Have you seen the new CDC report on the nation’s waistline?
Apparently, it show that when it comes to weight, there is no shrinkage. Some state may be holding steady but the major seem to be growing.
For the report,  400,000 American adults provided information about their height and weight which was used to calculate their body mass index (BMI).
Weighing up all the information, the CDC has determined that ‘the proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008 compared to 25.6 percent in 2007.’
According to the CDC press release  “In six states – Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, …read more

Yes, it’s true if you eat more than you work off, you will gain weight.
But in the end, it’s not just food (ie calories) that will make you fat.
As this theDailyGreen shows, research done of the subject is also pointing the finger at a number of other variables that can also play havoc on your weight.
1. Stress – it’s a vicious circle. Stress can lead to weight gain. Weight gain can lead to stress.
2. Lack of Sleep – we live in a 24/7 world but being on the go around the clock and not getting enough restful sleep will, for reasons …read more

What’s the connection between obese children and allergies? 
Well, the researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or NIEHS aren’t quite sure. But having recently conducted a study on this, they are convinced that there is a connection.
During this study (now  published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology)  they analysed data that had been collected on 4,000 children and young adults between the ages 2 to 19. In particular, they looked at all allergy and asthma related data on these children.
The result – they discovered that obese children and adolescents appeared to be 26 percent more likely to have some kind of …read more

When it comes to holidays, many of our usual routines get mislaid as we rush around, shopping, partying, visiting, traveling, and generally try to fit way too much in way too little time.
One of the first things to go, besides the exercise, is healthy eating habits. We overindulge in all our favorite, but not necessarily, healthy foods.
As a result, we have lots of fun and good times. But we can also end up gaining extra weight that tends to stick around, even when the holidays are over.
But not to worry, help is at hand. Kaiser Permanente has put together some …read more

Think you could give up sugar?
Want to try?
Then maybe you should sign up for the 30 Days Without Sugar Challenge that Scott Olson is putting together to celebrate next month’s inaugural National Sugar Free Month.
As Scott says “The New Year is a time for looking ahead, a time for renewal and reflection, a time to set new goals, and (typically) a time for weight loss. Why not make this year’s commitment to lose weight a more permanent healthy step by making a pledge to do without sugar for 30 days.”
The author of the book Sugarettes, Scott is making it his …read more

Sugar.
It’s everywhere.
In fact, it’s almost impossible to avoid and according to Dr Scott Olson, in his book Sugarettes, it’s as addictive as cigarettes.

I’ve just finished reading Sugarettes and I got to say, it was a real eye opener. Who knew that sugar was so prevalent in society today? Seems that everything we eat and drink has sugar in it and the more processed the food, the more the sugar content. 
In Sugarettes, Scott Olson looks at how sugar affects the body and why we should look at it as an addiction and a leading cause of not only obesity but also …read more

Ready for some more interesting, fascinating, unusual, strange, and even bizarre news…
Pay patients to go to the doctor? – in England, Health Service Managers are looking at ways to get people in unhealthy people in the lower social economic rankings to visit the doctor. The thinking is that if you can get people to the doctor earlier, before chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease set in, the government health system would save money. It makes sort of makes sense. But the idea is getting flack from politicans and medical experts alike who say that the government shouldn’t be …read more

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Allow me to piggyback on Liz’s post from earlier today and explore another possible reason for the obesity epidemic (one that’s probably a very likely part of the equation) – The Great American Buffet Table.
According to my local newspaper, there is a new study out which suggests that sitting too close to the buffet table at a restaurant can lead to overeating. They learned some other nifty things when they divided study subjects into an “overweight” group and a “normal” group, too. Take a look:

Heavy customers sat an average of 14 feet closer to the fixins …read more

Sounds like a strange question but, in a nutshell,  that’s what a group of Canadian researchers wanted to know. So they recruited 14 women and put their brains (and their stomachs) to work.
After performing one of the three different tasks for 45 minutes – relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, or completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer – the women were provided with an all-you-can-eat buffet to dig into.
The researchers measured the sponstaneous food intake of the students following each activity and discovered that the women ate 203 more calories …read more

Bad news if you’re overweight and are employed by the state of Alabama. If you don’t ease up on your Southern-fried favorites and hit the gym a bit more, you’ll end up paying $25 a month for insurance that is otherwise free to the un-fat folk.
That’s right, in an unprecedented move to encourage state workers to slim down, Alabama will be the first state in the nation to charge overweight workers who don’t make the effort to lighten up.
This $25 insurance fee will join the already-in-place $24/month fee that ‘Bama employees are charged for smoking. The state says it’s …read more