If you are worried about your weight, or even just concerned about your BMI, you are certainly not alone. Recent surveys have shown that over seventy percent of Americans are struggling with their weight.
One question that has been posed time and again still has researchers puzzled. What is it that causes our population to have such a widespread problem with achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, and how can it be overcome?
There are many pieces to this perplexing problem. DNA can certainly play a part in an individual’s metabolism – if your ancestors struggled with weight loss, chances are high that you will, also. Recent research has focused on the process of Mutagenesis, or changing the structure of DNA to assist individuals who have the genetic markers for inherited obesity and the associated problems that come with it. Is it possible to change the body’s code for the better? Scientists are hard at work to find the answer. In the meantime, there are real breakthroughs that can help break the cycle of persistent weight loss and weight gain that such a large percentage of the population battles.
Some of the best tools for weight loss involve simple knowledge about how the body works and what to do to optimize the body’s energy balance. One thing you can do is use a BMR Calculator to evaluate your body’s basic caloric need. A Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator (BMR Calculator) uses information you provide to determine how many calories you would need to maintain your current weight even if you did nothing all day. The second tool is knowledge about your BMI (Body Mass Index). Using a BMI Calculator, you can determine the fat to lean ratio that makes up your body. Standard BMI Calculators can help you to determine whether you are underweight, at a healthy weight for your height, if you are overweight, or if you are obese. The knowledge you can gain from using these two important tools is enough to get you started down the path of healthy weight loss.
It is important to feed your body properly while losing weight. When you decrease the amount of calories that you are taking in, it is essential to use high quality nutritional supplements to ensure that your body’s vitamin and mineral needs are met. If the body is not receiving quality nutrition, it will fight to retain fat – again, that tricky DNA comes into play. Centuries of struggle to find adequate nutrition have programmed our genetic codes to be thrifty and store fat. Taking a quality supplement along with plenty of water can help to speed weight loss and restore balance to your body.
Healthy exercise is also important for weight loss. Remember that if you have not exercised in a long time, you should start out slowly and work your way up to a more active lifestyle. A high quality weight loss supplement can help you with exercise as well, giving you more stamina and helping your body’s cells to convert more easily. Fat cells will shrink rapidly and muscle cells will show increased growth as long as they are fed properly – cells need micronutrients to operate efficiently. So, remember that a body is a sum of parts and DNA is ultimately the key. Until the mysteries are solved, a BMR Calculator, knowledge about your BMI, and a healthy diet and exercise plan paired with supportive supplementation remain the best tools for healthy weight loss.
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Thanks for the great article. DNA most definitely seems to play an important role in whether or not people are overweight. I have experienced this in my own family with one side being a bit heavy, and consequently I have to watch my weight pretty carefully. It seems, at least in the United States, that lifestyle plays an important role also. In America we sometimes rely too much on fast food which is typically high in calories, and we watch a lot of tv and play video games which require no exercise. One thing I have found that helps is to pack my refrigerator with healthy snacks that we can take on the go, like fruit or pre-portioned veggies, crackers, nuts, etc. We also make healthy lunches to take to work, which saves us calories and money!
I know my DNA is really holding me back. The women in our family really hold fat in our thighs, hips, and butt. Even at my skinniest, my hips are wider than most. Even though I would love to be of normal size, DNA restructuring scares me. I don’t believe in messing with nature. I do my best to eat right and exercise and that is where I’m stopping. Well, actually I really need to find a good supplement. I have been against it in the past because I wanted to get it the natural way (fruits, veggies, etc.). I don’t think we can get all we need just by eating, especially if you are on a calorie restricted diet, which I am. I never knew that taking a supplement could help in weight loss just because your body holds onto fat for nutrition that it is lacking. With all this in mind I am in the market for one. Does price and system have anything to do with quality or are all bottles of vitamins mostly the same?
See, I have always wondered that too. Which vitamins are best for you? I work at a medical place, and one of my co-workers had told me that if you put a vitamin in a cup of water, and it dissolves in twenty minutes, then it is a good vitamin that will absorb well in your body. For an experiment, I went to the local Dollar Store and bought a bottle of vitamins. I went back to work and put the vitamin in water, and I was surprised that it dissolved within the twenty minutes. Not completely into nothing, but it had dissolved out of it’s pill form. So, on that theory maybe you can purchase cheaper vitamins, and they will be good for you!
Well, the prices of vitamins vary greatly. You can buy vitamin packs for $100 dollars and then from the dollar store, like you said. I know that scientific breakthroughs have supposedly been made to advance the effectiveness of vitamins but it is so hard to believe what you hear from the media. I want to get the best but I don’t have $100 dollars to spend each month. Maybe this is why I decided not to take them in the first place!
Honestly, I normally just get mine at the local CVS. I know what you mean about not affording the $100 a month on vitamins! That is crazy. However, even though some of us may buy the cheaper ones, it just means we aren’t buying the best. At least that is how I see it. I buy the less than best ones, but they are still great vitamins. I also drink A LOT of orange juice and other tropical fruits that are loaded with the vitamins our body needs.
I try to get all my nutrients from food, but take a multivitamin, just for added protection. I think Centrum and Nature Made vitamins seem pretty good. One thing I know is that you should look to see if your vitamins are endorsed and stamped “USP,” which stands for United States Pharmacop0eia. This is an organization that ensures vitamin purity and safety.
Does anybody else sometimes feel queasy after taking vitamins? I have found that if I take them with a really light snack right before bed time, it cuts down on the queaziness. One thing I would like to know from Dr. O is, what is the difference between a fat soluble vitamin and a water soluble vitamin?
Does it make a difference to your body what time of day you take the vitamins?? I have always taken them in the middle of the day around lunch time because they seem to give me a boost of energy. I have never had the queasy feeling that you speak of, but I will be honest with you…Even though I am an adult, I usually take the chewable vitamins.
Simply because they taste good. I am not talking about flintstone vitamins, but there are other chewable ones. My question is… Do chewable vitamins absorb in the body quicker than the ones you swallow?? It just seems to me that they would. Thank you!
Wow! That is a great idea – chewable vitamins – I hadn’t thought of that. Basically, I just take a vitamin to cover the nutrients that I am not getting through food, so I am going to give the chewables a try. I would like to be able to take them whenever I want and not worry about getting queasy, and the chewables DO taste good. – P. S. I have to admit, I like the Flintstone ones.
Wow! There is so much to think about here! I do get queasy sometimes if I don’t have food in my stomach. I too like to take them in the middle of the day after lunch but I’ve never tried the chewables. It seems to me that it would make sense that the chewables would be absorbed quicker because it doesn’t have to take time to dissolve. I read somewhere that a one a day vitamin isn’t a good choice because there is no way that all the needed vitamins for one day could be in one little pill. Do you think that is true? I also take a calcium supplement along with a vitamin. It seems to give me a boost. It also will hopefully prevent osteoporosis when I’m older.
As far as One a Day vitamins go, I think that pregnant and breast feeding women may need more nutrition than a One a Day provides. Also, women definitely need to have more calcium than a One a Day contains, unless they are ingesting a lot in their diet. I take a calcium supplement too. Not only is calcium good for bones, but it is supposed to help with maintaining a healthy weight and controlling high blood pressure. Go Calcium!
You know, prenatal vitamins are ALWAYS good for you to take even if you are not expecting! My old boss always kept a bottle in her drawer at work (she had just had a baby), and she continued to take them after she gave birth because they are phenomenal for you!