The National Center for Health Statistics studied eating habits of 8,260 adult American between 1988 and 1991. Their research showed that Americans had significantly reduced their fat intake but still packed on the pounds. Today we eat foods that are processed and contain more fat and chemicals than nutrition. To top it off, we also live sedentary lives.



Getting a handle on your diet is just the first step toward shedding unwanted weight and living a healthier lifestyle. you MUST change your physical habits as well as your eating habits to shed unwanted weight.

There are lots of products on the market to put in your arsenal to change your eating habits that will assist in your quest to shed unwanted weight, the latest being hoodia it comes in many names just a few are, Hoodia, Hoodia Gordonii, Hoodia Gordonii Plus, Hoodia Balance and Hoodia Chaser, beware before you run out and buy any of them that there are many types of Hoodia plants, but only the Hoodia Gordonii species have appetite-suppressing effects, also keep in mind that Hoodia itself cannot speed up metabolism. It only helps in reducing the amount of food you take.

Well, you knew it was coming, did'nt you? In order to shed unwanted weight and keep the weight off you need to Exercise!

You don't necessarily have to exert yourself as if you were training for the Olympics, but you definitely need to learn how to burn off more calories than you consume.

Before you begin a fitness/exercise program, you need to know what is your ideal weight and how much unwanted weight you need to shed.

For Women

The ideal weight for a woman who is exactly 5 feet tall is 100 pounds. For every additional inch above 5 feet, add five pounds. If you are shorter than 5 feet tall, subtract five pounds for every inch you measure below 5 feet.

Next, determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame. Using a measuring tape, measure your wrist. If your wrist measures exactly 6 inches, you have a medium frame and the weight number you calculated above, does not need to be adjusted. If your wrist measures less than 6 inches, subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight. If your wrist measures more than 6 inches, add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

For Men

The ideal weight for a man who is exactly 5 feet tall is 106 pounds. For every additional inch above 5 feet, add 6 pounds. To determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame, measure your wrist. If your wrist measures exactly 7 inches, you have a medium frame and you do not need to adjust your ideal weight. If your wrist is smaller than 7 inches, you have a small frame and should subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight. If your wrist is larger than 7 inches, you have a large frame and should add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

Now that you know what your ideal body weight should be and how much unwanted weight you need to shed, let's take a look at how many calories your body needs each day.

If you are totally inactive and usually get no exercise, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 11. If you get regular exercise two or three times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 13. If you get regular exercise four to five times a week, multiple your adjusted ideal weight by 15. And finally, if you get regular exercise six to seven times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 18.

Walking is the aerobic exercise of preference if you are over 60. This is because when you walk, the pressure on your joints never rises about 1.5 times your body weight. Jogging, dance or step aerobics can put as much as four times your weight or more on your bones. This is wonderful for younger people, but can put too much strain on the more brittle bones of the over 60.

Start your walking exercise by timing yourself. You don,t want to become too tried to make it back home. Check your watch when you begin, and walk around one block over and over until you get a little tired. Check your watch to see how long you have walked. That's the length that your walks should be for the first week or two. Be sure to turn around and head toward home when half the time is up. If you get tired on the way home, stop, rest then walk some more.

Maintain the same level of exertion for your entire walk. You will be asking your heart to work hard (but not too hard) for your entire session. Your heart gets the biggest benefit from a sustained workout. If you come to a hill, slow your pace to maintain the same level of exertion that you had on flat ground.

Bicycling gives a great whole body exercise. Begin with short jaunts around your neighborhood. Each day widen your travels until you are able to bicycle for at least a mile.

The bottom line is that you will not shed unwanted weight if you consume more calories than your body is able to use.

To Your Better Health