How to lose weight?

If you are one of the more than half of all Americans that have searched online for ways to lose weight, you are not alone. According to research, about 54% of all Americans are actively seeking for ways to reduce their weight.

How to lose weight in Philadelphia?

Although most physicians will tell you lose weight, they rarely tell you anything that you really did not know when it comes to how to lose weight. They simply will try to tell you that you are eating too much, and exercising too little as it comes down to calories in and calories out. 

• Is it really as simple as that or could there be more?
• Did you ever wonder - I do not intentionally overeat, but why am I still not losing weight?
• Or, I eat healthy, have an active lifestyle, why am I still not losing weight?
• Does exercise really make you thin?

  Steps to lose weight in greater Philadelphia

As a practicing obesity medicine physician, people often ask me these questions -

• What is the secret to losing weight?
• What is the fastest way to losing weight?
• How can I lose weight safely?
• I eat healthy, but why am I still gaining weight?
• I exercise everyday but why am I not losing the weight?
• I avoid fatty foods, but I am still gaining weight?
• I eat a lot of salads, and other healthy foods, but why am I overweight?

12 things you can do to lose weight fast

Alarming Obesity and Overweight Statistics

Before we go in to the secret for losing weight, lets take a look at the Obesity and Overweight Statistics. According to the CDC, More than one-third of adults (35.7%) are obese defined as a body mass index(BMI) of 30 or more. 

Another third of all Americans are in the overweight category defined as those with a body mass index between 25-30 taking the total number of Obese and Overweight Americans to about 68% percent of the population.  Almost 17% of youth were also obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.

What are the medical costs of Obesity?

Now that we understand the enormity of the problem, lets look at the cost of obesity to our bottom line. In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. These are just medical costs, however. As some of you can imagine, there are other costs associated with obesity such as lost productivity, cost of excess food that overweight people consume, cost of lost opportunities as obese people tend to get lower paying jobs, especially women, and most importantly, cost of loss of years of life!

What is the total true cost of being obese in America?

According to the widely publicized study from George Washington University, The overall tangible annual costs of being obese are $4,879 for an obese woman and $2,646 for an obese man.

The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 and $432 for women and men, respectively. For both genders, the incremental costs of obesity are much higher than the incremental costs of being overweight.

Adding the value of lost life to these annual costs produces even more dramatic results. Average annualized costs, including value of lost life, are $8,365 for obese women and $6,518 for obese men.

What are the Causes of Weight Gain?

Now let's look at what are the factors contributing to our weight gain so we can use that knowledge to potentially reverse these causes. In my opinion, as a fellowship trained obesity medicine physician and founder of W8MD Medical Weight Loss Centers Of America, here are the three things that happened to our diet that leads to our expanding waist lines.

Also read Does exercise alone lead to weight loss?

The three things that happened to the modern diet that cause increased inflammation and disease burden are the following -

1. First, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, that affects one in three Americans and leads to belly fat accumulation. Studies have shown that belly fat leads to increased inflammation in the body thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other conditions. In fact, waist circumference of over 40 inches in men and 36 inches in women(lower in Asian Populations), is one of the five criteria for metabolic syndrome.
2. Second, lack of polyphenols and other antioxidants in the diet. Before the modern food processing era, our diet used to have more than 50 percent unprocessed and uncooked food items such as colored fruits, vegetables, and other natural ingredients that are high in antioxidants such as polyphenols. Studies have shown that lack of polyphenols leads to increased inflammation in the body.
3. Third, the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids used to be 1:1 but is now at 1:16 which also increases inflammation. Learn more. With the above 3 factors, the inflammation levels rise significantly thereby increasing the risk of many health problems including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even increased risk of certain types of cancers! in this context, it is important to remember that most human diseases start with inflammation.

How to choose a weight loss program that is affordable and safe?

Now Lets Look At W8MD's 8 Steps To Weight Loss And Wellness

Weight Loss Step 1.

Check to see what might be causing your weight gain. Use this free W8MD insulin resistance calculator tool to determine if you might be insulin resistant that might be causing your weight gain. 

Weight Loss Step 2.

Check your body mass index and understand your risk, see what group you fall in to in terms of your weight relative to your height. You can be in underweight if you have a body mass index of

under 18,

normal weight if you have a body mass index of 18-25,

overweight with a BMI of 25-30,

mild obesity between 30-35,

moderate obesity between 35-40 and

severe obesity with a BMI of 40 or over.

Weight Loss Step 3.

Get a tape and measure the most prominent portion of your belly in inches. Also get a copy of the last blood work from your physician or health care provider and use this free online tool called metabolic syndrome meter to see if you might have metabolic syndrome.

If your weight is in the belly or upper part of the body, that could be a sign of metabolic syndrome. Other signs of metabolic syndrome include low triglycerides or low good cholesterol. If you already take a cholesterol lowering medication, you count these two factors as positive or look at the blood work before the start of the medication. Having high blood pressure or taking a blood pressure medication, having prediabetes with a fasting blood sugar of over 100 or a history of diabetes would count as one point. 
A waist circumference of over 36 inches in the most prominent section for women or over 40 inches for men (lower for Asians) would count as a point. If you scored 3 or more on the above meter, it is a sign of metabolic syndrome, also called insulin resistance syndrome.

Weight Loss Step 4.

Determine your weight neutral calories using the free W8DM calorie counter available on the main page of W8MD.com based on your activity level, age, height and weight etc. Why Obesity Is A Medical Condition

Weight Loss Step 5.

Determine your weight loss goals. The initial goal will be about 10 to 20 percent based on your body mass index and how much you have to lose.

Even Modest Weight Loss Can Mean Big Benefits The good news is that no matter what your weight loss goal is, even a modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight, is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.

Weight Loss Step 6.

Find out if your insurance covers for your weight loss. Thanks to the Affordable Care act, most insurances are now mandated to provide coverage for these essential weight loss services.

Obesity Insurance Coverage: Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates all insurances, including Medicare, to provide full insurance coverage for obesity! W8MD Medical Weight Loss Centers is one of the first medical weight loss programs to accept health insurance for the physician visits.

Weight Loss Step 7.

Find a safe, preferably medically supervised medical weight loss program that works with your insurance for fast, safe, and effective weight loss under careful medical monitoring.

As we are one of the very programs to accept health insurance for the physician visits, you have nothing to lose except your unwanted pounds with W8MD! Trim Down Your Waist, Not Your Wallet! Think WeightMD (W8MD) for Weight loss! 

Weight Loss Step 8.

Start losing the weight, and see the amazing results you always want to see in you.
 Call 1800-W8MD-007 for more information or visit http://www.w8md.com for more information. We have locations in many states in the United States and are adding more locations constantly. Greater Philadelphia residents can visit our Philadelphia area website http://www.philadelphiamedicalweightloss.com

Also read: Secret of losing weight and weight loss tips from an obesity medicine specialist

Benefits of Weight Loss

In addition to improving your health, maintaining a weight loss is likely to improve your life in other ways.

For example, a study of participants in the National Weight Control Registry* found that those who had maintained a significant weight loss reported improvements in not only their physical health, but also their energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.

 

 About the Author - Prab R. Tumpati, MD

Dr. Prab R. Tumpati, MD is a Practicing Obesity Medicine Physician and is the founder of W8MD Medical Weight Loss Centers of America.

How can w8md help? Weight Loss Testimonials and Success Stories

I spotted a pamphlet in a doctor's waiting room on W8MD. This peeked my interest and I read on. "Are you tired of being overweight?" I was! As I read further I discovered that not only was this a center for weight loss but also for sleep problems. My husband had told me that I was snoring very loudly at night and that it seemed I stopped breathing at times. Read more

-Donna, 63 year old   
    

More Weight Loss Success Stories and Testimonials

I would most definitely recommend to go to here. They are very nice helpful and know what they are doing and talking about, I can see that the doctor has experience for sure. Anonymous Patient

“I like the Doc he seem’s to know what he’s talking about nice guy” Anonymous Patients on Zocdoc