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Effective Weight Loss

Overview: Obesity is the widespread accretion of excessive fat in the body. Overweight refers to being ten percent above the expected body weight, given the height and build. Obese refers to being twenty percent over the desired target. The unmistakable fact is that Americans are getting fatter. According to statistics from the National Institutes of Health, over sixty-five percent of American adults are considered overweight or obese. That means close to a hundred million adults in the United States are ineffective at managing their weight.

The most widely accepted statistical estimate used by healthcare professionals to screen for obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI), computed by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared; the equation therefore is kg/m2. Alternatively, to calculate your BMI, simply multiply your weight in pounds by 704.5, divide the result by your height in inches; then again divide that result by your height in inches a second time. The Belgian statistician, Adolphe Quetelet, created the BMI in the 19th century. The medical definition of being overweight is having a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.

If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you are within the normal or ideal weight range. But if your BMI is higher than 29.9 you are considered to be obese. Obesity carries enormous health risks and economic costs. It is recognized as a major catalyst for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and other debilitating conditions. People who are obese or overweight are more likely to develop heart disease, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers, which are the leading causes of death. Estimates of the number of deaths attributable to obesity in the United States alone reach up to 350,000 per year.

According to National Institutes of Health, adults aged over 18, having a BMI greater than 25, are at risk of premature death and disabilities, as a result of being overweight or obese. Usually interventions such as permanent weight loss and medications are prescribed to diminish the risk of developing diseases. Permanent, effective weight loss is the process of intentionally making and accomplishing a plan to reduce total body weight. This typically involves the lessening of total body fat. Ideally, you should go on a strict diet, by consuming nutritionally balanced low-calorie foods and increasing physical activity. Remember, effective weight loss is a premeditated, calculated attempt to lose body weight. Even though there are several permanent weight loss programs, the only proven - long-standing and harmless technique is to burn more calories than are ingested. Permanent and effectual weight loss can be achieved either by decreasing the caloric intake by eating less or healthier food and by increasing the energy outflow by doing more physical exercises like aerobics, brisk walking, swimming and bicycling. One pound of fat contains around 3500 calories, so to lose one pound a week; a person should consume approximately 3500 lesser calories per week. This can be easily achieved by reducing the daily intake by 500 calories per day, thereby providing the deficit of 3500 calories in a week.

Thus, by regularly following this weight loss method, you can lose one pound a week! Summary: "Beauty lies in Simplicity". To end with, the key to weight management and enduring weight loss is to simply increase your daily activity. Small things like taking the stairs (instead of elevators) or brisk walking (rather than driving) make the real difference in successful weight loss. A slow, but persistent weight loss of one or two pounds a week; will eventually attain the ideal body weight.

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