June 22,2015

Americans have reached a weighty milestone: Adults who are obese now outnumber those who are merely overweight, according to a new report in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

A tally by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis estimated that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese as of 2012, and an additional 65.2 million were overweight. Their count was based on data collected between 2007 and 2012 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The NHANES data included information on height and weight, which are used to calculate a person’s body mass index. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal. Someone with a BMI in the 25-to-29.9 range is considered overweight, and a BMI over 30 qualifies a person as obese. (You can calculate your BMI here.)

Women were much more likely to be obese than overweight, with 37% of women in the former category and 30% in the latter. Altogether, two out every three women in the U.S. were above a normal weight.

The proportion of men who were obese was almost as high as women – 35%. But that figure was lower than the 40% of men who were in the overweight zone. With both groups combined, three out of four men in the U.S. exceeded a normal weight.

African Americans had the highest rates of obesity among both men (39%) and women (57%). The researchers found that 17% of black women and 7% of black men were extremely obese, meaning their body mass index was over 40.

Among the group labeled Mexican Americans, 38% of men and 43% of women were obese. For whites, 35% of men and 34% of women were obese. No data were reported for Asian Americans, who until recently have been undersampled in NHANES surveys.


Rates of overweight and obesity were comparable for younger (ages 25 to 54) and older (ages 55 and up) adults, according to the study.

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of a variety of chronic health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Extra weight can also make people more vulnerable to certain types of cancer. The more you weigh, the greater the health risk, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-sn...0620-story.html

In the 90's I went on a strict no fat diet to lower my cholesterol. That was successful but I couldn't maintain that diet.

Now I'm dieting again and the carbs are what I'm limiting. This one seems doable as I don't suffer from hunger pangs. I do drool over the carbs I can't indulge in though.

I just go grab a handful of nuts or a piece of steak, some cheese, heavy cream and sugar free jello, and lick my cravings that way.

Down 15+ pounds now and still doing well. TM

Quote: Cincinnatus wrote in post #3

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"Down 15+ pounds now and still doing well."
Excellent news, TM, keep it up. You're an inspiration. Seriously. I, too, need to lose a few pounds, ok more than a few, and have been flirting with something like Atkins. My downfall is, though, being a chocoholic with little will power in that regard. *Sigh*
Anyway I will keep on keeping on and wish you great success also.

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Right after I posted that chocolate delight recipe, my wife decides she wants to go for a frappe. Now up here in New England we make frappes by blending lots of ice cream in milk. It's thick and delicious. Then she decided not to go since I was on a diet and I'd only be able to watch.

I told her I'd make up some of my chocolate delight, bring it and eat it with her at the ice cream stand.

It worked! We both got to go out for a treat!

Quote: Sanguine wrote in post #10

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Ah, yes, I remember ordering a milkshake many years ago in New England. The impudent waitress tried to sell me a frappe!

And, then trying to get iced tea in the wintertime. Or, summer, for that matter. Strange, very strange.

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Quote: conservgramma wrote in post #12

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Here ya go TM:

Why Conservatives Might Be Better at Dieting Than Liberals

From the article:

Zitat

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In a paper published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers say there is a link between political ideology and the ability to exert self-control.

In a series of three studies with more than 300 participants, the authors found that people who identify as conservative perform better on tests of self-control than those who identify as liberal regardless of race, socioeconomic status and gender.

They also report that participants' performance on the tests was influenced by how much they believed in the idea of free will, which the researchers define as the belief that a person is largely responsible for his or her own outcomes.

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In any case, keep up the good work!

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Why thank you!

the article will tickle my FB friends

[and no doubt, anger a few!]

Quote: algernonpj wrote in post #14

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Quote: Cincinnatus wrote in post #7

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Salvation. I can eat it with a clear conscience because I am doing it for health reasons.

"Chocolate, Chocolate, It's Good For Your Heart, Study Finds"

"Here's a sweet notion: Eat a little chocolate each day and you could be doing your heart a favor.

A new study published in the journal Heart found that habitual chocolate eaters had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes compared to people who didn't eat chocolate."

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015...art-study-finds

Oh, yummy. Pass me that fudge.

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@Cincinnatus @ThirstyMan @Sanguine all

Here's 9 ways dark chocolate is good for you:

• Reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Treat cirrhosis of the liver.
• Keep wrinkles at bay.
• Fight stress.
• Enhance mood.
• Extend life.
• Fight cavities.
• Suppress coughs. and open your lungs.

http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/headline_he.../11/320782.html

[I've been trying to verify web site on word doc I have saved but newsmax.com can't be accessed - message over capacity]

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