OBESITY IN THE USA AS WE STAND

If Americans stick to their eating and exercise habits, future historians will look back on the early 21st century as a golden age of svelte.
Using a model of population and other trends, a new report released on Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projects that half of U.S. adults will be obese by 2030 unless Americans change their ways.
The "F as in Fat" report highlights the current glum picture of the U.S. obesity epidemic, in which 35.7 percent of adults and 16.9 percent of children age 2 to 19 are obese, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year.
But for the first time, the report builds on state-by-state data from the CDC to project obesity rates. In every state, that rate will reach at least 44 percent by 2030. In 13, that number would exceed 60 percent.
Obesity raises the risk of numerous diseases, from type 2 diabetes to endometrial cancer, meaning more sick people and higher medical costs in the future, the report said.
It projects as many as 7.9 million new cases of diabetes a year, compared with 1.9 million new cases in recent years. There could also be 6.8 million new cases of chronic heart disease and stroke every year, compared with 1.3 million new cases a year now.
The increasing burden of illness will go right to the bottom line, adding $66 billion in annual obesity-related medical costs over and above today's $147 billion to $210 billion. Total U.S. healthcare spending is estimated at $2.7 trillion.
That projection supports a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that by 2030, 42 percent of U.S. adults could be obese, adding $550 billion to healthcare costs over that period.
'A TALE OF TWO FUTURES'
As with all projections, from climate models to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," human actions can prevent the worst of the scenarios, according to health policy experts.
"This is a tale of two futures," said Jeffrey Levi of George Washington University and the executive director of Trust for America's Health. "We're at a turning point where if we don't do something now to mitigate these trends, the cost in human health and healthcare spending will be enormous."
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) above 30. Overweight means a BMI of 25 to 29.9. BMI is calculated by taking weight in pounds and dividing it by the square of height in inches, and multiplying the result by 703. For instance, someone who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds (84 kg) has a BMI of 30.8.
Obesity rates among U.S. adults have more than doubled from the 15 percent of 1980. In that same time, they have more than tripled among children.
Since the CDC found that the percentage of obese children and adults was essentially unchanged between 2008 and 2010, some experts question whether the "F as in Fat" model overstates future obesity by assuming past trends continue in a straight line.
"This is a strong assumption," said economist Justin Trogdon of RTI International in North Carolina. "Recent evidence from other surveys suggest obesity rates may be leveling off."
Mathematician Martin Brown of Britain's National Heart Forum, a nonprofit group, who led development of the model, said it takes a longer view by design.
"You have to take trends over a number of years," he said. "In the age groups that matter, there just isn't much evidence of a leveling off in obesity rates."
EDUCATION AND INCOME
Obesity has long been associated with education and income. The report found that about one-third of adults without a high school diploma were obese, compared with about one-fifth of those who graduated from college or technical college.
And one-third of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year are obese, compared to one-quarter of those who earned $50,000 or more per year. The obesity-poverty connection reflects such facts that calorie-dense foods are cheap and that poor neighborhoods have fewer playgrounds, sidewalks and other amenities that encourage exercise.
As a result, many states projected to have the most obesity in 2030 do now, too. In 2011, 12 states had an adult-obesity rate above 30 percent, with Mississippi the highest at 34.9 percent. Colorado was the lowest at 20.7 percent.
The report projects that in 2030 in Mississippi, 66.7 percent of adults will be obese, as will 44.8 percent in Colorado, which will still be the thinnest state.
More surprising are projections for states such as Delaware, now ranked 19 for obesity with a rate of 28.8 percent. The model uses 1999 as a baseline, explained Brown. "So if a state had a low rate of obesity in 1999 and is fairly high now, that indicates a steep rate of increase, which we believe will not go away." Result: an obesity rate of 64.7 percent in Delaware in 2030, making it the third-most obese state.
States facing the greatest percentage increase in obesity-related medical costs are now in the middle of the pack.
New Jersey faces the largest increase in costs, 34.5 percent, as its obesity rate is projected to climb from 23.7 percent today to 48.6 percent in 2030. Eight other states could see increases of 20 percent and 30 percent, including New Hampshire, Colorado and Alaska.
Trust for America's Health sees room to change that trajectory with the right interventions.
"We have learned that with a concerted effort you can change the culture of a community, including its level of physical activity, eating habits, what foods are offered in schools, and whether families eat together," said Levi.
In New York City, for instance, obesity for elementary and middle-school students dropped 5.5 percent from the 2006-07 school year to 2010-11, thanks mostly to healthier school lunches, public health experts said.

DO YOU WANT TO BE THE MAJORITY OR DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE??? LET'S START TODAY, NOT TOMORROW OR SOMEDAY "NOW" IS YOUR ANSWER!! MESSAGE ME LETS TALK

Cool Snack Ideas for Summer

Cool snacks
As the summer weather heats up, find ways to stay cool while walking — like walking in an air-conditioned mall. You can also check out these ideas for foods that are cool in more ways than one. “I was finding I couldn’t eat my fresh produce fast enough before it spoiled. I started freezing them,” says Patricia Schoonmaker, health education assistant, Southern California Region. “Frozen sliced peaches make a great smoothie. I plan on adding strawberries and a variety of berries to my freezer this weekend. Fresh fruit anytime! Cleaned, sliced, and frozen. Frozen bananas are GREAT too!”
Looking for a healthy way to cool off? Put a creative spin on summertime favorites:

• Ice cream substitute. Instead of an ice cream cone, freeze peeled banana slices. Blend with half a cup of low-fat milk for a custard-style dessert.
• Healthy popsicles. Make yogurt pops by pouring vanilla yogurt and mixed berries into small paper cups; insert a popsicle stick and freeze.
• Fruity frozen treats. Instead of snow cones, try pouring 100 percent apple, grape, or orange juice into ice cube trays or molds. Freeze and enjoy as popsicles or blend with a little water for a refreshing slushy.
• A taste of chocolate. Instead of a banana split or strawberry sundae, dip strawberries or peeled bananas into melted dark chocolate chips. Cover with diced peanuts or almond slices; then freeze.

Enjoy a sweet, nutritious treat with these cool snacks.

Choices

We all make choices that affect our lives and our pocket books. We join Gyms wanting change feeling we can make the commitment to go 80% of people never do. People put your local coffee shack mixes in there bodies without knowing really what's in there besides coffee and sugar. Cleaner smarter choices really are not that hard. I have made the best decision of my life lost 30 lbs and losing more daily toward my goal of 52 more pounds. Do you want support and a successful program? Message me for Free Support and I will be your Free Coach.

Ultimate Reset Day 1

So I am in the middle of Day 1 of the Ultimate Reset from Beachbody. I normally eat every two hours and I really thought I was going to be starving and I am not. Feeling really good so far no headaches. I almost have 1 gallon of water consumed. My breakfast consisted of two scrambled eggs in olive oil and steamed spinich with almond slivers. In addition I just had my lunch with home made dressing. I have put mint, oregano and basil I think it was on my salad with spinich, tomoto, cucumber and red bell pepper. It was very good.

So being I cannot do my normal workouts in these 21 days. Today I swam for 30 min and have walked 2.6 miles.

I have been sitting on a plateau for 4-6 months and cannot get below 214. I have been doing beachbody products for one year now and I have been more then impressed with every program I have touched. They give results, they make you feel amazing. But with this plateau I got discouraged so I started working out at the gym for the last 4 weeks thinking if I could build some muscle the fat would come off. I know that muscle weights more then fat so I have gained 8 lbs. Not discouraged for I know the process but then that puts me back up into the 220 range which I want far away from.

With this Reset I am hoping to get below my plateau and keep moving forward. I have 52 lbs left that I know I want to lose. I have a few events coming up and I am excited. I have the Hybrid Adventure Games this month with my Family then in Sept I have the Kiss Me Dirty Run with some good friends.

So I am off and outta here back to work, just wanted to touch base with what I am feeling. I dont have it in front of me but I think I weighed in at 227.3 last night. I know I should not weight at night for morining is my prefered time of weight in. I did weight this am and I was 223.0  Here we go I will keep you posted and let you know how this Journey goes. I am on this for 21 days.

Whoop Whoop To my Health