Obesity and Self-Esteem Issues

Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity 

Being obese or overweight or generally not happy with your appearance and health can ultimately have devastating effects on you and your whole life. If you are suffering from this you must begin to diet and exercise to lose the weight. There is no fast way to do it; The best way is to do it naturally with proper and healthy lifestyle choices. Most people however are totally not sure of what these are.

The first thing people tend to think about cutting from their diets when they decide to lose weight is fat. It’s true that most Americans eat way too much fat for their bodies to handle. That fat contributes not only to weight gain, but other health issues that are detrimental. But not all fats are created equal. Think of a bicycle wheel. Too much heavy grease will gum up the wheel and prevent it from turning. On the flip side, no grease at all will keep the wheel from spinning properly as well.

Herein lies the issue of good fat and bad fat in your diet. Not all fats are bad for you or will prevent you from losing weight. You just need to be able to identify which fats are good fats and which are fats you need to avoid.

There are two types of fats that are good for you: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats can be found in foods like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, avocados, and olive oil. No only are they good for weight loss, as an added health benefit they help to lower your bad LDL cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats also help lower LDL cholesterol levels as well as aid in weight loss. Foods rich in polyunsaturated fat are salmon, cod, corn and sunflower oils, flaxseed and other fish oils. Foods that contain polyunsaturated fat also contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which help aid the body in weight loss. You want to avoid saturated fats such as foods fried in vegetable oil or prepackaged foods that add fat for flavoring. Whole dairy products also contain a high amount of saturated fat. But simply switching to low-fat yogurts, skim milk and low-fat cheeses will go a long way toward reducing your saturated fat intake.

The 12 Foods for Weight Loss
Let me be clear. There are a LOT of foods you can eat that will aid in weight loss. I don’t want you telling your friends that Craig Woods said that you can only eat 12 foods on a diet. There are actually a whole lot of foods that are extremely good for weight loss and I’ve included more than 12 of them in this article.
These foods are so important because they give you the most bang for your buck. They are so high in nutritional properties and low in calories, that eating them is almost like eating negative calories. Including them in your diet regularly will insure not only that you will lose weight, but that you’ll get the proper nutrition you need while you’re trying to lose weight.

Water – Let’s start with the basics. Water is one of the most important things to have during a diet. Yet often times, people disregard it for its simplicity. They even substitute it for other things, like coffee and soft drinks. It’s not enough to simply have fluids during a diet. The benefit of clear water is that it flushes away toxins that can get trapped in fat cells. If left in those fat cells, the toxins would inhibit weight loss. Drinking coffee or soft drinks does not flush these toxins out the same way water does. Therefore, it’s important to remember to drink 6-8 tall glasses of water over the course of each day to help aid weight loss. Also, during weight loss and exercise, your body will use up more fluid than normal. You’ll need to replace that fluid in order to stay healthy. If you become dehydrated because you’re not drinking enough for the amount of activity you’re doing, your body will naturally try to hold onto as much fluid as possible, preventing you from losing weight.
Spinach – This vegetable is a high-octane vegetable filled with nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants, and high levels of iron, calcium and lutein. It’s also an excellent source of fiber.
Spinach is best eaten when it’s at it’s freshest. The longer it sits in the refrigerator, the more nutrients are lost over time. Try buying your spinach at a farmer’s market, farm stand or grow your own.
Broccoli – Believe it or not, calcium from broccoli is absorbed better by the body than any other food with calcium, even milk. Calcium is vitally important to keep your bones strong while you’re losing weight. Broccoli is also a negative calorie food. Therefore you’ll burn more calories digesting it than what is actually in the broccoli itself. So eat to your heart’s content. You’ll get benefits all the way around with this food.
Kale – Like broccoli, kale is a negative calorie food. It’s also super high in fiber, aiding in digesting food and cleansing the colon. As foods go, it’s top on the list of nutrient-filled foods and is a high source of beta-carotene.
Tomatoes – Most people associate tomatoes with marinara sauce and pasta or in a salad. Thought of as a vegetable, tomatoes are technically a fruit that is full of vitamin C and high in antioxidants that help build and maintain the immune system. During weight loss, it’s easy to get run down. Make sure you get fresh tomatoes that are firm and only cut them when you are ready to eat them. As soon as tomatoes are cut they will start to lose much of their nutritional value.
Eggs – Starting the day with a high protein food will give you instant energy and keep you energized longer than simply having a slice of toast. As far as fat burning properties, eggs have been known to burn fat in that ever frustrating tummy area that plagues a lot of people. The B12 found in eggs is excellent for breaking down fat and turning into energy.
Some of you might be a little fearful of having too many eggs in your diet for fear of raising your cholesterol levels. However, high protein and low carbohydrates will actually keep your cholesterol levels from rising. If you’re really concerned, try having eggs for breakfast every other day instead of every morning.
Beans – Navy beans, kidney beans, lima beans and white beans have extraordinary fat burning benefits. They’re high in fiber, protein and in iron, another vitamin that is needed for energy. Make sure you cook your beans thoroughly. Undercooked beans are harder to digest and will put stress on your digestive system, causing you to feel sluggish.
Stay away from refried beans and baked beans. The beans themselves still have wonderful properties, however, the oil and sugars added during the baking process will negate any benefits you might get from the beans.
Green Tea – Green tea has natural antioxidants called catechins that aid in weight loss. Drinking a cup of green tea can help fill your stomach when you’re hungry and also boost your metabolism.
Salad – One of the best ways to get nutrients and feel full without adding high calories is to eat salad every day. Three cups of salad contain fresh lettuce, tomato, green or red pepper, carrot, celery and cucumber will not only make you feel satisfied, but it’s filled with nutrition and fiber that is so important to healthy digestion and weight loss. Make sure you hold the heavy dressing. If you absolutely must have your favorite salad dressing, use it sparingly or keep it on the side so you can dip your vegetables in the dressing. You’ll find you’ll use far less dressing than if you’d slathered it all over
your salad.
Fruits – Fruits may be high in natural sugars, but many of them are also high in fiber. Apples, pears, pineapples are sweet snacks that have high nutritional and weight loss value.
Lean meat – Do you know there are 213 calories in a meat patty with 15% fat and only 145 calories in a meat patty with only 5% fat? The difference in calories is significant, especially since you’re not getting any nutritional advantage for having the additional calories.
Soup – Having soup for lunch or dinner can greatly aid your weight loss program simply because soup has a lot of fluid in it which can give you a feeling of being full.
Cinnamon – A lot of people suffer from sudden sugar cravings. Studies have shown that just a little bit of cinnamon sprinkled on toast or oatmeal can keep you from having a sudden spike in insulin, making you crave sugar.
High fiber foods – Foods high in fiber help give you a feeling of fullness after you’ve eaten. If you feel satisfied, you’re less likely to reach for a snack and break your diet.
Spaghetti Squash – A lot of people who love their pasta often feel deprived when they suddenly can’t eat their favorite Italian dinner. Spaghetti squash looks like spaghetti pasta when prepared. You can serve it with marina and meatballs and still feel like you’re enjoying your favorite Italian dinner
without having those high carbohydrates. It’s also high in fiber, potassium and Vitamin C.
Oatmeal – A quick bowl of oatmeal in the morning will have a lasting affect throughout the morning. Add a dash of cinnamon to it and you have a winning combination.
Salmon – Omega 3 fatty acids help aid digestion and are known to help get rid of unwanted belly fat.
Yogurt – Another belly fat buster is yogurt. It also keeps blood sugar levels even, preventing sugar cravings.

– You can already get a good idea of how to eat properly from the information presented here. But, you must exercise, avoid temptations, avoid certain foods, and above all make a plan and stick to it. I did it this way with the help of the book in the LINK below. Losing weight naturally is the best way to do it and anyone can do it, all you need is a little advice from this book: http://vishal12277.eliteweightlosspackage.com/ 

THIS BOOK IS PROBABLY THE BEST BOOK OUT THERE TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY WITHOUT DAMAGING YOUR BODY OR GOING THROUGH PAIN OR STRESS. IT IS VERY CHEAP – IT USUALLY SELLS FOR $50 BUT YOU CAN GET IT AT THE LINK I GAVE YOU FOR JUST $20.

A man was in a supermarket when an attractive woman waved, walked up to him and said hello. He was taken aback because he couldn’t place where he knew her from.

“How do I know you?” he asked.

She replied, “I think you’re the father of one of my kids.”

The man thought back to the only time he had ever been unfaithful to his wife.

“My God,” he said, “are you the stripper from my bachelor party who had sex with me on a pool table while all of my buddies watched and your partner whipped my ass with a riding crop?”

“No,” she said calmly. “I’m your son’s gradeschool teacher.”

Hospital Visit

Alright so I have been pretty sick for the past week … over last weekend I had a fever and then I had a sore throat for like three days (it hurt to even swallow my own spit). And now for the past two days I’ve had this annoying hacking dry cough where nothing comes up but once I start coughing I can’t seem to stop. Anyways, so I’ve practically chugged a bottle of Nyquil in the past week, which I found only helped me with my fever in the beginning. After finishing that, I bought Tussin. It helps, but only temporarily. The coughing gets worse when I lay down and was keeping me from sleeping well so today I finally decided to go to the Emergency Department of the hospital near my campus building.

After waiting in the lobby for half an hour, a male nurse comes and asks me to follow him to another room down the hall. By the way he mainly speaks Spanish with a dabbling of english here and there. I ask him if he can understand english (in english, of course) and he says ‘yes.’ So, I expect him to start talking in english but he continues to ask me things in spanish … but they sound kinda english so I can actually understand. After taking my vitals, we go back to the main room where they ask me to undress and get into a robe! I’ve only done this once before (back in grade 7 when I had to go for throat surgery — nothing major, just removal of some extra tissue along with tonsils) and I did not expect this nor did I want to do it. But w/e I figured it’d be quick … they took my blood to run tests and told me to lay in a bed till the results come back, which unfortunately would take a while. 

So, I lay there on the little bed wishing I had not come here in the first place. Then a nurse came in and started an IV line with a solution mixed with Azithromycin (an antibacterial for prophylaxis). I watched her as she put the IV line in and remembered to back when I had my ACLS/BTLS course and they had shown us how to do this. She made it look so easy. How come I haven’t put in an IV line on a live person yet – I am after all a third year medical student, I was wondering to myself. For some reason, now that I’m in third year I feel like I have the right to be allowed to do all sorts of complicated procedures on patients. I guess maybe I’m just excited to put my knowledge to actual use for once. Anyways, all of a sudden I realize how cold the damn room is that they put me in. This room was gonna make me sicker. “I’m also giving you @#$%sone,” piped the nurse through her facemask. I knew it was a corticosteroid due to the ending of the word she said ‘sone.’ Corticosteroids are to treat inflammation of the airways, so I can clear mucus, stop coughing, and breathe better. Yay. After she left, I was still annoyed at how cold this god damn room was and how I wanted a friend or someone in here with me to keep me company. Being alone with my thoughts can only lead to one thing in such a setting – paranoia. I started wondering bout how come I had such a weak immune system that I got so screwed by some virus or bacteria – maybe my white blood cell count was super low … suggesting some sort of bone marrow problem? or perhaps the random chick I made out with a year ago gave me HIV – god damn! I wouldn’t even know how to deal with something like that!! For years also, I’ve kind of suspected I might have some sort of Iron deficiency (even though previous blood tests have proven otherwise). All of a sudden the door opens and I immediately picture a couple of doctors walking in with a grim look on their faces, ready to give me the terrible news that I was imagining. But, it was only the X-ray techs.

They position me and then one of them says “#!$!# !#$!%% @$%@$#%.” Clearly, I thought, he wants me to put my head back. “!#$#!$ @$%@#$% @#$$.” It’s not far enough back?? Maybe I need to move my arms more out of the way. “Can you please take a deep breath!” For fuck sakes … if he could speak english why didn’t he do it from the start?? What is it with hispanic people assuming that everyone else speaks spanish?! Once they were gone, I was back to my thoughts. About half an hour later the doctor finally entered and said that I had Acute (Viral) Bronchitis, but I was fine otherwise. I think I was more relieved to just be discharged and be out of the hospital than I was at the relatively good news. Overall, I found the whole trip very draining and expensive at almost $500. I’m Canadian, so the idea of paying for a visit to the doc is just something I can’t understand. I think that if I’m gonna be living in the States, I’ll try to avoid going to the doctor as much as I can. My visit reminded me of the ‘mcdonaldization’ principle. The medical industry has become so streamlined to make a profit: find out what your problem is; do the appropriate tests; give you a drug (and perhaps an educational 2 page pamphlet); charge you an absurd amount of money for something you could probably do on your own with the help of wikipedia and access to the same resources.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading, I’ll post something else later.

First post

So … I’m just kind of bored and I’ve thought about writing for awhile. In fact, I’ve thought about writing a book but I have no ideas yet. So I thought I might try to blog instead for a bit. I don’t know yet what I’m going to blog about but maybe it’ll be cool stories about what I see during my rotations (I’m a med student) or maybe I’ll even write about a wicked disease pathogenesis but from a cool standpoint like Richard Dawkin’s standpoint in The Selfish Gene. I might even talk about random everyday stuff, who knows. My word count is past 100 now and I finally feel like I’ve accomplished something today, which is wonderful cuz I just hate days where I feel like I got nothing done at all … which seem to be far too often here in Miami with it’s one-million-degrees heat and laid back attitude. Thx for reading – I’ll post something again later.