If you are 30, 50 or more pounds overweight, you know that it can be exhausting to power your way up a set of stairs, work in the garden or make it through that step class you're taking to help you get back into shape. But did you know that having obesity actually ages your body as if you were an out-of-shape old-timer headed for a rocking chair?
New research published in Obesity Reviews sets out how obesity can make people even in their 20s resemble someone with a RealAge of 65! The researchers found:
- Bodywide chronic inflammation triggered by belly fat around your internal organs promotes metabolic disruption, insulin resistance, excess lipid accumulation in your arteries and cognitive decline.
- Obesity interferes with how the cells in your body live, die and renew themselves. That's associated with an increased risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other illnesses, just as aging is.
- Obesity, like aging, weakens the immune system, making it harder to fight off infections.
- Obesity at any age can shorten your telomeres by 25%. Telomeres are the end caps on chromosomes that normally erode with advanced age. While a study published in The Lancet reported folks 60+ with shorter telomeres were almost eight times as likely to die from an infectious disease and three times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack over the course of that study, the study in Obesity Reviews now seems to demonstrate the same is true for younger, obese folks.
Obesity Busting: How to be successful
Saying, "No!" to premature aging from obesity takes patience and perseverance, but there are steps to take that will help you be successful in the short and long term.
Step one: Find a buddy, team and support group
If you have a family member or friend who will join you in a weight-loss regimen or offer to be your go-to person when you need encouragement, it will increase your chance for successful weight loss.
Joining an established group is also effective. A study of 3,300 obese folks who participated in a 12-week online weight-loss program found that members of teams with the most social interaction increased their chance for significant weight loss by up to 20%. Obesity Action Coalition (www.obesityaction.org) has a list of in-person support groups in every state. Overeaters Anonymous (oa.org) lets you search for local meetings. And call your local medical center or hospital to see if it has weight-loss support groups; those generally include psychologists, nutritionists or other weight-loss professionals.
Talk honestly with your doctor about your goals and work together to meet your health challenges.
Step two: Revise your eating habits
Begin by keeping a detailed food diary. One study in the Journal of Diabetes Research found that only the folks who recorded their food intake at least 66% of the time lost a significant amount of weight.
Adopt an eating schedule that combines intermittent fasting (eating within an eight to 10 hour window with most meals early in that time frame) with healthy eating (seven to nine servings of fruits and veggies daily, no red or processed meats or added sugars).
For more details check out Dr. Mike's book "What to Eat When" and the upcoming "What to Eat When Cookbook."
Step three: Take extra care of YOU.
Self-care contributes to being able to break old habits and establish new ones.
Get seven to eight hours sleep nightly. One study found sleep-deprived dieters had 55% less fat loss than those with adequate sleep.
Substitute one positive dopamine-stimulating activity for a negative one. While eating indulgent foods (cookies, pizza) can trigger release of the pleasure-stimulating neurotransmitter, so can taking an outdoor walk, hugging your honey, volunteering or exercising.
Treat yourself to quiet time - read book, get a massage, enjoy a hobby.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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