FitSugar

With Teen Obesity, Inactivity Is Only Part of the Problem

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:46 -0800

I panic every time I see another "exercise doesn't work!" story - until I read between the lines and learn once again that exercise is a good thing. On the heels of its conversation-starting cover story on the exercise "myth," Time is tackling a new study of teen obesity that claims inactivity is only partly to blame for heavier kids.

Obesity rates in teenagers have triple between 1976 and 2004, with lack of exercise the suspected culprit. But a new report published in Obesity Reviews says that physical activity levels among teens have actually stayed fairly steady. So does that mean that exercise doesn't matter? Hardly, so read more.

Unfortunately, this latest study only looked at activity levels, not eating habits, and the participants were self-reporting on their own habits, which can lead to unreliable data. These figures merely suggest that the increase in teen obesity can't be explained away by teens' lack of exercise, according to Dr. Youfa Wang, the lead author of the study. Here's more:

So does this mean that exercise isn't important in controlling weight? As tempting as that conclusion might be, Wang and other health experts say that's not exactly what the new data show. . . . While exercise may not contribute directly to weight loss, it is critical for maintaining a healthy weight, since it helps calibrate the balance between energy taken in and energy burned off. "The data is too gross, and too general, to assume that [exercise doesn't count]," warns Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. "We need to have a dual approach to weight involving both activity and diet. I would hate for people to take away from this study that activity has nothing to do with weight."

Phew! Thanks, doc. I also hope that's not what people take away from this study. In fact, to me, it says the opposite. If teen obesity is going up because teens have increased their calorie intake without increasing their activity levels, then that seems to say pretty clearly that exercise does make a difference. Do you agree?

How Mo' Nique Lost the Weight and Why Some Don't Like It

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:47 -0800

Everywhere I look lately I'm seeing comedienne Mo'Nique. She's got a new late-night talk show on BET, is making the talk show rounds, and is creating some serious Oscar buzz for her standout performance as an abusive mother in Precious. Oh, and also, she's about 50 lbs. lighter.

The stand-up comic has spent a career embracing her big girl status, often telling fans: bigger is better. But on a recent appearance on the Oprah show Mo'Nique shared that slimming down was a matter of life and death.

In 2006, at 262 lbs, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and doctors warned that she was on a fast track to a short life. In late 2007, Mo'Nique made the decision to lose the weight. A decision, she says, that has alienated some of her fans who looked to her as a symbol that being big is OK. She still thinks that being big is beautiful, but says that being healthy and alive is even better.

To hear how Mo'Nique lost the weight, read more.

Mo'Nique shared with People that her plan is to lose a total of 65 lbs. and is about 20 lbs. away from reaching her goal. The main focus was to change her eating habits - she's cut out junk food like cake, cookies, and chips, and instead of red meat and fried foods, she eats fresh fish and drinks a gallon of water each day. She also hired trainer Erica Sammy to whip her into shape. They hit the gym together on weekday mornings doing a combination workout of cardio, stretching, and weight training.

Why Exercise Won't Help You Lose Weight . . . Sort Of

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:36 -0800

There have been a lot of reports in the last year confirming that contrary to popular belief, not all exercise leads to significant weight loss. If you want to shed pounds, it mostly comes down to diet. It’s no surprise that changing your diet can help you lose weight, but for decades, many people believed that exercise was the best pathway to a slimmer, fitter you.

Today the New York Times added to the news that exercise doesn’t significantly aid in weight loss by reporting the results of an exercise and obesity study. The study followed a group of 58 obese individual who underwent three months of supervised aerobic activity but didn’t change their diets at all. And while the group lost an average of seven pounds, many participants barely lost three.

I admit that when all of these studies started coming up I was a little shocked, but it turns out that high intensity workouts mainly burn carbs, not just fat.

To hear what type of exercise may maximize fat loss, read more.

The article explains: "'The message of our work is really simple,' although not agreeable to hear, said Edward Melanson, PhD, the lead author of the study. 'It all comes down to energy balance,' or, as you might have guessed, calories in and calories out. People 'are only burning 200 or 300 calories' in a typical 30-minute exercise session, Melanson points out. 'You replace that with one bottle of Gatorade.'"

Fat loss can be maximized, but it’s a matter of how you approach your workout. To do this, work out at a lower intensity in your fat-burning zone, which is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For most people this zone falls between 105-134 beats per minute. Melanson’s study also found that once weight is lost from reduced calorie intake, exercise might prevent it from coming back by resetting metabolic pathways that stop the body from wanting to store fat.

The research is interesting, but should not dissuade any of us from our fitness goals. The benefits of exercise reach far beyond weight loss - it helps the brain function better, reduces stress, creates a toned body, and is important for healthy heart function.

Is America's Antifat Rhetoric Out of Hand?

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:18 -0700

Being obese is unhealthy for many reasons - most recently, we learned it could lead to brain degeneration - but does that mean we should demonize overweight people?

A recent story on Newsweek.com questions whether this antifat rhetoric is totally out of control. From the "real" sized model featured in Glamour to outrage over President Obama's nomination of a heavyset woman, Regina M. Benjamin, as surgeon general, the story posits:

Virtually any news article about weight that is posted online garners a slew of comments from readers expressing disgust that people let their weight get so out of control.

As fashionistas like Anna Wintour say the media focuses too much on anorexia, Newsweek sites an endless parade of pundits who openly express a fat bias. Many of the haters seem to believe that overweight people should do something about their condition, but who's to say they aren't? Why don't we have more compassion for people who are trying to change?

Not to mention that some research suggests that it's possible to be both overweight and fit, and many of our country's unhealthy habits are the result of widespread cultural and dietary changes that go far beyond individual lifestyle choices.

Do you think the antifat criticism in this country has gotten out of hand in our culture? Or do you think it's a necessary step toward changing our habits?

Obesity Can Lead to Brain Degeneration

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:00:58 -0700

Not only can extreme obesity take 10 years off your life, it could also be prematurely aging your brain. According to a new study published in Human Brain Mapping, the brains of obese people look 16 years older than those of lean people, due to eight percent less brain tissue on average. The brains of individuals classified as "overweight" appear eight years older than those of normal-weight people.

Though the study was rather small - 94 brain scans of subjects in their 70s - researchers concluded that the loss of brain tissue due to weight problems could put patients at higher risk of Alzheimer's. According to study author and UCLA neurology professor Paul Thompson, "you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control." So shape up your body, and the mind will follow.

Every day, it seems, we read about another health risk tied to obesity, but this is one of the most surprising I've come across. Does this shock you?

Marriage Equals Happily Fatter After

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:37 -0700

Wedding season is in full swing. It's a commonly held belief that when we find that special someone, we're supposed to live happily ever after. We may be happy, but recent studies show we may also be overweight too. After a few years of marriage, a couple is twice as likely to become obese as couples who are only dating. What's even worse is that statistics show women gain the most weight. Evidence shows that couples do in fact "let themselves go." Not only do they feel more comfortable with their partner and don't feel the need to keep up their figure to impress, but couples also spend more time watching TV, and aren't engaging in enough physical activity.

In order to gain a spouse without gaining pounds, here are seven tips to help you live healthfully after. If one of you decides to make healthy changes by eating right and exercising more, the health kick tends to be contagious.

Tell me, do these stats apply to you? Did you gain wedding weight after saying "I do?"

Drinking Beer Doesn't Lead to a Beer Belly?

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:05:18 -0700

If you're kicking back and enjoying Summer by kicking back a few cold ones, and have noticed your waist is expanding, don't blame it on the brewskis. According to new research, a "beer belly" is purely genetic.

After an eight-year study of over 20,000 people, researchers found that heavy drinkers - those who drank at least two pints daily - did pile on the pounds overall, but it wasn't necessarily concentrated around their middle. Where people gained weight had to do with their body type, not how much beer they drank.

The study is in no way encouraging people to drink more beer, because as research proves, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol does lead to unhealthy weight gain. You just can't blame your love of beer for your round tummy.

Has the Recession Caused You to Gain Weight?

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:30:00 -0700

This just in: America is expanding - not by miles, but by pounds. New data from Gallup-Healthways shows that in the past year, the number of Americans considered obese has jumped by 1.7 percent. That's almost 5.5 million more people who have a body mass index (BMI) over 30.

People are gaining weight because their eating and exercise habits are changing. They're no longer able to afford healthy foods, and since fast food is much less expensive, more and more people are turning toward Big Macs and Happy Meals instead of pricier lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Not only that, but the stress of losing a job or worrying about keeping yours can cause people to indulge in junk food. Pinching pennies also means luxuries such as gym memberships and personal trainers may no longer be in the budget. Since many people have been laid off, the ones who still have jobs are asked to pick up the slack and do extra work, so there's not much energy or time to exercise, even for those who can afford it. So tell me, has saving money affected your waistline?

Source

Does the US Pay More Attention to Obesity or Anorexia?

FitSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:30:00 -0700

We refer to obesity as an epidemic and talk about anorexia as an eating disorder, but both illustrate our extreme relationships with food. Disordered eating is a regular topic in Lifetime movies and TV talk shows, and there are occasionally real-life documentaries of young women battling anorexia. When a fashion model suffers from an eating disorder, we hear about it in the news.

Obesity has been making news headlines for the past decade or so, with a heavy hand coming down on fast-food restaurants. Obese individuals have made their stories public with several reality TV shows, and there's a push for parents to take responsibility for teaching their kids' healthy-eating habits.

In a recent interview, Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour surmised her thoughts on eating issues in the US.

I'd just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as little houses. There's such an epidemic of obesity in the United States, and for some reason, everybody focuses on anorexia.

Ironically, Minnesota is one of the healthiest states in the nation. Do you agree with Anna's comment about everyone focusing on anorexia?

Source

The (New) Deal With Calorie-Burning Fat

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:00:16 -0700

After decades of believing that humans lose energy-producing "brown" fat after infancy, when we develop the shivering response, three new studies have found that it still exists in all adults. According to the New York Times,"brown fat basically acts like a furnace, consuming calories and generating heat." All three accounts are summarized in today's New England Journal of Medicine and reach the identical conclusion that brown fat is a calorie-burning machine when triggered by chilly temperatures between 61 and 66 degrees.

Most brown fat has been identified in the neck and collarbone areas, and if stimulated it could be an efficient way to burn the bad whitish-colored fat in the body. Here's what else the researchers discovered:

Leaner adults have much more brown fat than obese individuals.
Those with normal blood sugar levels have more brown fat than people with high blood sugar.
Women have a greater amount of this type of fat than men.
Younger people have more brown fat than older people.

This is exciting news on the obesity front, because if scientists can find a way to activate brown fat with a pill, it would be the first to focus on burning energy rather than suppressing appetite.

Source