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    Sunday, January 9th, 2011
    10:55 pm
    Is it Safe to Be the 'Biggest Loser'?
    It is no secret that being overweight has numerous adverse effects on your health, your appearance, and your social life. Not only are overweight people generally viewed negatively in today's society, but a lot of social circles and organizations will actually avoid them or deny their acceptance. Being overweight doesn't only ruin a person's appearance and appeal, but it hurts their bodies. From heart trouble and diabetes to immobilization and joint trouble, fat people who wish to remain healthy are against impossible odds.

    Obviously fat people don't want to be fat. Many people over the years have set out on their own personal weight loss journeys and have succeeded. Many more will set their own agendas for getting into shape, but what is a safe weight loss goal? Being obese has adverse effects on the body, but losing too much weight too fast came be just as harmful if not worse. On the other hand, the longer it takes some people to lose weight the less motivated they feel to follow through and are therefore stuck at the harmful size they were to begin with. Once a person makes their mind up to slim down the worse thing they can do is get sidetracked or lose focus on their goals. Obviously, the best solution for setting a weight loss goal would be finding a program that has you actively shedding pounds while not losing weight at a rate that would be damaging to your body.

    So what program would that be? How many pounds should be targeted for a healthy weight loss agenda?

    The answer to both questions will differ greatly from one individual to the next as no two people are the same. In fact, there are many factors to take into consideration. Children, for example, should never be pressed into an urgent weight loss program since it can be too dangerous for their little bodies. Instead, a child who is overweight should focus more on a lifestyle change that includes less snacks and more sports as it can be more appealing than yucky diet foods and exercising in a gym and will keep them on track. Also, with children it is hard to know exactly what weight they should be since they grow at different rates. They may seem a little overweight now, but they may grow drastically in a short time and lower their body mass index (the formula to measure fat mass by dividing weight by height squared) naturally and without a weight loss program.

    Where you get your answer from is another story. No matter if you are a child or an adult your local physician will likely give you a different weight loss Goal than the one a nutritionist would. A lot of doctors suggest dropping one to two pounds a week is the safest rate of weight loss. However, other health care professionals would tell you to only lose one pound per month. A physical trainer is probably going to tell you to pick up the pace!

    If you've ever seen the reality television program 'The Biggest Loser" then you know that they are not losing weight at the rate that so many doctors suggest is the safest. Contestants are pushed for several weeks at a time to shed up to ten pounds a week. Since the doctors tell us that this is a harmful way to lose weight shouldn't we be concerned for these individuals?

    Obviously, if you weigh as much as the contestants on the show usually do you are highly overweight and considered morbidly obese. For the morbidly obese these same The Diet Solution Program rules do not apply. Highly overweight people's body cells are loaded with water. Water constitutes a large portion of their weight. The more excess water there is in your body the more that is excreted during a workout. The more water that is excreted the more weight that is lost. The morbidly obese actually lose weight differently than the average person, so the same guidelines given by your physician or nutritionist wouldn't pertain to those people.

    Now, are you in need of becoming the biggest loser or are you simply in need of shedding a few pounds? For the latter you should stick to what the health care professionals consider safe and only focus on a couple pounds per week at the most. Follow a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Don't put your body through the agony of an extreme workout or starvation diet. You'll be doing yourself much more harm than good. The best way to lose weight is the safe way. No matter how much weight you feel you should lose it is always best to consult your doctor as he can put you on a weight loss plan that best suits you.
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