The popularity of weight loss drugs and supplements are on the rise, but according to the first federal guidelines for the treatment for weight loss and obesity, about 55 percent of adult Americans, or…

Just about every packaged food made in the U.S. has a food label indicating serving size and other nutritional information. The “Nutrition Facts” food labels are intended to give you information about…

One of the key ways to maintain a healthy weight is to control your portion sizes. Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by…

A large portion of our country’s meat, chicken, and dairy products contain foreign estrogens that are used by farmers for profit and at the expense of our health. In addition, pesticide residues and many…

Weight cycling is the repeated loss and regain of body weight. When weight cycling is the result of dieting, it is called “yo-yo” dieting. A weight cycle can range from small weight losses and gains…

Regular physical activity is an important part of effective weight control. It helps to control your weight by using excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. Exercise also helps prevent many…

Losing weight and keeping it off is not easy. Before you get started on a weight loss program, consider the following tips. They should help you reach your goal of obtaining and…

One out of every three Americans is overweight, and more children are considered obese today than ever before. But, you don’t have to resign yourself to being overweight. There are many steps…

What is obesity?

The definition of obesity varies depending on what one reads, but in general, it is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. A certain amount of body…

The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure determines a person’s weight. If a person eats more calories than he or she burns, the person gains weight (the body will store the excess energy…

 
• Race. Racial factors may influence the age of onset and the rapidity of weight gain. African American women and Hispanic women tend to experience weight gain earlier…

Phentermine

phentermine (the other half of fen/phen) suppresses appetite by causing a release of norepinephrine by the cells. phentermine alone is still available for treatment of obesity, but only on a short-term basis (a…

Measuring a person’s body fat percentage can be difficult, therefore, other methods are relied on to diagnose obesity. Two widely used methods are weight-for-height tables and body mass index (BMI). While both measurements…

All too often, obesity prompts a strenuous diet in the hopes of reaching the “ideal body weight.” Some amount of weight loss may be accomplished, but the lost weight usually quickly…

The National Institute of Health consensus has suggested the following guidelines for surgery in obese patients:

 
• Patients with a BMI of greater than…

Despite claims by manufacturers, the use of OTC products alone does not cause weight loss. Herbal weight loss products or preparations called “fat burners” are even more misleading. These products may contain a…

The first goal of dieting is to stop further weight gain. The next goal is to establish realistic weight loss goals. While the ideal weight is…

Researchers at UC Davis are studying how genes influence the amount of arachidonic acid (a fatty acid important in the synthesis of prostaglandins in the body) in the liver and muscle…