Obesity is identified as having an unusual quantity of body fat that is 20 to 30 percent more than ideal weight based on age, height and sex. It is caused by many factors mainly being family history, sedentary lifestyle, irregular diet and improper eating habits. It puts you at risk for many diseases mainly being diabetes, heart problems like strokes and heart attacks, atherosclerosis and many other life threatening diseases. Also, it leads to arthiritis as bone joints have to go through a lot of stress due to excess body weight.

Alarming statistics about obesity reveal that world wide there are 110 million people who are obese of which US alone has 40 million obese people. This population has been increasing over the years irrespective of gender, race and ethnic groups etc.

Apart from rigorous exercises and weight loss diet programs a wide range of herbs are available which reduces the appetite and increases metabolic activity of the body to help in efficient weight loss The best part about this is that they make a person loose weight without any side effects unlike other diet pills etc

Herbs useful in reducing excessive fat are

Aloevera- Intake of this induces cleansing action of digestive tract along with improvement of digestion

Astralgus-This is a very popular herb known to have a positive effect on human health It improves metabolism and strengthens immune system by inducing sweating. Bladderwrack- It stimulates the thyroid gland beneficial in treatment of cellulite and dissolving fats.

Cayenne- A wonderful herb that burns fats and reduces appetite to a certain extent.

Chromium- It assists body to use stored fats to gain energy and build muscles.

Dandelion- It improves bile flow along with better functioning of kidney and liver.It also improves digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Fennel- It is an appetite suppressant and improves digestive system.

Green Tea-It facilitates in weight loss by oxidation of stored fats. It also improves the immune system through the presence of antioxidants.

Guggul- It lowers the risk of coronary artery diseases and also provides efficient weight control.

Licorice-Apart from being beneficial in various diseases associated with heart ,lungs and skin it also monitors blood sugar levels to avoid a longing for sweets.

Though these herbs help you to loose weight but healthy well balanced diet supplemented by exercises or any other form of physical activity will provide you with a lifetime result of healthier and happier self.

The author of this article is Megha Kabra. She is the creator of the site http://www.herbsandcures.com This site provides information and treatment for various diseases using herbs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Megha_Kabra

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LAGB) is creating ripples in the world of medicine. It is the latest weapon in humanity’s battle against obesity. Weight loss surgery has historically been considered as a solution that only came as a last resort. The complicated, and often permanent nature of the surgery, kept the general populace away from it by and large. While diet-control, exercises and even appetite-suppressants were gaining in popularity, weight loss surgery was looked upon as the final resort when everything else failed. However, with the introduction of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) it is now becoming the mainstream solution for sustained weight loss.

Also known as Bariatric Surgery, LAGB or Gastric Banding is being embraced by an increasing number of people to bring about rapid weight loss and also keep it off. So what is LAGB or Bariatric Surgery? LAGB is an adjustable gastric band designed to help you lose excess weight and keep it off - for life. It is the only adjustable and reversible weight-loss procedure available in the United States and the only weight-loss surgery approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The band restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time. It also produces an earlier sense of fullness so that you feel satisfied with smaller portions.

The procedure does not require stomach cutting and stapling or gastrointestinal re-routing to bypass normal digestion. It is a minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedure which takes less than 45 minutes and is performed on an out-patient basis allowing patients to return home the same day and resume normal activities within 24-48 hours. Due to its success in enabling sustained weight loss, LAGB is now being offered to slightly and moderately overweight people and is not just for people who are morbidly obese.

According to the World Health Organization, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has been used in more than 300,000 procedures worldwide, this simple medical device has safely helped many overweight individuals successfully achieve and maintain significant long-term weight loss to reduce the health risks associated obesity.

Research has shown that the gastric band works better than a 500-calorie diet. In a study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, 80 patients who were, on an average, 52 pounds over a healthy weight, were recruited. Half of them had the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery. The other half followed a medical program that included a variety of strategies such as a very-low-calorie diet (500 calories a day) with liquid meal replacements, prescription weight-loss medication and behavioral therapies.

After six months, both the surgery patients and the low-calorie dieters lost an average of 14% of their starting weight. After two years, the gastric band patients lost 22% of their starting weight. That was about 87% of their excess weight, or roughly 45 pounds. They also showed marked improvement in their health and quality of life.

For those living in Texas and considering Bariatric Surgery, iVital is the best destination. Specializing in weight loss surgery, especially Bariatric Surgery in Texas, iVital offers one of the best services in the area. iVital’s principle Bariatric surgeon is Joseph Cribbins, M.D. Dr. Cribbins has performed over 1,000 LAGB procedures in the last six years and is considered by his peers and patients to be one of the top Bariatric surgeons in the Dallas / Ft. Worth metroplex.

iVital houses some of the finest customer care advisors, advocates, nurses and physicians to ensure that you receive the utmost attention and care and the best possible weight loss solutions available today. The best address for Bariatric surgery in Texas is definitely iVital.

Suzanne Macguire is a veteran in Internet marketing and a wordsmith par excellence with countless articles on a wide range of subjects to his credit. She is a big enthusiast of weight loss surgery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_Macguire

Morbid obesity is a relatively new term that has been talked about more since the body mass index (bmi) calculation came about. No matter how much weight you have to lose, the following six step process is meant to assist you with your weight loss efforts.

1. Write your goals down and tell yourself what weight you want to get to. Since you are undertaking something as huge as losing your extra weight, you may as well also focus your efforts on improving other aspects of your life while you have the motivation and drive.

2. Be specific about what those goals are. When you generalize your goals, you are trivializing them. Your goals are important. Make them important!

3. Assign yourself a deadline. You want to lose weight (even 5 pounds). You want to do it by Christmas, or your wedding, or the next class reunion. When you assign a deadline, you give yourself a goal to work for, and like we said, your goals are important!

4. Make those goals measurable and achievable. Do not think too big or try to undertake more than what you are capable of. If you need to lose 100 pounds or more, don not expect to do it in a few weeks. Give yourself enough time to do so in a healthy manner. You could also try to break the goals down into easier increments. Tell yourself that you will lose 10 pounds over the next month. Then tell yourself the same thing the next month. Eventually, you will reach that goal and feel the satisfaction of being lighter than you were before.

5. Focus on those goals everyday. Post them on your refrigerator. Write them in your date book. Put a reminder on the visor of your car. When you focus on your goals, you will keep them in mind all the time and when they are first and foremost in your mind, you will be well on the way toward achieving them.

6. Be committed to those goals, at all costs. There is a reason why you want to achieve those goals. When you are committed, those goals become the focus of your mind and they will be much easier to realize.

Two of the most important things to remember when seeking morbid obesity help is to celebrate little successes and remove negative self talk.

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n the United States roughly 60 percent of the population is overweight. The number of people that cannot afford to undergo a major surgical procedure nor having any insurance makes up a large percentage of this population. If you are lucky enough to have an insurance policy, then you will be glad to know that as long as you qualify for the procedure most insurance companies will pay for the operation. Unfortunately not everyone who needs a weight loss procedure can qualify. There is also a large percentage of those who do not have any medical insurance at all and their only option is to pay for the procedure in cash.This can become a big issue seeing as though a gastric bypass or a lap band procedure costs more than a brand new car. These procedures can easily range from $25,000 all the way up to $60,000 depending on the circumstances surrounding the procedure and the locale of the clinic.

These issues basically leave the patient left with only two options. The first option is to get a loan for the procedure and have it performed within the confines of the United State’s borders while the other option is to have the procedure performed in another country. Unfortunately with the latter you will not save as much as you think. You can of course go to any 3rd world country to have the procedure performed but in many cases the unsanitary conditions may cause future complications or even death. One of the more popular destinations for an out of country gastric bypass is to have the procedure performed in India. While India is much cheaper and just as safe as the U.S. the cost of having the procedure done in India can still cost $20,000 to $25,000. Most people who do not have the $25,000 to $60,000 also do not have this $20,000 to $25,000. In many cases the patient may have to get a loan stateside prior to going to India or any number of other countries to have a gastric bypass or lap band procedure performed.

Dr. Jim Greene would like to provide you with more information that will help guide you in your decision making process.

Gastric bypass Learn more about recovery time of gastric bypass, fees, diet and nutrition and more.

Lap band Find out about the recovery time of lap band surgery, financing options and more.

Weight loss surgery Find out more about stomach stapling, biliopancreatic diversion, gastric bypass and more about bariatric surgeries.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Jim_Greene

For many patients who undergo a gastric bypass surgery, the concept of eating as they know will no longer be possible. From the point that the surgery is completed, the doctor starts you on liquid food usually fed through an IV before you get upgraded to liquefied shakes for meals. During the first 5 days of recovery, most if not all patients will have a very hard time eating anything at all. This can go on for several weeks but eventually the patient will be able to slowly start consuming food.

The main reason that many patients cannot eat right after the completion of the surgery is not because the pouch is only the size of an egg, but because this egg sized pouch is swollen shut. As any one knows, swelling is a natural part of any recovery process. The most important thing though is not so much the consumption of food, but the ingestion of liquids. We can go weeks without eating, but going a day without some type of liquid will cause anyone to become dehydrated.

Remember that before going into the surgery, you were overweight. After the surgery you are still overweight because it has not been burnt off yet. This fat is the body’s storage of the basic building blocks. Depending on your size you would be amazed at how long you can go without having any medical issues. Just remember that even if you are unable to eat, you have to drink water to keep your body hydrated.

As time goes on the swelling will gradually decrease and the act of drinking water will also help to lower the swelling. Once the swelling of the pouch starts to go down, you will soon find yourself being able to eat pureed foods. Once you are capable of eating you will want to focus on high protein foods because as your body burns off the weight to compensate for you lack of eating, your muscle mass will burn off as well. It is important to note that although peanut butter is an excellent source of good protein, not to eat any as it has been known to clog up the bowels. No one wants to have their system clogged up as it leads to vomiting among other things.

Dr. Jim Greene would like to provide you with valuable information that will help guide you.

Gastric bypass Find out more about your financing options of gastric bypass, recovery time, diet and nutrition and more.

After gastric bypass Find out more about the recovery period of gastric bypass right now.

Weight loss surgery Learn more about lap band, gastric bypass, stomach stapling and more right now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Jim_Greene

Frequently overweight people are very efficient. They don’t move their bodies very much or very fast. This supports a low metabolism that in turn supports being overweight. This efficiency is frequently caused by the many labor saving devices we have at our disposal.

Just think of how many items you have in your household that support non-movement of your body. Television remote controls and electric garage door openers are good examples. Think of ways you use appliances in your home to keep from moving your body. To put this in perspective, compare your many conveniences to the few your parents and their parents had.

The number one reason children are overweight in our culture is television and computers. The number one reason adults are overweight is fast food, which is promoted primarily by television. A majority of people goes into the alpha brain wave state while watching television, so essentially you are being hypnotized into buying a Big Mac every day, and you have been for years. Isn’t it time you reclaimed the power in your life? It’s a good idea to turn off the TV now and then.

Now, let’s create some ways for you to move your body more in your daily life.

The easiest way to move your body more is to walk more. Pull into the first parking place you see upon reaching any destination. Then get out of the car and walk. Take stairs instead of elevators or take the elevator part of the way and walk the rest (don’t run down stairs too often - it puts too much pressure on your ankle, knee and hip joints). If you have children in your life, take them out to play instead of sending them out to play.Spend a few moments now and think of other ways you can fit moving your body more into your schedule. Just a little planning can make great strides toward increasing your metabolic rate.

Then, just do it - you’ll probably grow to enjoy it!

Katie Evans is the founder and CEO of the Living Lite Weight Loss Program, which shows people HOW to create a healthier lifestyle. When you use hypnosis and the incredible power of your subconscious mind, you will never diet again, you will simply learn how to create a new relationship with food. For those who wish to make a living helping people heal their lives so they can lose weight and keep it off, there are now Living Lite Franchises available.This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to own her own business (we accept men franchisees, too!) and still have support and guidance in setting up the systems. Ms. Evans is a published author, lecturer and entrepreneur. She also teaches “The Mental Game of Golf” on cruise ships. You can reach Katie at: http://www.livinglitenow.com/tapes-cds.htm or http://www.hypnosisweightlossbusiness.com or http://www.livinglite.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_Evans

Looking for the best bariatric (lap band, gastric sleeve or, gastric bypass) surgeon in Mexico? Many people from the United States visit Mexico for bariatric weight loss surgery surgery, lap band being the most popular. Their primary motivation is the lower costs for the surgery in Mexico. Lap band surgery costs around $8,000 in Mexico whereas it can cost anywhere from $14,000 to $20,000 in the USA.

Best Bariatric Surgeon in Mexico

Like any profession not all lap band surgeons in Mexico have equal success rates. Before confirming the lap band surgery in Mexico, make sure you are dealing with one of the best lap band surgeons. The price difference between the medical care from an average and a good bariatric surgeon is not much. When looking for the best bariatric lap band surgeons in Mexico, there are four key factors you must consider:

• Education & Training

• Surgical Experience

• Proctoring Experience

• Knowledge of English

• Quality of practicing facility

The surgeon should have qualified in the field of bariatric surgery from an accredited medical school. Verify that your surgeon is certified by a medical board. If possible, go for an INAMED certified surgeon. INAMED (now Allergan) is a global leader in manufacturing obesity intervention products. Its bands are the only FDA approved lap bands.

The best lap band surgeons in Mexico are the ones who have performed more than 500 surgeries. The more experienced a surgeon, the less are the chances of any complications occurring during or after the surgery. When verifying the experience of a lap band surgeon in Mexico, see if you can get testimonials of the current patients.

While comparing leading lap band surgeons in Mexico, you should prefer surgeons who are experienced lap band proctors. A lap band proctor is qualified to teach other surgeons about performing the lap band procedure. Obviously, it is better to be treated by the instructor rather than by the student.

You should look for a bariatric surgeon who knows English. Although this might sound like a weird requirement for a surgeon, it is really quite important. You want to be sure that you understand everything the surgeon tells you about post-operative care and diet. The surgeon should also be able to understand and allay any concerns you raise about the surgery. So, unless you are proficient at Spanish, it is important that your surgeon has a working knowledge of English.

The hospital or medical facility that the surgeon performs the procedure at also tells a lot about him. A surgeon practicing in a quality hospital will usually be a better choice. Good hospitals have an added quality requirement of their own for who can practice at their facility. A good surgeon will always use a Lap Band Fluoroscopy machine.

Some of the popular bariatric surgeons in Mexico are: Dr. Alberto Aceves, Dr. Alejandro Aguirre, Dr. Guillermo Alvarez, Dr. Javier De La Garza, Dr. Armando Joya, Dr. Pedro Kuri, Dr. Roberto A. Rumbaut, Dr. Gilberto Ungson, Dr. Sergio Verboonen, Dr. Miguel Angel Rojas, Dr. Miguel Zapata, Dr. Ariel Ortiz Lagardere, Dr. Jaime Ricardo Ramos-Kelly, Dr. Jose Rodriguez, Dr. Felipe J Cantu, Dr. Andres Betancourt, Dr. Francisco Contreras, Dr. Mariano Covarrubias, Dr. Jorge Cueto, Dr. Sergio De Leon, Dr. Martin Lopez Dominguez, Dr. Miguel Herrera, Dr. Daniel Huacuz, Dr. Jose Ibarrola, Dr. Buenaventura Leal, Dr. Narcizo Leon, Dr. Eduardo Lozano Gonzalez, Dr. Sergio Mascareno, Dr. Nelson Rodríguez, Dr. Rodolfo Sanchez, Dr. Fernando Serrano Berry, Dr. Salvador Valencia, Dr. Alejandro Weber, Dr. Sergio Verboonen, Dr. Roberto Rimbaut, Dr. Aniceto Baltasar, Dr. Olga Gomez, Dr. Juan Antonio Lopez Corvala. Many of them are INAMED certified surgeons.

Some of the different cities across Mexico that these bariatric surgeons practice are: Mexicali, Ensenada, Piedras Negras, Puerto Vallarta, Monterrey,Tijuana, Hermosillo, Ciudad Juarez, Acuna, Reynosa, Guadalajara, Zona Rio,Huixquilucan, Canun, Garza Garcia, and Hato Rey

If you are planning to visit Mexico for lap band surgery, make sure that you take the above factors into account. The best lab band surgeons in Mexico scores high on all of the above discussed factors.

How to Find the Best Bariatric Lap Band Surgeons in Mexico
http://www.medical-trip.com/how-to-find-the-best-bariatric-lap-band-surgeons-in-mexico/

Facilitates medical tourism at one of the best hospitals in the world. Among the bariatric (weight loss) procedures that are made available at low cost discount prices are lap band, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve & mini gastric bypass.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Mohyal

Beauty is only skin deep. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure you’ve all heard one of those sayings before. But sometimes no matter what you do, what you eat or how hard you exercise, people will have those troublesome spots on their body that they will simply develop a complex about. This complex overtime can be more problems than it’s worth as soon it will start to effect ones self-esteem. For those individuals that reside in Dallas, liposuction may be the answer.

First off, liposuction isn’t for everyone. There are some criteria that most reputable doctors will insist on prior to having liposuction surgery. One of the main criteria that these doctors lean to is that you should be close to your calculated weight and be in decent shape as liposuction is best used for those diet-resistant areas of fat on your body. You can exercise and exercise sometimes and those little bulges and pockets simply won’t disappear. What liposuction does is quite basically reshape a persons body by permanently removing those localized fat deposits. Can you still gain weight after liposuction? Absolutely, just not where the fat cells were removed. Because of this, the popularity of liposuction surgery is immense.

That being said, one of the real purposes of this article is around the cost of the liposuction procedure. Since liposuction is deemed an “elective” cosmetic surgery, most insurance companies will not pay for a liposuction procedure. Yep, you guessed it, your on your own with this one. But that’s not to say you’re all alone as you do have options. It’s just more like a regular purchase than a co-payed Dr. visit. One thing you need to realize though is that most of these doctors require upfront payment for services.

The first option and probably the best option for anyone is cash. Cash is King. If you don’t have the money in hand, don’t get the surgery that you can’t afford as it’s an elective surgery anyway. Take your time. Save up for it. Pay for it all upfront and enjoy your life and self-esteem boost when it’s complete and not have to worry about payments when it’s all said and done. One way to look at it is like this, you’re not buying a car or house so why would you want those kind of payments for the next few years anyways. You pay for it and it’s done, no interest, no finance charges.

Secondly, you could charge it. Most doctors that perform the liposuction surgical procedure accept credit cards. Heck, plastic (cosmetic) surgery, plastic card, what’s really the difference. Well, the difference is that not only are you going to be paying for the surgery, you are also going to be paying the interest rates on the card as well so in the long run it’s going to cost you more. Even if you do get one of those “no-interest for 12 month cards”, most people won’t have the will to complete the payments before those 12 months are up and will generally being paying all the interest.

Also, there are specialized places that will finance your liposuction surgery. You’d have to apply like any other loan and get approved. But once again you will be falling into that trap of interest or finance charges and wind up paying more for the surgery than if you would have just paid cash.

As a final word for thought, liposuction has become on of the top surgeries performed in the States. It’s effective on all areas of the body from your chin to your calves. Knowing that, why would you want to be in debt up to your eyeballs for a procedure performed on your waist. Pay cash if you’re going to do it and relax and enjoy your new you once it’s done.

Chris is a co-author and researcher on Liposuction Dallas Guide where they seek to provide and maintain a weblog chock full of Dallas Liposuction information for anyone preparing to have liposuction surgery in Dallas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Copeland

Cheap lap band surgery is the answer to the prayers of many patients suffering from morbid obesity and related disorders, such as hypertension and heart disease. In laparoscopic banding surgery, an adjustable band is placed around the upper region of the stomach to restrict food intake and help patients feel full sooner. As a result, patients experience a dramatic reduction in weight within a period of six months to two years. The results of the lap band surgery are permanent as long as one band is being used with the recommended diet & lifestyle habits. However, the cost of lap band surgery is quite prohibitive in the USA leading patients to look for cheaper alternatives elsewhere. But is cheap lapband surgery really possible? Does quality suffer if you opt for cheap lap band surgery? Not necessarily.

In USA, the cost of laparoscopic band surgery ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. Moreover, health plans, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cover the cost of the weight loss surgery only if you can prove dire medical necessity. This means your BMI has to be higher than 40, and you should be able to demonstrate a history of previous attempts at weight loss. Any patient who does not meet these requirements does not qualify for health plan coverage for the surgery. This effectively puts lapband surgery out of reach for many patients in the USA. An alternative they have is to go to places such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and India for cheap lap band surgery. Some people believe that the low price is a trade off for quality in these places. Let’s examine some of the reasons why quality does not need to suffer if you go overseas for cheap lap band surgery.

The main reason that countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, and India are able to provide cheap bariatric surgery is that the general cost of living there is lower than in USA. This means the cost of almost everything such as hospital prices, surgeon’s fee, food, and boarding is generally lower in these countries than in USA. What this does NOT mean is that the quality of the hospital or its services are in any way lower than that available in the USA.

In addition, the bands used in Mexico, Costa Rica or India are the same as the ones used in USA. So you need not fear that an inferior quality band is being used in cheap lap band surgery. If in any doubt, you can crosscheck with your surgeon about the band being used. The FDA approved bands are INAMED and Realize. The INAMED band is produced by INAMED Health, which is now owned by Allergan. For a long time, INAMED was the only FDA approved band. The Realize adjustable band is produced by Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Ethicon Endo-Surgery (EES) subsidiary. FDA approved the Realize band in September 2007

Another good reason for traveling overseas for cheap lab band surgery is that the surgeons in these locations are in many cases more experienced than surgeons in USA. This is because FDA approved the adjustable laparoscopic band in USA only in 2001. However, in Mexico for instance, lap band procedure has been successfully performed since 1996 This means surgeons there have more than 10 years experience in this surgery as compared to 5 to 6 years experience of US lap band surgeons.

Of course, when traveling overseas for cheap lap band surgery, you need to be careful to choose only an international quality hospital and a reputed, top notch surgeon. For this, verify the track record of the hospitals and the credentials of the surgeons you are considering. Mexico returned patient’s lap band surgery testimonials is also a good source of information.

Cheap is a relative term; But if you compare the cost of lap band in the USA to that in Mexico, Costa Rica or India, it is cheaper by about 50% for the same quality service & lap band device.

Cheap Lap Band Surgery Overseas - Does Quality of Surgery Suffer?

http://www.medical-trip.com/is-cheap-lap-band-surgery-possible/

Provides Low Cost Bariatric Surgery facilitation to Mexico, India & Costa Rica. The special cheap priced weight loss procedurepackages include Lap Band (Laparoscopic Gastric Band), Lap Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve & Mini Gastric Bypass. Prices are about 50% lower that what are in the USA. Procedures are performed by board certified surgeons/doctors & USA accredited quality hospitals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deepak_Datta

I’m 52 years old, 5′11″ tall, and have climbed to nearly 270 lbs. in the recent past. I have been raised on the standard American diet of fast foods, lots of carbohydrates, and a never ending parade of sweets. I was raised to always clean my plate. My physique stayed nice until I was about 28 years old, and then changes started taking place in my body. I started to experience weight gain in my face, stomach, and torso. I also started to experience a loss of energy and alertness as the years crept along.

I think I tried just about every diet on the market, and actually have pretty strong will power when it comes to dieting. I know this because I tried fasting a few times, and was able to only consume water for ten straight days. Now, if that isn’t will power, I don’t know what is. I did the Atkins diet, South Beach, NutriSystem, The Zone, Body for Life, Hoodia, and all kinds of pills and supplements.

With all of these attempts at dieting, and a pretty good dose of will power, I wasn’t been able to lose weight. In fact, I steadily gained it for the past 20 years. Truth be told, I wasn’t really being honest with myself. I was hoping that a packaged diet or weight loss product would be my cure. Deep down inside, I know that it really doesn’t work that way. I would constantly eat sweets (my true downfall and weakness) and wonder why the weight wasn’t coming off.

Emotional eating is at the root of the problem. Everyone over-indulges from time to time. Ever had multiple helpings at holiday meals. Emotional eating is different however, and time has shown me that diets clearly aren’t the answer, but in most cases act more like a band-aid. When looking for a common cause, I believe obesity is almost always associated with emotional eating.

Being overweight can cause you to struggle with self-esteem and may make you feel that you are less popular with your friends. The result can be depression, anxiety, and obsessive eating. These perpetuate and confirm the false beliefs and resulting emotions, and can make it almost impossible to break out of the cycle. Then, when we’ve tried multiple diets and “failed,” hopelessness and a sense of failure set in. What is hard to realize is that you aren’t failing at losing weight because you are a failure! It is because diets work on the symptom (the excess weight) instead of the real problem, the emotional eating that causes you to over-eat in the first place.

So what is emotional eating?

It is when you regularly use “comfort food” as a way to cope with emotional ups and downs or low self-esteem. Give this some honest thought for a moment. If this describes your eating style, you probably use emotional overeating to:

- Create a false feeling of being in control of something in your life.
- Cope with boredom, high stress, and anxiety.
- Counteract the effects of emotional events, both negative and positive. These could include such things as a lousy - day at work, a fight with a friend, a child or spouse, or a new job.
- Relax, calm, and soothe your nerves on an ongoing basis
- Reward yourself for just being alive, and having to cope with living
- Counteract a feeling of being deprived

Using food to meet these emotional needs often leads to a compulsion to overeat. Emotional eating is characterized by this compulsion to continue eating even though you feel full, and is all too often accompanied by feelings of failure, embarrassment, and shame.

When I was dating my wife, my mother-in-law used to invite me over and make me really nice meals. I used to really pack it away because she is a great cook. I remember my wife telling me that her mother told her she thought I had something wrong with me because I ate so much in one sitting. I laughed it off at the time. Now, I realize that I was engaging in compulsive emotional binge eating and didn’t know it.

At last I’ve discovered the problem, the real problem. Eating too much is the symptom of the problem, and the weight is the evidence of the problem, but the emotions and false beliefs I hold in some areas of my life are the cause of my overeating. They are the real problem.

Bottom line, I’ve found a way to learn how to reverse the habit permanently. A program by Tom and Jerri Fuhriman has taught me how to discover what the issues are, and how to correct them. It is really working. I’ve been slowly but surely losing the weight. I’ve gone from 268 lbs. to 230 lbs. and am steadily changing shape. I love it.

I refuse to end up in an early grave because of obesity. I don’t diet anymore. I just eat healthy foods in moderate portions. I am getting the results I desire, and I love it. If you are in the same boat as I’ve been, stop dieting, and learn to figure out what is really keeping the weight on. Please know that there is hope. You truly can stop emotional eating.

Ed is a baby boomer from Utah. He is married with four children. One is a great flute player. See her site at http://www.helenmcgarr.com

If you want info on the emotional eating program of Tom and Jerri Fuhriman that Ed learned from, see http://www.power2lose.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_T_Mcgarr