Fast Or Slow Weight Loss: Which Is Better? Fast or slow weight loss is always the question. The new 800 Calorie a day HCG diet produces very fast weight loss. Is this dangerous or desirable? The answer is clear: YES. Fast weight loss is just as safe as slow weight loss. All the evidence says people who lose weight fast reach their goal. They also keep the weight loss off just as well as slow weight losers. Since safety is NOT an issue, its all a matter of personal choice. Many people become very encouraged when they have rapid weight loss-they fit into clothes they have not been able to wear for years, and spouses and friends become very supportive. The result is even more desire to lose weight and better commitment to reaching the goal. Truly, nothing succeeds as much as success!
SHOULD YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
It depends not only on you weight and height, but on how much of the fat is around your abdomen and if you have any other metabolic problems. Fat around and inside the abdomen causes serious medical problems.
OBESITY OR OVERWEIGHT? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES
The first issue is the definition of obesity. Although I tell my patients that their ideal weight is the weight they feel comfortable with and the weight they can maintain without feeling anxious or deprived, everyone wants a number. We need to be careful here, because “ideal weight” based on fashion trends, celebrities’ physical appearance, or an idealistic body image rarely reflects healthy weight.
DOES YOU WEIGHT GAIN CAUSE MEDICAL RISKS RISK?
Your Body Mass Index: Overweight > 25, Obese 30 or >. The ratio of body weight to height is called the body mass index (BMI), and reflects the total fat as related to one’s height. You can find numerous graphs on line or even easier use an on-line calculator.
BMI indicates overweight when it’s between 25-29 overweight, and obese if 30 or more
WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DEFINES RISK BETTER THAN BMI.
Women more than 35″ – Men more than 40″
Circumference of the waist relates your obesity to significant medical problems: This is the most definitive measurement to determine if the belly fat has produced obesity related medical problems because it relates the extra weight to body function.
Here is why: Excess food is stored in every increasing fat cell around and inside the abdomen. Its the fat cells inside of the belly that make new dangerous chemicals that go into the blood stream. Studies reported in Science in October 2008 suggest fat cells can even make more fat cells. Its the fat INSIDE the belly that does the damage. However, its too expensive to measure, that’s why we use the waist line as the measure.
RISK FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE: BEGIN WITH YOUR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE:
Waist: Men waist: 40 inches or greater, Women- waist: 35 inches or greater poses the greatest risk. Then consider:
1.Your age: men older than 46 years, and women older than 55 years old.
2. Heart disease in the family,.
3. Cigarette smoking
4. High blood pressure
5. Bad cholesterol elevation (LDL greater than 100)
Risk factors and heart disease: If you have risk factors for heart disease that should encourage you to lose weight, especially the fat around the belly.
“Burn” the fat- reduce the problems: The good news is that when one is losing weight, the fat deposited inside the abdomen is the first to be used and burned for fuel. However, the only way to start this process is by reducing the food intake or significantly increasing the amount of exercise (we are talking about daily hours of real working out in the gym) in order to create a calorie deficit. The decrease of just an inch or two in waist circumference corresponds to a relatively large reduction of fat in the abdomen, and consequently significantly reduces health complications caused by obesity. The 800 Calorie a day HCG diet focuses on reducing belly fat and improving metabolic parameters like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and fat levels in the blood.