Obesity Information
There
comes a point in everyone's life that no matter what you are trying to
achieve, whether in business or in your personal life, that you step back
and take stock when things are not working out as you planned.
In my case it was my weight loss ( or lack of it) that prompted me to study the problem more closely and to develop this site on obesity information which I hope will help others. In my own case I knew it was not my fault, but finding the answer was harder than I thought, but thanks to a wonderful professor in London and some dedication on my part, I am now lighter, healthier and happier. My husband also decided that I needed some moral support on the journey, so he follows my plan as well! Oh, and just in case you are wondering, we are not following some crank plan or fad diet - this is very simple and anyone can do it as long as you have the desire to stay healthy longer and feel better in yourself ( apart from the benefits of feeling good about how you look!!)
Obesity Causes
Like many women, and I suspect some men, I struggled with my weight from adolescence. Following my teenage years in the late 60's my weight ballooned for no apparent reason. Drastic action was called for and I took to diuretic tablets to help with water retention, and with reduced calorie intake I managed to reduce my weight to a mere 8 stone. Throughout my marriage and following the birth of my daughter, my weight steadily increased. Diet after diet followed including all the favourites, followed by various exercise regimes, a succession of gym memberships, home exercise machines and starvation food plans. Low fat, high fat, low carbs, no carbs, I tried them all with no success, always blaming myself for my lack of willpower, and always looking for the next wonder diet, or exercise regime that would return me to my pre-wedding day weight, or at least something close to it ( and yes I tried all the milk shakes, and meal replacement plans as well!!)
Facts About Obesity
My lowest point was the combination of two incidents. Firstly I injured my back which left me immobilised for almost three months. During this time I was interviewed and photographed for a newspaper article, and the accompanying photograph was so awful I was shocked at how much I had changed in such a short space of time since the above web site photograph was taken. At this point I turned to the internet and came across an article about insulin resistance and was amazed to discover how my own profile fitted this particular profile. I also started to research my own family background and discovered that my own great grandmother was a diabetic, and my grandmother had developed type 2 diabetes. My late father too, had also suffered with this later in life, so it was clear to me that I could have a genetic disposition to problems with insulin.
I was also very fortunate to find one of the few specialists in the UK who actually tests for insulin which is unusual in the UK, as this is rarely done as a matter of routine. With his help and a better understanding of insulin and how it reacts to certain foods, I have been able, for the first time, to not only lose excess weight, but also dramatically improve my overall health and energy levels. What is interesting is, that in order to keep meals as simple as possible and to avoid cooking different meals, my husband joined me for moral support. As a man he always found it relatively easy to lose weight by simply reducing his intake of biscuits and cakes ( things I rarely eat). In the space of 4 weeks he managed to lose over a stone in weight. For myself, in the first month I lost 8 lbs, which may not seem very much, but for someone who often put on weight when dieting, this was a revelation! As I later discovered, my insulin valve ( like many other people), is damaged and therefore losing weight for me is far more difficult than for someone like my husband who clearly has a normal valve.
One of the things the doctor stressed to me was that exercise plays little part in the weight loss, until your body chemistry has been stabilised, and it was best to avoid any strenuous exercise programme. The maximum recommended exercise was a thirty minute walk every day, if possible.
Now as I have said I do not believe in fad diets, low fat diets, or anything else. So let me give you some examples of the type of food I now eat which tends to be based on a limited selection of fruit, wide variety of vegetables, protein and nuts. Best of all I am able to indulge myself with a little butter and olive oil, and a small amount of bread each day. I have detailed some of these on the next page along with some typical meals which I hope will give you some ideas and help with your own plans on obesity information.