There are many things we know can cause us to put on weight such as eating too much, eating too much unhealthy high fat foods and too little exercise, however there are ways you can gain weight without even realising even if you are trying to stick to a ‘healthy’ life style.

Holidays

Whether you stay at home or go away for a holiday your weight is likely to creep up, some people can actually put on as much as 8lbs on a two week holiday. This is because you are likely to be less active but still eating the same amount of calories if not more. Also when you’re on holiday and eating out you are less likely to stick to the strict regimen you follow at home. Another problem is also all you can eat buffets and all inclusive food and drink so remember although your on holiday remember to be wary of what you’re eating and drinking.

Alcohol

You should always be aware of how many calories you are consuming when drinking alcohol as it soon adds up. For every 3,500 extra calories you eat or drink you put on 1lb, so if you go out and have a lot to drink you are adding a lot of extra calories. A pint of lager contains 250 calories so it doesn’t take long if you add on snacks and the kebab you have on the way home.

Lack of sleep

Recent studies show that a lack of sleep increases levels of the hormone ghrelin which makes you feel hungry, so if you don’t get enough sleep you will feel more hungry and eat more than you need to.

Xenical is a medically prescribed “fat blocker” and not an appetite suppressant like so many other dieting and weight loss pills.  There are certain things you should be aware of when taking this drug in order to lose body fat and thereby weight. 

Typically, most individuals will start to lose weight within two weeks of commencement of taking the medication and will continue losing weight for up to six months, or even a year.  After that time you will most likely see that your weight loss will start levelling off;  don’t misinterpret this as being that the drug is no longer working.  Individuals who keep dieting sensibly whilst taking Xenical after that six to 12 months has passed, typically maintain the weight loss and do not regain those unwanted pounds. 

Remember to keep your doctor informed as to how you are progressing while taking the medication, to ensure that your dieting and levels of physical activity are appropriate for achieving your specific weight loss goals.  It is not uncommon for people to set a new target once they have achieved their initial goal.  Consult with your doctor to evaluate your dieting and exercise levels.

Individuals always want to know how much weight loss they will experience when dieting and taking Xenical.  As no two individuals are alike and have different metabolic rates, the amount of weight you lose will vary compared to others.  What should you do if you aren’t seeing any results or feel that you haven’t lost enough weight yet within the first two weeks of taking the medication? The best answer is to consult with your physician straight away.  You may need to adjust the calorie intake of your diet as well as your activity levels.

There have been many cases where excessive weight gain has been linked to impotence. Excessive weight gain can lead to obesity which leads to impotence as well as many other serious health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disorders. If impotence is bothering you, you can take medication like the popular Viagra, however the health issues associated with obesity would probably mean you are unable to take Viagra, so your only option would be to lose weight.

You would probably find that if you lost weight you may no longer be impotent because, as you gain weight the more your body mass is increased, which ultimately affects the blood circulation in the body because pressure is put of the veins and arteries that supply the blood to all body parts. Which means the blood supply to the male reproductive system is being decreased which then ultimately results in the erectile dysfunction problem in men. Even the occurrence of the atherosclerosis that occurs due the deposition of the fats and carbohydrates in the body causes the impotence in some cases. SO it really is in your best interests to try to lose weight not only for your health but also your love life.

It’s not just people’s overdrafts that increase over Christmas, many people’s waistlines do to, in part due to over eating, over indulging and not getting enough exercise. However the problems for those who are already grossly overweight or extremely obese, Christmas can cause a lot more health issues.

Losing weight as many people can tell you is not as easy as it seems, especially when you have underlying problems that cause you to gain weight or over eat, for people who struggle Xenical, Acomplia and Reductil are diet pills which people can end up resorting to take to shift the pounds, however they may not be able to help with the underlying cause which makes some people put on large amounts of weight.

I you are worried that you may have a weight problem and normal dieting practices have not worked for you, you should visit your GP who can recommend various tests to find out why you put on weight, more than others. It’s not all just about overeating, all though at Christmas it is hard not to give into temptation.

Blood Group Diet
Some people find this diet quite controversial, because it states that your blood group determines what you should be eating, with some people stating your blood type has nothing to do with what you should eats. However Dr Peter D’Adamo‘s book ‘Eat Right For Your Type’ claims that a diet designed for your blood type will help you lose weight and stay healthy, he has worked out a theory that body has different reactions to food depending on a person’s blood group. So Each ABO blood type is categorised under the following diet profiles: Type O: Meat eaters, Type A: Vegetarians, Type B: Omnivores, and Type AB: Mixed diet eaters. Which means the your body breaks down some foods better than others depending on your blood type, explain that some people who eat food that isn’t recommended for their blood type find that it is causing them to gain weight.

Before you start the blood group diet you need to know what your blood group is, so unless you give blood regularly or your doctor has it on record you need to send off to get your blood tested, this can be done via the website. Once you know out what group you fall into with a blood test you have to stick strictly to the diet suitable for you:

- Type O must eat a diet that is rich in meats with fruits and vegetables and take plenty of aerobic exercise.
- Type A blood should avoid all red meat and dairy. They must only eat a mixture of vegetable, seeds beans and cereals. This is a vegetarian diet and should be combined with more gentle exercise such as yoga.
- Type B blood can eat most food groups including meat, dairy, grains and vegetables and they should get exercise by playing team sports.
- Type AB blood should stick to a mixed vegetarian diet with occasional meat, fish and dairy products.

This diet is easy to follow as it is all laid out simply in Dr. D’Adamon’s book, so you know what you can and can’t eat, however there could be one drawback with this diet if you have type O blood, because this is a diet rich in meats you could be at risk from high cholesterol and you may also find you are missing out on some essential vitamins.

The Flexitarian Diet

Putting it simply the flexitarian diet is for people who don’t want to go for a full vegetarian diet and not eat meat again. With this diet you swap a large portion of you meat intake for a vegetarian option, however occasionally you can have meat therefore you don’t have to miss out on your favourite meats. Lots of people tend to opt for a vegetarian diet because of the health benefits, people who don’t eat meat generally weigh about 15% less than meat eaters, live longer, have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels and have a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The flexitarian diet has all of the health benefits of vegetarianism and because it still allows so meat in your diet occasionally many feel like they are not having to give up everything they love, as well as this the diet can be incorporated into your own lifestyle without having to completely disrupt your life like other diets. Because of the flexibility of the flexitarian diet people tend to stick to it longer rather than becoming bored and giving up after a few weeks. This diet doesn’t ban any foods entirely, even chocolate is allowed.

Although this diet seems to be the savoir of diets there are still a couple of draw backs, if you’re not used to eating vegetarian food you will find that some of them take a little getting used to and, as with most diets, you’ll need to prepare your meals from scratch which means being organised when it comes to the food shopping and cooking ahead. Some health issues also include some deficiencies when cutting back on meat so you need to make sure you take a multivitamin containing B6 and iron to ensure energy levels don’t drop. Finally because cheese is restricted in this diet due to the high fat content you need to make sure you take in plenty of milk or take a calcium supplement to keep bones healthy.

The Dukan Diet

This diet originated in France and is probably the reason why you don’t see as many obese French people as you do here in the UK, this a low-carb eating plan has a huge following in France and is obviously very effective over there, so much so it has started to pick up popularity over here.

For those who follow the Atkins diet or have done so in the past you will probably notice many similarities between that diet and the Dukan diet, it is a four-step plan which starts with an Attack phase. This involves eating nothing but protein and fat-free dairy products, there is no specific time frame to the Attack phase as its entirely up to you however many people only do it for a short time due to the monotony of eating meat and little else. You can eat any type of lean meat such as fish, chicken, beef, rabbit, lean mince meat and shellfish and you can eat as much as you like. You can also eat up to two eggs day and any other fat-free dairy products such as skimmed milk, cottage cheese and yoghurt and it’s also okay to have sweetener.  You can also have a little bit of oat bran a day which is available from health food stores. Just like the Atkins diet the Dukan diet’s Attack phase puts your body into ketosis so you’ll be burning fat and shedding any water retention by the hour.

Step two is called the Cruise phase which gives you a choice of 28 vegetables with your protein, this phase is designed is to take you to your goal weight but, due to the addition of vegetables you’ll be losing weight much more slowly and steadily than you did with the Attack phase. By alternating the days you have vegetables with your protein with protein-only days though you should still see steady progress. Once you have reached your goal weight you then enter the Consolidation phase followed by the Stabilisation phase, these are designed to maintain your weight through continuing a high protein diet.

Getting on top of your weight problem and combating it is a huge milestone for anyone who is overweight, the next one is keeping up with your healthy diet and lifestyle, and this is where many people struggle. Anyone who has had weight problems knows only too well that once you have lost the weight you need to keeping it off is very hard and trying not to go back to your old bad habits.

As summer is upon us one thing that many people worry about is sticking to your diet when your away, if you don’t you run the risk after enjoying ‘treats’ whilst away not been able to get back into your old routine. Just because you are on a diet or you are on a new healthy eating plan doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your holiday whilst keeping your healthy eating habits intact and lose pounds.

Because you are away, either here in the UK or abroad you will have to modify your eating habits and be creative and smart about your choices, you will find yourself dining out a lot, eating at different time to when your body is use to or just having a huge range of food in front of you.

The main thing to remember is that you are on holiday and your are there to enjoy yourself, and being on a diet shouldn’t stop that, you just need to make good choices such as go for foods that are baked, grilled or barbequed and never anything that is deep fried, if you’re going somewhere tropical, make the most of the fresh foods available such as fruit, salad, vegetables and fresh seafood. You also need to remember portion control especially if you are dining at a buffets tempting as it maybe to put all this lovely fresh food on your plate you need to remember your intake, especially if you are doing less exercise than you would do at home.

You can also make the most of exercise when you are away, bring your trainers and explore where you are by foot, or if you have a hotel gym make the most of it, you don’t have to do as much as you would at home but a little is better than nothing, but most of all remember to have fun and don’t let your diet dominate your holiday.

For many obese people losing weight can seem like an uphill struggle, no diet seems to work and you find it hard to exercise, so what else can you do? Many people find that their doctors struggle to provide them with specialist advice on diet and exercise, which is why an increase in the number of prescription weight-loss drugs being given out in England is continuing to rise.

For many taking diet pills such as Acomplia, Reductil and Xenical is a last resort after many years of struggle, research shows that weight loss pills cost the NHS £47 million last year, an average of £32 per prescription. Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Dealing with patients who are grossly overweight is very difficult, but pills are not the solution. What these patients need is a balanced diet and expert dietary advice from a dietician and often psychological support, to change their behaviour long-term. But the availability of these services is not great and doctors resort to prescribing medication under patient pressure.”

Whatever the solution being overweight and obese causes long term health problems and often the damage cause can be irreversible, but because there is no quick fix solution this will be a matter that won’t go away which is why weight loss is serious buisness.

There are many problems faced for young people who are obese, not only physical health but also psychological, the importance of a healthy diet early on can mean that you face less of a risk of developing other health problems when you are older.  New research has found that men who are obese by the age of 20 have double of the risk of dying prematurely, which is a worrying prognosis for young people in the UK because a third of them aged five to 13 are already considered obese.

The study that was presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm followed more than 5,000 military conscripts starting at the age of 20 until up to the age of 80, here they found that at any given age, an obese man was twice as likely to die as a man who was not obese and that being overweight aged 20 had a constant effect on death up to 60 years later. They also noted that the chance of dying early increased by 10 per cent for each BMI point above the threshold for a healthy weight.

The study found that on obese participants died eight years earlier than those of normal weight, Esther Zimmermann, of Copenhagen University Hospital, who was the study leader said: ‘As the obesity epidemic is still progressing rapidly, especially among children and adolescents, it is important to find out if obesity in early adulthood has lifelong mortality effects. ‘It is the first study with such a long follow-up time and thus the first study to investigate the lifelong effect.”

For the study, mortality rates of a sample of 1,930 obese male military conscripts were compared with a random sample of 3,601 non-obese male conscripts, researchers measured body mass index (BMI) of, 35 and 46 years, and investigated that in relation to death in the next follow-up period. During the follow-up period of up to 60 years a total of 1,191 men had died, the results were also adjusted to eliminate any influence on the findings from year of birth, education and smoking.

The researchers said ‘it was unclear whether being obese at age 20 conferred the men’s increased death risk or whether the lifelong effect was due to obesity often being a lifelong condition.’  However the study did show that either way the majority of obese 20-year-olds struggled to lose weight as they got older. Dr Zimmermann said: ‘More than 70 per cent of the obese young men were still obese at the follow-up examinations, whereas only four per cent of the men in comparison group developed obesity during follow-up.’