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Having a BMI (body mass index) over 28 or being substantially overweight (more than 20 pounds) raises the risk of developing diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), cardiovascular disease, infertility, hypertension, arthritis, or the serious combination of insulin resistance and cardiovascular conditions.

Overweight women are more prone to have pregnancy complications. In women, being overweight and obese are higher among members of racial and ethnic minority populations than in non-Hispanic white women.

Obese and overweight women are at increased risk of getting suspicious results from screening mammograms

According to doctors an ideal weight would be inside the healthy weight range for women as defined by the Body Mass Index – a BMI between 19 and 24.9. That give a fair amount of wiggle room, and takes into account different body types and ethnicity, rather than a slavish following of fashion.

Again, there is no fast fix for weight loss, and a lack of overall fitness, other than to exercise and eat right every day. It is also a matter of common sense–paying hundreds of dollars for a bottle of weight loss pills is ridiculous when you could be buying a ton of salad and fat free dressing and lean protein like fish and chicken with that same amount of cash.

So the next time you think about going on a diet, why not try to get a bit more fit first. Spend an additional 2 minutes each day on the treadmill. By the end of the week that will be an extra ten minutes added to your work out. Not working out every day of the week? Consider it all part of your work to stay fit.

Think you don’t have time to exercise? Why not get off one stop before or after your usual stop on the way to work or on the way home, and walk the rest of the way. Then make it 2 stops and so on. Walk to the corner store instead of taking the car, and save gas at the same time.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Even going down counts, and in fact, exercises a totally different set of muscles.

As for eating, soup and salad are a great way to start any meal so long as they are not cream-based, and help you feel full for few calories.

Applying just a couple of these strategies every day, and staying away from pills, meal replacement bars, and fast fixes, is the best way to not only lose weight, but incorporate weight management into your daily life to keep the pounds off.

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Do we REALLY need to lose weight by dieting?
And will it work if we try?

Despite the fact that obesity is supposed to be an epidemic in the US, the idea of dieting seems to have become so much a part of American life, that most women who diet don’t even need to lose weight.

Even if they do, the trouble is that frequent dieting is a short term solution that can lead to long-term health problems which can be just as much of a challenge as that posed by being overweight.

“Dieting” is now a massive global industry, with diet plans, books, courses, online tool,s and supplements which all add up to billions in revenue. If a diet is only supposed to last as long as it takes to lose the weight, it is obviously in their interests to keep you on their program for as long as possible.

Most of the buyers of those products are women, and in fact, advertising campaigns for these products are directed at women 9 times out of 10.

Women diet because of social pressures, particularly preconceived notions of what society expects them to look like, most especially in terms of body type and weight.

As a result,  women are more likely to develop eating disorders than men, though as pressure to conform and look good is on the rise, this trend could affect young men even more than at present.

It is estimated that on any given day, about half of all American women (and girls) are on a diet, an alarming number considering how many are therefore not eating right.

While it is true that excess weight poses health challenges for women, they should concentrate on getting fit and staying lean, not on the process of dieting.

Help and Hype-Soy supposedly helps heart health, but thus far no studies have supported this. However, it is a good source of calcium and also a good source of non-animal protein and ‘dairy’ such as in soy milk.

Help-Folacin (folic acid) is key  for the production and maintenance of new cells. You can get it leafy greens and many fortified foods.  It is especially important for pregnant women, or women that are thinking about getting pregnant. It helps to prevent birth defects and has also been found to help lower the risk of colon and breast cancers.

Help-Folate and vitamin B12 work together to protect cognitive function, but any supplements which claim to improve your memory, hype.

Help-Vitamin K is good for bone health, though not for people with blood clotting issues.

Hype-Vitamin O, an extra oxygen molecule in water, is a scam.

Hype and Help-Antioxidants-while they are supposed to have cancer-fighting properties, to date, studies have not proven any benefit in their regard, or in reference to heart health. In fact, people taking multivitamins have actually been shown to have worse health outcomes, particularly regarding prostate cancer.

However, A, C and E are found naturally in many foods and so if you are eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, you should be getting your full daily allowance.

So there it is, a quick round-up of some of the grand claims made on behalf of certain vitamin and nutraceuticals.

So the next time you hear claims about huge health benefits supposedly coming from vitamins and supplements, save your money on them, and spend it at the supermarket on eating nutritious fresh foods.

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The selling of vitamins and supplements, also known as nutraceuticals, is a multibillion dollar industry that has grown by leaps and bounds in the past ten years.

It seems like almost every day, there is some health announcement or other on the six o’clock news saying that new research has come out on the benefits of a particular vitamin or supplement for some medical condition or other.

Our nutritional needs also change as we get older, and we need to be aware of these to adjust our eating strategy, and perhaps even take a vitamin or supplement if we are not getting enough of these essentials in the foods we eat.

But what is help, and what hype? This quick round up gives you the facts you need:

Help-The main sources of critical nutrients for women at reproductive age are calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin A and carotenes.

Hype-Black Cohosh has been touted to help control hot flashes during menopause, but the leading studies have failed to prove this.

Hype-Middle-aged women at risk for heart disease received little benefit from taking vitamins C, E or beta carotene, according to recent research.

Help-If you are a vegetarian you may need to take more Vitamin B12. The B group of vitamins is said to help ward off stress.

Help-Calcium intake can reduce your risk for osteoporosis. You should be consuming at least 1000 milligrams a day. When you take a calcium supplement, make sure that it contains vitamin D also, and magnesium, which is needed to absorb calcium properly. Try to avoid foods high in phosphorous, which can interfere with absorption.

Help-Vitamin D is also a potent immune system modulator, but it is also produced naturally in the body as a result of exposure to sun. Wear sun block, but do make sure you get out in the fresh air. Vitamin D is most commonly found in dairy.

Help-Magnesium can protect against heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer.

6. Population changes.
There are now more older people as well as more Hispanics in the United States, and these groups have higher rates of obesity due to middle aged spread, and hereditary characteristics.

7. Older birth mothers.
Older birth mothers’ children are more prone to excess weight gain than the offspring of younger mothers.

8. Genetics. Obese moms may pass the trait onto their children in utero.

9. Higher body weight = greater fertility.
Heavy people produce more offspring than thinner people. Having said that, being obese can interfere with conception.

10. Assortative mating.
Heavy people tend to form relationships  with each other, and therefore produce heavy children.

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Too much food and a lack of exercise are not the only factors contributing to obesity in the United States.

Scientists reviewed more than 100 studies on weight, and identified ten other possibilities as to why Americans are heavier than ever before, which offers help in sorting out how we can try to combat the obesity epidemic.

1. Less sleep.
We’ve gone from an average of nine down to about to seven hours of sleep a night; sleep deprivation is linked to a more robust appetite. And of course, if you are awake, you have that many more hours to fall prey to mindless eating.

2. Pesticides, Bovine Growth Hormone, and other chemicals in foods.
These substances can change hormonal activity, which can boost body fat.

3. Air conditioning and heating.
We don’t sweat and shiver as much as our ancestors, so we don’t burn as many calories.

4. Fewer smokers.
Nicotine is an appetite suppressant.

5. Greater use of medications.
Medications such as antidepressants and diabetes drugs, which have weight gain as a potential side effect. This also highlights just what a problem diabetes has become in this country.

Do you know your number? Most people don’t. And that’s a shame, since your number can offer a peek at your health.

By your number, we mean your body mass index (BMI), which indicates whether your weight falls within a desirable range for your height.

Depending on your classification, you may or may not wish to think about losing weight.

It is a useful tool to determine whether or not you need to lose weight because it takes into account all body types.

Here is a really handy Body Mass Index Calculator

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/