There’s a new government backed initiative in the UK called Change4Life, which has been aimed at trying to reduce obesity. It has been targeted at nine towns, which have been designated as ‘healthy towns’. Is this another initiative that is going to ‘tinker at the edges’ of the problem or is it going to make a real and lasting difference? Read more…
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ITV News is featuring the South Yorkshire town of Doncaster in its series of news specials on obesity. Why? Because Doncaster has one of the highest levels of obesity in the country. Doncaster has become a blighted community, blighted by the curse of obesity.
Obesity is a far more serious problem than many people think. Why? Because it’s socially contagious. You are 60% more likely to become obese if your friends or family are obese. Being obese can become socially acceptable, it can become the norm in a community. It is already a contagion that is putting healthcare resources under severe strain in Doncaster. If its spread across the country is not checked, the NHS will soon be unable to cope. Scarce resources will be allocated to diseases, the causes of which are entirely preventable.
What is even more alarming is the insidious nature of obesity. It slowly destroys the heart of a community. It disables people physically making even the simplest tasks a chore, and it reduces brain function. Perhaps we are all destined to be like the people on the spaceship Axiom in the Pixar movie Wal-e! Let’s hope we come to our senses before then.
So what’s the answer? There is only one possible answer and that is that the community has to change. It has to change its behaviour. The catalyst for that change must be the community itself. How does it change? By learning new eating and lifestyle habits – slim habits.
The drivers of change have to be groups within the community, ‘slimpals’, if you like, who set the example. As obesity’s socially contagious, there is no reason why being slim can’t be contagious too! Correctly managed and given the right publicity and resources, the spirit of change could catch on very easily.
The publicity that Doncaster is receiving from ITV could be used to get people’s attention and to generate enthusiasm. It will need a coordinated plan to implement the program, but it is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Doncaster could well become the slimmest and fittest town in the country – why not!
A speaker and writer on diet and how to get slim, John McPhie is committed to helping people to change their behavior and lose weight permanently by learning new eating and lifestyle habits. Learn more about how to lose weight permanently – visit http://www.slimhabit.com. For your FREE Slim Habit A-Z Calorie Counter Click here
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When it comes to obesity, Doncaster is a community in crisis. The town has one of the highest levels of obesity in the country. Unless people can be persuaded to change their eating and lifestyle habits, the great people of Doncaster are going to become a blighted community. It’s not something they deserve. Read more…
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A good workout weight loss program is hard to stick with, especially if you have to force yourself to do it. This is why everyone should vary up the exercise routines and meal habits. Setting up a well thought out plan can be tedious; this is why I have set up this small guide of what you should look out for and what you can/should do.
There are three steps that are needed to take in order for Read more…
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Doncaster used to be famous for coal mining and railway engineering. Today it is famous for having one of the most overweight communities in the United Kingdom. Obesity related health problems cost the local health authority £91millon ($148m) every year, which equates to nearly £1400 ($2,300) per person. So what is wrong with Doncaster? Why are so many people overweight or obese? Is it just bad eating and lifestyle habits?
Bad eating and lifestyle habits are the root cause of the problem, but there is another element which actually exacerbates the situation. It’s the fact that obesity is socially contagious.
What has developed in communities like Doncaster is a fundamental change in social norms. To be overweight or obese in Doncaster is not seen as different or out of the ordinary. In fact it has a very high degree of social acceptability.
A recent study in the US found that you have a more than 60% chance of becoming obese if your friends are obese. It’s easy to understand why. A new norm is established. You feel comfortable in the company of other obese people. A bond is created within your social network and you feel safe from criticism.
Families also set their own norms. If bad eating and lifestyle habits are a part of the family ‘culture’, and being overweight or obese is accepted, or not the subject of comment or criticism, the contagion easily spreads to friends within the family social network.
The television company ITV is doing a six month investigation into obesity, starting in Doncaster. They have certainly chosen a challenging place to start. Highlighting the problems of Doncaster is extremely helpful, but it would be unfair to suggest that they can come up with a solution to the town’s problem, and it’s unlikely that this is their intention, but a solution needs to be found – urgently.
So where might a solution lie? There are two areas which could provide the answer. The first is in influencing individual behaviour and the second is in providing example and social support.
As far as the individual is concerned it’s not about going on a diet. A diet will help to reduce weight, but diet weight loss is only short-term weight loss, the weight will come back again. It’s about changing behaviour. Without behaviour change there can be no lasting weight loss. Getting people to change their behaviour by learning new eating and lifestyle habits – slim habits, is the only way to achieve permanent weight loss.
Why are habits so important? Because they influence and dictate our behavior. They allow us to carry out routine tasks automatically, without thinking. Every day we set our brains on autopilot and allow our habits to run our lives. We learn our habits, good and bad, through repetition and practice, They become ‘hotwired’ onto our brain where they stay forever. We can’t change them or get rid of them, but we can learn new habits to supersede them. Learning new habits is the simplest and most effective way to change behavior. They are the key to permanent weight loss.
To change the established norm of a community is a huge challenge. It will take time and perseverance, but by establishing a nucleus of people willing to change their behaviour and set an example, and by getting them to recruit others to their cause who want to make change, it is possible to make progress: couple that with a system of social support within the groups, and the likelihood of a new norm being established in Doncaster becomes more than just a possibility.
For Doncaster, doing nothing about this problem is not an option: the financial cost to the community unsustainable and the personal cost to individuals is unacceptable. A slim and healthy future is there for everybody in Doncaster who wants it. The secret lies in making change. In changing behaviour and learning new eating and lifestyle habits – slim habits.
Henry John is a writer and speaker and on weight loss. He is also the author of the weight loss program The Slim Habit. www.slimhabit.com
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With many habits, the sooner you start practicing and developing good habits, the better chance you will have that you will continue with them. We all know that good study habits are essential to educational success. Good study habits are an important part of any student’s success. We probably can diminish the academic dishonesty by promoting good study habits with students, and letting the students Read more…
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Are you tired of carrying that extra weight around your middle? Well, here are some tips that can help you quickly lose weight and inches off that potbelly. That’s right, there may be a way for you to have a flatter stomach without doing those dreaded crunches. Here are some things that can positively impact your midriff , helping you lose pounds and inches without even breaking a sweat.
Belly Read more…
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How aware are you? Do you know what your good habits are? Do you know what your bad habits are? If you do, well done! Unfortunately, very few of us know – or care – about our habits. The result is that our habits take over our lives. We live our lives on autopilot. We effectively abdicate our responsibility for our habits and just let our lives drift. We are no longer in control.
Why are habits so important? They are important because they determine our behavior. How we behave is crucial to our well-being and to the way we conduct our lives. We become overweight because we don’t control our behavior. Unknowingly, we develop bad eating and lifestyle habits. Before we know where we are we are overweight and we wonder how it happened.
Our response to being overweight is not to change the habits that made us fat in the first place, instead we look for some quick fix – a diet – and we continue in the same old way once the diet is over. Is it any wonder that the nation has a weight problem? Unless people get to the heart of what permanent weight loss is all about – behavior change – there is going to be no improvement in the nation’s weight / health problem.
So what is the answer? The answer is that people need to learn to identify the habits that make them fat. They need to recognize their bad eating and lifestyle habits. They then need to learn new habits – slim habits. Learning new habits is the most effective way to make change. The reason for this is that habits cannot be changed. Once we have learned a habit it is always going to be hotwired onto our brain. Learning new habits to supersede our bad habits is the way forward.
The simple process of changing our behavior is the key to permanent weight loss. Once we recognize this and do something about it we can take control of our lives. If we don’t we will suffer because of our inattention to ourselves, and that makes no sense.
Author: Henry M John
A speaker and writer on diet and how to get slim, Henry John is committed to helping people to change their behavior and lose weight permanently by learning new eating and lifestyle habits. Learn more about how to lose weight permanently – visit http://www.slimhabit.com. For your FREE Slim Habit A-Z Calorie Counter Click here.
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You’ve decided to lose weight. You would like to lose it quickly (who doesn’t?) but you don’t want to use artificial means, such as diet pills. In fact, you know that not only the way you eat but what you eat is a major factor in the excess weight you are carrying now, so you want to change what you eat to a healthier regimen. You don’t want to just eat less, you want to eat better. Here are some tips to help you lose weight naturally and safely.
Drink plenty of water. If you’re overweight, chances are you are dehydrated to a greater or lesser degree. If your body is not well hydrated, it stores fat easier and has a more difficult time getting rid of it.
Cut out the processed foods. This, along with proper hydration, are probably the two most significant changes you can make to successfully lose weight. Recent studies have found that most processed food manufacturers and fast food chains add ingredients to their foods just to make them taste good (think MSG and its many variants) so you’ll eat more. You didn’t really need that last KFC drumstick, did you, but the skin tasted so GOOD! Digesting processed foods can put your blood sugar level on a roller coaster, giving your energy level pretty drastic ups and downs. After that last piece of pizza, you just wanted to take a nap, didn’t you?
Eat more fruits and vegetables, preferably organic. Your body digests the complex sugars more slowly, giving you a more even energy level, and the fiber bulk will make you feel full with a relatively low calorie intake. The body cannot digest the fiber, so it is eliminated, but as a side benefit, it attaches to some of the fats and proteins you eat, eliminating them as well. If you eat organic fruits and veggies, you won’t be consuming toxic pesticide and inorganic fertilizer residues on and in the produce. This can have long term positive health benefits for you beyond weight loss.
Get good fats from olive oil or oily fish such as salmon and mackerel. These fats will support your immune system, protecting you from illness. You should eat 3 to 5 servings a week, but if you can’t, take a high quality fish oil supplement.
Don’t neglect high quality proteins. They contribute to maintaining muscle mass, plus you will get an immediate feeling of satisfaction so you are not tempted to overeat. You can get your protein from organic beef, organic skinless chicken, and organic turkey. Beans, lentils, soy, and low fat cheeses, all organic, of course, also provide a good source of protein.
There are many other things you can do to help you lose weight naturally, but if you follow no other steps than the ones listed here, you will lose weight, you will lose it safely, and you will stand an excellent chance of maintaining your weight loss. And as a major added benefit, you will be a healthier person in the bargain.
No matter what you try, there is only one sure fire way to lose weight permanently and that is to chnage your behavior. Unless you cahnge your behavior you will never lose weight permanently, no matter how many diets you go on. You need to learn new eating and lifestyle habits. learning new habits will change your life forever and your behavior too.
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Weight loss for women is a real moneyspinner for the diet industry as most dieters are women, the pressure on women to be slim is huge and most women will have been on a diet at some point in their lives. Its a billion dollar industry! However, women usually find weight loss harder than men for a variety of reasons – why is that given that the essential physiology of weight loss is no different for women than it is for men? Read more…
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