Sunday, December 26, 2010

Treating Obesity and Binge Eating Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Are you worried about being overweight? Have you tried various remedies without any success? The American Institute of Cognitive Therapy now brings an online help program called Over weight – Online Cognitive Treatment. This is a self help program that will help you to understand what problems you are facing and how you can reduce your excessive weight conveniently.
Reasons for being overweight
Obesity is such a menacing disease that is affecting significant percentage of Americans. About 65% of people in America are affected with obesity. There are various remedial measures to cut down the rate but the number of over weight and obese people is increasing steadily. The major cause for obesity is lack of sufficient activities and poor diet. People feast on unhealthy diets that include packaged food items, sodas, fast foods, etc. All these food items are increasing the calorie count among the people who are consuming these foods. Such foods are contributing immensely to making people overweight and obese. On average a person walks at least 10,000 steps everyday. But, in America, the average person walks just 6,000 steps in a day and hence the lack of physical activities is evident. Additionally, social changes and work requirements are not allowing people to lead a healthy lifestyle. The environment has become toxic, which promotes obesity. According to the National Institute of Health, the Body Mass Index (BMI) of males and females should be between 19 and 24 respectively. But, the BMI in most cases are being recorded between 25 and 30, which means overweight or obese.
Risks of Obesity
Obesity is one of the major causes of death in America. Obesity also gives rise to other dangerous health hazards such as high cholesterol, heart disease, Type II diabetes, stroke, arthritis, cancer, pregnancy complications sleep apnea and lots more. Obesity also gives rise to emotional disorders in form of guilt, shame embarrassment, etc. These psychological factors also give rise to binge eating Disorder (BED). Some of the symptoms of BED are eating very rapidly; large consumption of food; eating a full meal even when not hungry; feeling of revulsion, sorrow, and guilt after bingeing; etc. remember that those people who are suffering from BED condition, won’t get proper benefit from a weight loss program.
Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
When a someone is suffering from binge eating disorder, it is essential to hospitalize the patient and let the patient to restore to a healthy weight. When the patient reaches a stable weight then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can work effectively. This therapy is beneficial for those patients who are suffering from bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other over-eating related disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy concentrates on the familial, societal and psychological factors connected with eating turmoil. The therapy is centered on the standard that there must be both attitudinal and behavioral changes concerning weight, shape and eating habits.
This therapy aims directly at the binge cycle. Both counselor and patient will sort out ways to alter eating habits, to break off eradication, and to defy rules that avert normal and strong eating habits. Implementation of additional supple eating styles and knowledge to manage and prevent binges are also included in the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The therapy also provides education about nutrition, meal-planning, and the uselessness of purging techniques within the treatment process.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improves entire body image. The sessions of treatment focuses on learning coping skills for anxiety or unenthusiastic moods to reduce the probability that depressing events will set off a binge. The treatment mainly targets the feelings and thoughts that can give rise to binge eating habits.
The last stage of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is reversion. Here the therapist and the patient work out on strategies to keep up the progress. Strategies are also made to so that in future the purging, bingeing, and unhealthful eating habits don’t occur.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy also deals with individualized weight management plans. Here the therapy works to prevent regain of weight; it maintains enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle; and it prepares the patient to cope with the challenging situations and future problems.
Be the client of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
You can be the client of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy very easily. We ask the patients to give an honest try to the therapy. We keep in touch with those who have tried our therapy and inspire them to continue to practice the skills that they have learned between sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Joining the therapy procedure is very easy and you just need to sign up online to get the benefits. You can also conduct certain essential check ups like BMI on your own. You can gain essential tips with just few clicks of your mouse. Sign up and lead a healthy life.
By: printwish

Top 09 Nutrition Myths of the 21st Century

Think you know your diets when it comes to getting into shape? These naughty myths seem to get the best of us. Let's set the record straight before they sabotage our plans for a great physique.

Want to lose weight? Before you copy someone else's diet plan and go on a no-fat vegetarian diet, read what the experts have to say about popular diet & nutrition myths. Read on to separate fact from fiction.

1. I can lose weight by skipping meals 

This is another common myth, that people think by skipping meals they will able to lose weight. People who think like do not understand how our body works. 

If we skip a meal, our body's animal instinct will think we are unable to find food (back to the Stone Ages) and therefore slow down our metabolism rate. This often results in overeating at the next meal. Often skipping a meal and then overeating at the other will result in an overall higher calorie intake than before and will eventually lead to more obesity.

A better approach to eat small meals healthy meals throughout the day; like a pro body builder who usually has five small meals per day.

2. Does cause sugar Diabetes?

The most common myth about nutrition is that diabetes is cause by sugar. If you have diabetes, you do need to watch your sugar and carbohydrate intake, with the help of your doctor, to check your blood sugar level.

However, if you do not have diabetes, sugar intake will not cause you to develop the disease. The health risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are those with non-active lifestyles, being overweight and those diets high in calories.

3. Are all fats bad?

It is a traditional nutrition myth that consumption of any type of fat is bad for the body. Nevertheless, the real fact is we do need fat in our body; it aids nutrition absorption and nerve transmission and helps our cell membranes, to name just a few of its useful functions. 

Ever heard of the story, too much of anything is good for nothing; the same goes for consumption of excessive fats when consumed will contribute to heart disease, obesity, joint problems, and certain types of cancers etc...

Yo Momma Neva told ya this: Some fats help promote healthy lifestyles, while others increase the risk of obesity and heart disease. The key is to consume good fats such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats while reducing the consumption of bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats).

4. Brown sugar is better than white sugar?

It is a common belief that brown sugar is better than white sugar. Actually, brown sugar sold in stores has white granulated sugar with added molasses, which contains a tiny amount of minerals. Unless we consume huge of brown sugar every day, the difference between white sugar and brown sugar would prove to be insignificant. The mere idea that there is a huge difference between the two is another diet & nutrition myth.

5. My Daddy always told me to eat brown eggs.

Contrary to popular belief that brown eggs are better than white eggs, the colour of eggshells has nothing to do with its nutrition value, cooking characteristics, shell thickness or flavor; this depends on the breed of the hen.

As per the Egg Nutrition Council, "brown eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes while white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white ear lobes and white feathers. There is no difference between the nutrition or taste of the two colored eggs".

6. Red Meat increases Health Risk?

It is very common for people to say that they do not eat red meat. As it increases their health risk!!

Well it's true that some studies had indicated red meat with increase heart disease, mainly due to saturated fat. Nevertheless, even chicken can contain as much saturated fats as lean of beef or pork. For example, a serving of beef loins or pork tenderloin will have less saturated fat than the same serving of chicken thigh with skin. It is true that poultry like chicken and turkey is naturally lower in saturated fats. But it is only true IF you do not eat the skin. 

It's a health myth, that red meat is bad for our health altogether. Instead of excluding red meat from our diets altogether, we could instead consume leaner cuts of beef and pork. For beef, choose eye of round, top round roast, top sirloin and flank; for pork, choose tenderloin and loin chops.

7. Seafood is bad for my cholesterol?

Dietary cholesterol found in seafood and other meats has very little effect on blood cholesterol in most of us. The bad fats mentioned earlier such as saturated fats and trans fatty acids are the most important factors that raise blood cholesterol.

Saturated fats are normally found in packaged foods and meat products and trans fats are found in packed snacks, deep fry foods, and margarine containing hydrogenated oil.

8. Pregnant Moms eats for two 

Nutrition requirement varies among pregnant women but the idea that pregnancy is an eating spree is a common nutrition myth. General calorie intake for the first trimester is 100kcal and for the second & third trimesters is 300 kcal. 

A small snack during the day consisting of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt, and a few biscuits is often enough. 

Consumption of a multivitamin supplement is often, recommended during pregnancy but curb that desire to eat, eat and eat.

9. Ohh!! Nuts they are so fattening? 

Well it's true that nuts are high in calories. Fifteen cashews for example deliver 180 kilocalories. In addition, it is difficult to restrain ourselves from overeating there tasty snacks, but if you can control yourself, nuts can be a part of a healthy diet. 

It's a myth that nuts are fatty. In fact, nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) as well as plant sterols, all of which shown to lower LDL cholesterol. 

In 2003, the FDA approved a health claim for seven kinds of nuts stating, "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces (45 grams) per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."

Rather than simply adding nuts to your diet, best approach is to eat them in place of foods high in saturated fats.

By: Mohamed Sanih,

"The Best Abdominal Exercises"