Day 4: Body Weight and Obesity
This is one of the most important risk factors in heart disease and one that we all have direct control over. Even without a single other risk factor being present, if you are overweight, your chance of heart disease skyrockets.
There is a highly significant link between being overweight and the onset of heart disease, for both men and women of all ages. Now understand this; being overweight is even a more important risk factor in younger people than older individuals. Further, being overweight leads to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, among a host of other variables which in turn increase the likelihood of
acquiring heart disease. In fact, it is believed that simple weight loss would actually eliminate over three-quarters of all high blood pressure treatment in the US.
If you are overweight, start losing weight immediately. Believe it or not, studies indicate that you begin to turn this risk factor around with a weight loss as little as ten pounds. Being at your ideal body weight is as important as any factor when it comes to avoiding heart disease.
You don’t need a doctor’s opinion or the opinion of a personal trainer to find out if you are overweight. Stand in front of a mirror and you know if you are overweight. If you have excess body fat, especially around your waist, then you are overweight. Overweight and obesity has a simple cause; that is, you take in more calories than you expend on a daily basis. When you eat too many calories, especially simple sugars, and trans or saturated fats, then your weight increases, as does your chance for heart disease.
If you are overweight, we suggest that you follow the simple common sense recommendations here:
1. Try to limit your total calories to 10x your body weight or less. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, try to keep your daily calorie intake below 2000.
2. Undertake a daily activity or exercise program if you are in adequate health. Walking, biking, swimming or the gym are suggestions. The best exercise for you is the one that you will enjoy doing.
3. Avoid high fructose corn syrup (now called corn sugar), sugary foods and drinks, starches, saturated and trans fats. Cut back on red meats and high fat dairy products.
This is one of the most important risk factors in heart disease and one that we all have direct control over. Even without a single other risk factor being present, if you are overweight, your chance of heart disease skyrockets.
There is a highly significant link between being overweight and the onset of heart disease, for both men and women of all ages. Now understand this; being overweight is even a more important risk factor in younger people than older individuals. Further, being overweight leads to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, among a host of other variables which in turn increase the likelihood of
acquiring heart disease. In fact, it is believed that simple weight loss would actually eliminate over three-quarters of all high blood pressure treatment in the US.
If you are overweight, start losing weight immediately. Believe it or not, studies indicate that you begin to turn this risk factor around with a weight loss as little as ten pounds. Being at your ideal body weight is as important as any factor when it comes to avoiding heart disease.
You don’t need a doctor’s opinion or the opinion of a personal trainer to find out if you are overweight. Stand in front of a mirror and you know if you are overweight. If you have excess body fat, especially around your waist, then you are overweight. Overweight and obesity has a simple cause; that is, you take in more calories than you expend on a daily basis. When you eat too many calories, especially simple sugars, and trans or saturated fats, then your weight increases, as does your chance for heart disease.
If you are overweight, we suggest that you follow the simple common sense recommendations here:
1. Try to limit your total calories to 10x your body weight or less. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, try to keep your daily calorie intake below 2000.
2. Undertake a daily activity or exercise program if you are in adequate health. Walking, biking, swimming or the gym are suggestions. The best exercise for you is the one that you will enjoy doing.
3. Avoid high fructose corn syrup (now called corn sugar), sugary foods and drinks, starches, saturated and trans fats. Cut back on red meats and high fat dairy products.
4. Try to eat as many grams of protein daily as you do carbohydrates.
5. Drink 64 ounces or more of water daily.
6. Support weight loss with sensible non food diet supplements such as Cacao Wow for appetite suppression, Crystal Thin for portion control or Factor One Blood Sugar Control for carbohydrate management.
6. Begin a skills based educational and learning program regarding nutrition, weight loss and fitness such as Pure Chemistry’s 75 Day Evolution Program (available at www.ShopPureChemistry.com).
No one is destined to have obesity or being overweight be a permanent risk factor for heart disease. This is a factor that YOU control with simple behavioral and lifestyle choices.
If you have a history of heart disease in your family and are in the at risk age group – and you are overweight, you need to change the one factor that you can. Start trimming down now or you will keep yourself needlessly at risk for a major cardiac episode.
Tomorrow we will talk about another variable that you can easily influence and that is your activity level.
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