Overweight and Obesity Sufferers - Raw Food Could Be Your Answer

Statistics for 2013 show alarming figures for overweight and obese adults. According to the American Heart and Stroke Association for the year 2013 there were almost 155 million American adults over the age of 20 who were either overweight or obese. Weight problems are not only an issue for those in the US but for citizens of many countries all around the world (where food is plentiful). Perhaps more people should take action. Angela Stokes Monarch, a morbidly obese woman in her early twenties took much needed action by adopting the raw vegan diet.

Angela Stokes Monarch

Angela Stokes Monarch suffered from morbid obesity as a teenager and a young adult and topped a massive 294lbs (133kg) in her early twenties. Angela also suffered from other health problems likely related to her obesity including an over-active thyroid, a candida overgrowth, embarrassing acne and a diabetes scare.

In 2002 Angela Stokes took action. She did not want to be defeated by her enemy (obesity), she wanted to conquer this demon and live her life to the full. Therefore, after reading a raw food book lent to her by a friend, Angela could see what she needed to do. "I made up my mind to go 100% raw the very next day," Angela says.

How safe is weight loss on the raw food diet? The answer to that depends on how well-planned ones diet is. All essential nutrients can easily be obtained (in abundance) on the raw food diet if a person engages in raw foodism in a sensible, well-planned and well-informed manner. Angela Stokes knew this from reading her book, so she ensured that she ate a wide variety of raw foods to get all essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins and proteins in her diet.

Angela's Success:

Angela Stokes Monarch lost over 155lbs (70kg) on the raw food diet. For almost a decade now she has remained at a healthy weight of 138lbs (62kg). Angela is not alone in experiencing weight loss on the raw vegan diet - many others have also achieved similar experiences by undergoing this miraculous healing diet.

About Weight Loss On The Raw Vegan Diet:

Since plant-based foods are mostly naturally low in fat and calorie content - a person can consume large amounts of these raw foods whilst still losing weight. Raw uncooked foods provide the body with optimal amount of nutrients, thereby enabling an overall healing of the body. This diet includes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, juices, dehydrated crackers and breads, raw treats such as date and nut brownies, raw cacao (super healthy chocolate!) etc.

Without heavy dairy products, hard-to-digest meats and fatty, overcooked meals, a person's body can experience a complete detoxification and give its attention to shedding any excess body fat. 

Yes, weight loss on the raw vegan diet is very real. Many have lost weight on this lifestyle and every year, more and more overweight and obese persons are adopting raw foodism to regain their health and restore their body to its ideal state.

Find Angela's e-books and story at http://www.fortheloveofrawfood.com/.
Read about the raw food diet at "For The Love Of Raw Food" to find more success stories, raw e-book referrals and information on how and why you should go raw.

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Why Are We So Overweight?

Statistics show that millions of people, around the world, are overweight and at risk of developing serious health issues. But it never used to be like that 30, 40, or more years ago. So why has the population become so fat in recent times? What is causing this global problem?

Can Modern Medicine Cure Obesity?

Many people, including highly educated professionals, are now of the opinion that with contemporary, western medicine, obesity can never be cured.

Why Can't Obesity be Cured?

The answer is becoming more obvious everyday. Contemporary medicine uses drugs that are designed to treat the symptoms of the disease, but never deals with the root cause of the problem.

Why Not Treat the Root Cause of Obesity?

Modern medicine hasn't found the root cause of obesity. In fact, doctors acknowledge they have no idea what really causes obesity.

Obesity really only exists in the Western world. The condition practically doesn't exist in "undeveloped" parts of the world. And the rapid increase in obesity has only happened in the last 50 years.

There needs to be a lot more medical research into the cause and effects of obesity before doctors can start prescribing a simple drug remedy.

Does it make sense to take drugs if doctors don't know what causes obesity or how to cure it?

No, but many people do just that. Doctors are happily prescribing all sorts of drugs to alleviate the symptoms of obesity. Surgeons even perform radical lap band surgery on the stomaches of very obese patients. But what are the risks and possible side effects of these procedures? For most people who are mildly to moderately overweight drugs or surgery is not an option.

What is Really Causing this Global Obesity Problem?

The answer is beginning to become apparent to medical researches and professionals.

Obesity is not a disease. So it cannot be simply cured with medicine.

As obesity was less of an issue in our society 50 years ago it must be our modern lifestyle causing obesity. What else could it be?

The "Root Cause" of Obesity is Our Modern Lifestyle

In the last 50 to 100 years we have dramatically changed our diet in the developed world. Second world and third world countries don't have an obesity problem because their diet and lifestyles have not been significantly impacted by modern food production and processing.

In the developed world we are eating more calories, more processed foods and getting much less exercise.

What is the Answer to Obesity?
 
People with obesity need to change their diets to reduce the consumption of fast and processed foods. They need to increase their intake of fresh fruit and vegetables and drink more water. This will eventually lead to improved health and improve the performance of their bodily functions.

Obese people also need to get more exercise into their daily routines.

Of course, this is much easier spoken than achieved but if you want to lose weight that's what you have to do.

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Why Am I Overweight and What Can I Do About It?

Why am I overweight is the question that most Americans ask themselves today. Since nearly 70% of our adult society is overweight or obese, we must pay close attention to our lifestyle to begin changing our behavior before we develop preventable diseases, such as hypertension. With Mississippi being the leading state of obesity, it has now developed programs to motivate its citizens to get outdoors and exercise, as well as eat healthy meals every day.

There are several reasons for being overweight. It may be due to having pre-disposing conditions, such as Hypothyroidism which slows the functioning of our bodies, but it could also just be due to over-eating. Depending on your body type, you may need anywhere from 1500-2500 calories per day. Some people may need less if they are trying to lose weight and others may need more if they are trying to gain weight, but the biggest factor is your metabolism. If you refrain from eating foods for a long period of time, your metabolism will slow down.

Doctors and nutritionists recommend patients to eat every 4 hours to increase and improve their metabolism. People should eat three balanced meals from each of the basic food groups every day and have healthy snacks, such as an apple, between meals to keep their metabolism steady. The longer you wait to eat, the more your metabolism drops. The five basic food groups are vegetables, fruits, proteins, grains, and dairy. These all should be eaten within the proper serving size to prevent over-eating and consuming too many calories.

In addition to eating the proper amount of foods, people need to consume more water. Your water intake should be half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water per day. Water is needed in our bodies to provide proper hydration and blood flow carrying nutrients to our organs for continued functioning and also removal of wastes products from our bodies.

Exercise is a huge factor that needs to be practiced daily. Doctors recommend patients get a minimum of thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day. This can be anything from jogging around your neighborhood to vacuuming your house to increase your heart rate. Strength training is also recommended to build muscles and lose fat around the body, such as in abdominal muscles and biceps of your arms. It is not recommended to exercise the same muscle groups every day to prevent overuse and fatigue to the muscles.

Adults should pay close attention to their eating and exercise behavior because children mimic what they see. Children in our society have a growing obesity rate that is closely following the adults. They are spending less time outside running and playing sports and more time indoors on the computer and playing video games. We need to re-introduce exercise in our school systems and in our communities to keep our youth active and healthy. This will prevent early-onset disorders, such as diabetes, caused by childhood obesity.

So if you feel you may be overweight, consult your doctor, and allow them to weigh you and take the proper measurements to determine your Body Mass Index (BMI). A normal BMI is between 18 and 25. If you are above this range, your doctor should put you on a weight loss program, or even refer you to a Nutritionist and/or Personal Trainer to assist you with losing weight. This is needed to prevent disorders that can plague your body systems, as well as decrease any metabolic syndromes that may have harmed your bodies due to the increased weight.

If you have questions and/ or concerns about being overweight and exercise, feel free to contact Dr. Adrienne Hicks at adriennelhicks@yahoo.com or visit http://www.healthylivingms.webs.com.

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Being Overweight Can Kill!

Overweight and obesity are increasingly becoming a major cause for concern worldwide. In 1997 the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic. In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.

Overweight and obesity are caused by:

1. Increased consumption of high calorie foods rich in carbohydrates and fats/oils.

2. A decrease in physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of today, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

If you are obese or overweight, chances are you may only concern yourself with your physical appearance. It is true that if you are not happy with the way you look, it can cause some serious mental conditions such as anxiety and/or depression.

But your main concern should be the health risks you are exposed to as a result of your disproportionate size. Some of them include:

• Hypertension
• Ischaemic heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Difficulty in breathing
• Sleeping disorders
• Various cancers.

Many of these health risks could be life threatening, so this should be enough to make you sit up and think very seriously about what could potentially be in store for you if you fail to take action.

So what can you do to decrease your risk and ensure an improved quality of life?

Clearly the most obvious answer is to lose weight and there are some steps you must take to achieve that.
Firstly, make sure that you exercise regularly. Getting enough exercise on a regular basis will help to improve your health status and eliminate or at least lessen some of the risks mentioned above. It is also important not just to exercise, but to exercise effectively because not all forms of exercise will lead to any significant results.
Secondly, make sure you are using a healthy diet approach. Using a crash diet because you are so eager to lose weight is not advisable as it will most surely fail. Not only that, you will put yourself at even greater health risks since you'll likely be losing muscle tissue not the fat that is causing the problems. Furthermore, you most likely won't be taking in enough nutrients for maintaining good health.

Thirdly, there are a variety of fat burning dietary supplements/pills and slimming teas out there that can help. These products work by increasing the rate of metabolism and suppressing the appetite.

Combining these three approaches of regular exercise, healthy diet and fat burning pills, which will ensure optimum results that will see you literally watch the pounds drop off day after day, is highly recommended.

However, you must ensure that you go for the very best as there are a lot of scams out there. You must settle for one that is tested and trusted by millions around the world; one that has consistently delivered verifiable results over the years.

Dear friend, if you really desire to shed the pounds and keep them off forever, you've got to take a decisive action today.

The best weight loss programs usually attack the problem from three fronts which are: using fat burning supplements/pills, a healthy diet approach and an exercise schedule.

To learn more about one of such programs that incorporates the best fat burning dietary supplement ever developed, go to:
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How to Deal With Being Overweight?

Why am I overweight? This is one of the common questions you hear from people around you. If you are not that conscious with your health, you probably wouldn't mind why you are gaining more weight in just a short span of time. Apparently, there are a lot of problems associated with being overweight and that goes beyond not being able to wear your favorite jeans, shirt or dress. Especially for those who find it hard to lose excess pounds in the body after a strenuous workout, being overweight or obese is something they have already accepted. You would hear a lot of people say that they are happy with their weight and trying to slim down is not part of their plan.

But according to some experts, shedding those excess pounds in the body and getting back in shape are not only important to maintaining a pleasing appearance. Apparently, we need to lose weight in order for us to improve our overall health. The first thing that a person needs to do when attempting to shed those excess pounds in the body is to deal with the problem in a realistic way. You must not pretend that the problem will eventually go away when in fact it will not. There are certain steps that you can do to ensure that taking off those pounds will not be as challenging as what most people think.

Why am I overweight? Why am I not losing weight after getting into a strenuous workout? Before you can successfully shed those excess pounds in your body, it is important that you first accept your situation. You must accept that you are overweight and you need help with your current condition. Remember that denial will not help you solve the problem. You must be able to confront the problem head-on with determination and perseverance. When it comes to losing weight, you must have a positive attitude that you are going to accomplish your goal in no time. With such challenging task, having a positive outlook is everything. Apparently, being determined in accomplish your goals will help make things easier.

When it comes to losing weight, it is pretty important that you learn how to tune out the outside world. Giving little attention to people that are not relevant to your goals is something you must learn in the process of losing weight. When you are with your friends, often times you get tempted to eat anything you crave just like them. If you try to stay on a diet, they can easily give their opinion about losing weight and this can significantly impact your positive attitude. While you can easily dismiss their comments about your dieting, staying on track with these kinds of friends can be very difficult. If you want to lose weight, you must not let those remarks get to you. Create an action plan, stick to it and make sure you tune out those people who keep you distracted.

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