I refuse to dislike my other body!'hellomagazine.com Dawn French has the blast laughThe Sun all 8 news articles »

Anti-obesity drugs with a modified lifestyle helps weight loss -- new study EurekAlert (press release) Dr Laura Gray and colleagues from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Leicester have published a paper in the journal Obesity Review which looks at the effectiveness of anti –obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and ... and more »

Weight Loss: Rick Warren's New Purpose Huffington Post By Lilly Fowler LAKE FOREST, Calif. (RNS) Megachurch pastor Rick Warren has become an outsized evangelical superstar: best-selling author of "The Purpose Driven Life" series, pastoral mentor and even political referee. Now Warren is finding a new ... Rick Warren finds a new purpose: weight lossThe Christian Century Rick Warren gets rid of excess weight using the Saddleback "Daniel Plan ...God Discussion all 5 news articles »

The Virginian-Pilot

Does "home-cooking" = weight loss? The Virginian-Pilot The weight loss industry knows one important (better yet, vital) thing about us: We don't know what we're doing wrong. As long as someone else has the upper hand in what you're doing, you'll only be able to do what you're being told. and more »

PRunderground

In NYC Surgery By Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis Is The Hottest Technique In ... PRunderground Dr OZ has been talking about one of the hottest techniques in weight loss, Surgery By Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis. This technique keeps Dr Ellyn Gamberg busy in her NYC and Danbury CT offices busy with much success. On his show today, Dr. Oz will be ... Dr. Oz 2/8/2012: Hypnosis And Weight Loss “Can This Really Work?”CMR Health: Hypnosis Lap Band, A Non-Invasive Way To Lose WeightCBS Local all 4 news articles »

Gaining From a Weight-Loss Drug Barron's Shares of Vivus are poised to rise or fall sharply later this month when its Qnexa weight-loss drug is reviewed by a Food and Drug Administration panel. "This is a highly binary event," say JP Morgan Securities' derivatives strategists, Amyn Bharwani ...