Battle of the Bulge: Exploring Ways to Lose Weight

Nowadays, If one wishes to lose weight, they can find numerous methods that one can try to achieve that healthy weight and ideal figure. What are all the ways available now to lose weight?

Problems with obesity

Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is not just the problem of obese people, even people with average weight and supermodels with skinny figure worry about getting fat.

Its a big problem all over the world. In fact, weight loss has been one of the most searched topic on Google and has become a profitable business for other people.

Now, obesity comes in different levels, some have what they call as childhood obesity, others mild obesity and others morbid obesity.

Nowadays, having childhood obesity is no longer considered cute for your children. Obesity is a medical concern that needs medical attention as this can lead to other more serious health conditions.

stored fats

You see we all want to blame this four components of food-carbs, sugar, calories and fat for being fat. We believe that these are the ones that cause fats to be stored in our bodies which later would result to increased weight and bulges in our bodies.

First of this bad components in food is the fat. Fat itself is blamed for getting fat. If you eat lots of fatty foods it will add to the fats already stored in your tissues, in our simple beliefs.

Another are the sugars and carbs which are related to each other. Others say that fat is not really the cause of obesity but sugar and carbs. Carbs and sugar are the one responsible to produce blood glucose which triggers the release of insulin. The insulin needs to control the glucose in our blood This insulin is also said to be the hormone responsible for the conversion and storage of body fats.

The insulin release by the pancreas will convert the glucose to glycogen which will then be stored to the liver and muscles and anything in excess will be turned to fat deposits.

The other one is about calories. Fats, carbs and sugars are all sources of calories as shown in this sample computation:
1 calorie = 4.2 joules so 1 kilocalorie = 4.2 kilojoules.
The energy value per GRAM of various food components includes:
Water = 0kJ (0 Cal)
Protein = 17kJ (4 Cal)
Dietary fibre = 13kJ (3 Cal)
Fat = 37kJ (9 Cal)
Alcohol = 29kJ (7 Cal)
Carbohydrates = 16kJ (4 Cal)

Another calculation, nutritionist used is the Body Mass Index or BMI
Sample calculation is this:
Examples 1: Someone who is 1.70 m and weights 60 kg has a BMI of
BMI Calculation = 60 / (1.7 x 1.7) = 20.8 <== The person then falls in the Normal category

But most of us really don't have the time to compute the calories or monitor our BMIs to be able to control the weight gain as well as the calorie intake everyday.

Is overeating the real problem?

Most of us know that overeating is the sole reason for getting fat. But there are also incidence that a person gets fat without overeating or even with poor appetite. This happens in some people with problems with their hormones and metabolism or have problems like hypothyroidism.

They say because of that there are many misconceptions to the real cause of the obesity that people are still not aware. Like what is said here:
10 Causes of Obesity Other Than Over-Eating, Inactivity 

Weight loss pills and supplements

Now there are a good number of weight loss pills that you can buy if you want to speed things up and start having a healthy weight. These pills are of two kinds, some are 100% plant based and others 100% pharmaceutical grade drugs.

Here are the short descriptions of each of these top diet pills. Although, they all claim amazing health benefits, some of them could just be weight loss hype and can be a scam too. Others also use these as they learned that some top celebrities are also using them. Most of them produce side effects so you must also be aware of it not just the weight loss benefits.

Natural Products
1. Proactol Plus-This one is called a Fat Binder. This is made from a cactus plant extract Opuntia ficus-indica. . It is considered one of the safest because of little side effects. It flush out about 28% of dietary fat during digestion.
2. Unique Hoodia-This one is similar to Proactol because it is also made of the pure and not just extract of the cactus plant -Hoodia Gordonii. This pills work more as an appetite suppressant.
3. Acai Berry-This is another popular pills nowadays, those that are made from 100% dried Acai Berries popular in South American countries like Brazil. This is one is for Fat oxidation. It offers others health benefits and improve eating habits.
4. African Mango-Irvingia Gabonensis or the African mango is believe to increase the production of Adiponectin, which can improve sensitivity to insulin, therefor the body can burn more fat. This one is a Fat Burner.
5. Capsiplex -Chili Pepper- This is a unique formula that based around the powerful combination of chilli pepper extract, black pepper extract plus caffeine. When you take them in the right dosage the natural ingredients could somehow boost your metabolism, burn calories and also give you more energy.
6. Fitrum-This one is popular here in the Philippines. It uses green tea extracts with high concentration of L-Carnitine.
So what is L-Carnitine?
L-Carnitine is known as natural nutrient also called as vitamin BT. It is also known as a physiological substance needed for energy production and for fat metabolism. L-Carnitine can be synthesized by the human liver.
7. Slenda Weight loss capsule- Another produce here in the Philippines made of natural ingredients grapes that contain the Resveratrol, EGCG, Banaba and Turmeric. It can even help with bowel movement and improve the metabolism. It also claims to burn up calories.

Drugs:
1. Orlistat Xenical-The pills contain the active ingredient orlistat- a type of medicine known as a lipase inhibitor. Orlistat does not get absorbed into the bloodstream while working locally in the stomach and small intestine. Here it prevents the action of two compounds found in the digestive juices.
2. Phen375-This one is considered a revolutionary, pharmaceutical grade fat burne. They say it is an incredible appetite suppressant using the drug Phentermine capable to speed up metabolism.
4. Meredia-Another weight loss drug is Meridia® (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate). This prescription drug works differently by affecting certain chemicals in our brain. It can even cause a sense of fullness early that aids in controlling appetite.

weigth loss drinks-slimming teas

Carb Trim iced tea
1. CarbTrim- This new slimming tea in the Philippines can be serve cold. This one contains natural extracts coming from Phase 2 White Kidney Bean. Marketed here by Unilab, it consists of natural extract that can block carbohydrates up to 66%.

2. Kankunis herbal tea- The slimming tea is manufactured by Diamond Laboratories Inc.. This contains shiu sen tea, malvae and senna leaves. It also has laxative effects that they believe can relieve constipation and obesity.

3. Biguerlai Tea- This tea is considered mainly as laxative like Kankunis. Its a popular product here in the Philippines. This contains about 75 grams of Senna leaves.

Weight loss diets

Here you will find some of the most popular weight loss diets. and program to maintain healthy weight.

1. Weight Watchers--Weight Watchers uses PointsPlus program that assigns point value for every food . It can be a bit expensive but many have tried the menus or diets suggested on this program.

2. Raw food diet- So here foods are not processed and cooked so you would not use oil or added preservatives. You get all the nutrients of foods coming from fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. Atkins diet - This promote a low carb diet. One should avoid foods made up of simple sugars and starches like white bread, refine sugars and potatoes while allowing meats from chicken and also some eggs.

4. South beach diet- This believes that there are good and bad carbs and fats. It is a diet that promotes lower carbohydrates, higher protein and healthy fats in your diet,

Weight loss surgeries

bariatric surgery
If you are willing to undergo surgery and willing to spend a lot of money you can go for weight loss surgeries to achieve healthy weight in an instant. It can be done using a simple cosmetic surgery or more complicated surgeries.

Cosmetic weight loss surgeries- They are also known as body contouring, cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries: Here are some kinds of it.
Vaser Lipo (Fat Reduction)
Liposuction
Abdominoplsty or Tummy tuck
Arm Lift
Axilla-Plasty

Weight Loss Medical Surgery for Morbid Obesity

For morbid obesity they call it bariatric sugery. Some do offer minimally-invasive procedures. Some of these include the following:
LAP-BAND® (LAGB)
Vertical Gastrectomy (VG)
Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RNY, RGB)
Vertical Gastrectomy with Doudenal Switch (DS)

Weight loss detox

detox juice
Another option for your to have healthy weight is to try juice fasting. It also promotes colon cleansing and detoxification. We have different types of juice fasting or detox weight loss and here are the most common ones:

1. Master Cleanse Diet-Lemon Juice Fasting-Considered to be the ultimate juice fasting. This consists of fresh lemon or lime juice, purified water, some maple syrup, and cayenne pepper.

2. Vegetable Juice Fasting--It does not only detoxify its a good source of nutrition. These may cinclude vegetables like carrots, beets, spinach, celery, cucumber, garlic, parsley, tomatoes and superfoods like Chlorella and spirulina.

3. Fruit Juice Fasting-If you love fresh fruit juices you would enjoy this type of juice fasting which include fruits like grapes, pears, apples, black cherry, papaya and watermelon.

weight loss exercises

You can find many types of workouts and exercises that you can try at home or in a fitness center or gyms. You can also engage in active sports to make it easier for you to get fit and leaner. You can have a healthy weight by following intensive training and workout sessions.

It does not only help you lose fat, it also helps tone your muscles and develop stamina, good blood circulation and breathing.

easy and practical weight loss

For easy and practical weight loss, I have chosen some of the easiest one to do which can also promise a healthy weight if you follow on a regular basis.

1. Eat 6 small meals or snacks a day than the usual large three meals. You can eat as often as you want but make sure you eat little portions only.
2. Drink a lot of water. Fill you stomach with water just before eating and at breakfast time. This will leave you full early so you won't be craving for more foods.
3. Eat only when your stomach starts growling. Wait for this signal. Learn to identify if its hunger or just cravings.
4. Avoid emotional eating or using food for comfort when you are stressed. Find other things than eating which you can do when you are a bit stress or nervous.
5. If you don't have time to go to the gym or do regular exercise just aim to increase your steps everyday. Buy a pedometer and clip it in your belt. Add extra steps everyday and enjoy walking around.

Before and After

Its really amazing if you see obese people completely transform. You cannot even recognize them like they were 2 different people. Those who had extreme weight loss could lose about 85 up to 205 pounds depending on their original weight.

Although you could see some that their skin sags after they had extreme weight loss. Today you have the choice to have a quick weight loss or a more gradual weight loss.

As long as you have a healthy weight, don't worry about getting a little fat. As we know anything in excess is really bad. All you have to do is find the best type of weight loss solution that can work for you, easy and safe as recommended by the doctor. Its important that you enjoy the process of losing weight or achieving a healthy weight without endangering your health.

Sources and links:
http://www.saxzilla.com/
http://www.djvinfo.com/lose-weight-fast-by-fast-weight-loss-diets-are-yo...
http://www.inquisitr.com/115911/bariatric-weight-loss-surgery-less-obese/
http://www.spiritani.com/weight_loss/fast_weight_loss_with_the_detox_jui...
http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Pedometers/
http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/diet-weight-loss/10-incredible-w...