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It's no secret that America has a serious health crisis going on right now, in the form of obesity. I read an article the other day with research that shows obesity has caused more health related issues than smoking. We are digging our own graves with our forks. Nothing brought this to light more than my recent visit to a hospital. I have had two family members hospitalized in the past month for illness, and in both cities I was in, I saw the same thing.
The wheelchairs are no longer a standard sized chair. They are super-sized to accommodate our growing waistlines. More than most people being treated were obese, and In 2010, Millennium Research Group estimated that U.S. hospitals will spend more than $1.2 billion by the end of 2011 on supplies to accommodate bigger clientele. I think a proactive approach versus a reactive approach is a better way to go.
You would think that of all places they would serve/recommend healthy options but when you head down to the cafeteria, you walked into the smell of onion rings in the fryer and burgers on the grill. There was a sign on top of the counter with a picture of fries and the phrase "Fries go with everything". Sort of reminds me of the school that won't allow you to send in cupcakes with sprinkles for your childs birthday, but will offer them a rice-krispy treat daily in the lunch line. Makes no sense.
I wanted to put together 3 reasons that you might not be losing weight - in case you're working out and not seeing the results you were hoping for.
1) Sneaky Sugar - Added sugars can be found in everything from soda to salad dressing and even in otherwise healthy foods like yogurt. They hide in things you'd never expect them to be in. This includes: Energy Bars, Peanut Butter, Ketchup, and Salad Dressings. How much is too much in a day? Limit added sugar to 100 calories (25 grams) per day, equivalent to 6 teaspoons of sugar. If a serving size has more than 11g of sugar, I'm not going to eat it. Soda drinker? Let’s say you drink two – 20 oz. bottles of regular soda each day and each 20 oz. bottle of soda contains 16-18 teaspoons of sugar. At the end of one week, that’s 224-252 teaspoons of sugar! Cutting this out will have a dramatic impact on weight loss.
2) Stress+Not Enough Sleep - These two things cause the body to produce cortisol, the fight-or-flight hormone that worsens insulin resistance, and causes us to store fat! It's easy to just say - have less stress in your life...but try and find a healthy way to ease your stress. Best way I've found is exercise! It releases endorphins and is a HUGE stress reliever! If you're trying to lose weight, sleep is also critical. You need to get 7-8 hrs a night. Chronic levels of sleep deprivation cause the release of cortisol, that fat-storing friend. The biggest spike in (fat-burning, anabolic) growth hormone plasma levels occurs in deep sleep.
3) Drinking Too Much - Most drinks contain lots of empty calories that can add up quickly. Because your body can't store alcohol and must metabolize it right away, other metabolic processes suffer. Your body won't metabolize sugars and fats as efficiently during the metabolism of alcohol, and drinking heavily can cause your metabolism to slow.Another side effect is not caring what you eat after you've had a few, so you're more likely to stray from your clean eating regimen. Give it up for a week and see if it's impacting your weight loss goals.
~ Melody Chandler
www.TexasFitChicks.com
Join the Movement ~ Re-shape your future!
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