obesity

Obesity - Weight Control
Gluttony

Overweight, Obesity
Medical Treatment of Overweight and Obesity
Food and Diet in the Bible
Vegetarians Meat Food
Loose a pound a day!... by taking Daniel's ten-day Test!
Divine Faith Healing

Overweight, Obesity:

Obesity is currently the most common chronic disease in the United States. Studies have shown that between 30 and 35% of American adults are obese. About 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese.
From Obesity Guidelines (The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in cooperation with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Obesity is associated with many other health problems, including diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea and the obesity hypoventilation syndrome, osteoarthritis, gallstones, reflux esophagitis (heartburn), urinary stress incontinence, menstrual irregularity and infertility, depression, and various forms of cancer (breast, colon, uterine).

Overweight and Obesity are conditions consisting of an excess in the amount of body fat.

     As a thumb rule:
        - Overweight is usually defined as a weight 30% above one's Ideal Body Weight (IBW).
        - Obesity is defined as a weight 55% above one's Ideal Body Weight (IBW).

Ideal Body Weight for women (IBW) can be estimated as 100 lbs. for the first 5 feet, plus or minus 5 lbs. for each additional inch above or below,
Ideal Body Weight for men (IBW) is 106 lbs. for the first 5 feet, plus or minus 6 lbs. for each additional inch above or bellow the 5 feet.

    Are you Overweight or Obese?
    ... So, if you are 5 feet tall female and weight 130 lbs., you are overweight... if you weight 155 lbs., you are obese.
    Another thumb rule: Pinch a fold of skin at the back of your upper arm, if you can pinch more than an inch, your excess weight probably comes from fat.

You can make a more exact calculation clicking in Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)
If the result is over 25 it is officially considered overweight... over 30 it is considered obese.

Aim For A Healthy Weight
Body Mass Index Calculator Body Mass Index Table BMI Calculator in Palm OS Format

Medical Treatment of Overweight and Obesity:

The treatment should be integral with :The most effective weight loss programs are comprehensive: They should include a proper medical diagnosis, proper diet, behavior modification (lifestyle change), nutritional education, exercise, medication (where appropriate), surgery if needed, and long-term maintenance support.

1- Medical Diagnosis:

        1- Is it due to overeating-gluttony, lack of exercise?.
        2- Is it due to a hormonal dysfunction of the hypophysis, thyroid, suprarenal, ovaries... ?
        3- A sickness of the heart, kidneys... ?.
        4- Is it due to a lesion in the hypothalamus (in the brain)...?.
        5- Possible hereditary trait?.

2- Medical Treatment:

It should be integral, including:
        1- Diagnostic Treatment
        2- Diet
        3- Exercise
        4- Behavior Therapy
        5- Drugs
        6- Surgical Treatment
        7- Liposuction
        8-Weight Loss Maintenance

        1- Diagnostic Treatment:
        It should aim to the diagnostic dysfunction: Hormonal, sickness, overeating...
        It may include thyroid hormone, HCG, diuretics... it should be done under medical control.
         Human Choriogonadotropic (HCG)    Weight and Muscle

2- Diet:
A diet that is individually planned to help create a deficit of 500 to 1,000 kcal/day should be an integral part of any program aimed at achieving a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week.

        A good diet usually includes:
        - No sugar: No sugar in the coffee, no cakes, cookies, chocolate... no regular sodas and juices... a glass of regular soda or juice contains about 6 teaspoons of sugar, and it may be a main factor producing overweight in America!... take some honey, says the Bible!.
        - Few carbohydrates, starch, bread, rice, spaghetti... as a general rule: What I tell to my patients is to serve the regular food, and then take away half of it!.
        - Nothing fried!... use a little olive oil to cook your meals.

        What should you eat:
        1- The food of millionaires: Meat, fish, eggs... cooked, grilled, boiled, broiled, omelets... but nothing fried!.
        2- EVERY HERB BEARING SEED... GRAINS - wheat, corn, rye, barley, rice, oats, millet, etc... SEEDS - sunflower, sesame, flax, pumpkin seeds, etc... LEGUMES - soybeans, lentils, peas, peanuts, other beans, etc... SUCCULENT FOODS CONTAINING SEED - eggplant, okra, bell peppers, squash, green beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, etc... FRUITS - citrus fruits, sweet fruits, palm fruits, etc... NUTS - almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil, walnuts, etc.
           This is mostly the original vegetarian food in the Bible, in Genesis 1:29.
3- Milk to take the cereals at breakfast... be sure they have no sugar!.
4- Take a multi-vitamins and minerals supplement: Myadec, Centrum... one tablet a day.

A thought of Thomas Edison: "The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. The physician of tomorrow will be the nutritionist of today."

Calories Food Calories Fast Food Calories Menu Planner

        Here are some diet programs with maintenance treatment:
        Weight-Watchers   Weight Control    Dr. Atkins Diet    Carbohydrate Addicts    Zone Perfect Diet
        Cabbage Soup Diet   Super Fat Burning Cabbage Diet    Beverly Hill Diet   CyberDiet   Several Other Diets

        3- Exercise:
        Physical activity should be part of a comprehensive weight loss therapy and weight control program because:
        1- It Modestly contributes to weight loss in overweight and obese adults.
        2- It may decrease abdominal fat.
        3- It increases cardio-respiratory fitness.
        4- It may help with maintenance of weight loss.

Physical activity should be an integral part of weight loss therapy and weight maintenance. Moderate levels of physical activity for 30 to 45 minutes daily, should be encouraged... walking, running, on bike, swimming... most adults do enough physical exercise at work!.

4- Behavior Therapy is a useful adjunct when incorporated into treatment for weight loss and weight maintenance... try to avoid eating in places where you are served lots of food: In restaurants, weddings... eat less than a half of what you are served!...

        5- Drugs:
        The most commonly used... by medical prescription:
        1- To suppress the appetite: Sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressant, acting on the Nervous System:
            - Amphetamine + Dextroamphetamine: Adderal.
                - Benzphetamine: Didrex; Benzfetamine.
         - Dextroamphetamine: Dexedrine.
                - Diethylpropion: Amfepramone; Tenuate; Tenuate Dospan.
                - Mazindol: Mazanor; Sanorex.
                - Phendimetrazine: Adipost; Anorex; Bontril; Parzine; Phendiet; Plegine; Wehless.
                - Phentermine: Adipex-P; Fastin; Ionamin; Oby-Cap; Phentamine; T-Diet; Zantryl.
                - Phenylpropanolamine: Acutrim; Dexatrim; Phenoxine; Phenyldrine; Propagest; Rhindecon...
                    ... Available "over the counter".
        2- Appetite suppressant: via serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, in the brain:
            - Sibutramine: Meridia
                - Bromocriptine: Ergoset; Parlodel.
                - Dexfenfluramine: Redux... off the market in US, because of the Fen-Phen problem, see below.
             - Fenfluramine: Pondimin; Ponderal... off the market in US, because of the Fen-Phen problem, see below.
                - Fluoxetine: Prozac... Not approved in US for obesity
        3- Decreases the amount of fat absorbed from the diet by 30%.
                - Orlistat: Xenical...not a Central Nervous System active drug.

The combination Fen-phen has been linked to potentially fatal heart valve damage. Pondimin (fenfluramine, the "fen" in fen-phen) or Redux (dexfenfluramine, related to fenfluramine, but not a component of fen-phen) have been withdrawn from the market in the United States. They were manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst, a division of American Home Products.
The "phen" in fen-phen is phentermine, which is not involved in the lawsuit settlement, and is still available in the United States as a prescription drug for obesity. Common brand names for phentermine include Adipex-P, Fastin, Ionamin, Oby-Cap, Phentamine, T-Diet, and Zantryl.

Drugs for Obesity Xenical

6- Surgical Treatment

Obesity is a chronic medical condition. For severely obese patients who have significant obesity-related medical complications (hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.), surgery is an option. Generally, the weight criterion for surgery is to be at least 100 lbs. (45 kg.) over your ideal body weight.

Two procedures dominate the practice of bariatric surgery in the 1990's: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and vertical banded gastroplasty. These procedures represent the latest innovations in the surgical treatment of clinically severe obesity and have replaced simple gastric partitioning, gastric stapling and intestinal bypass performed earlier.

These procedures have in common a small stomach pouch of one half to one ounce with a small connection to the rest of the GI tract, generally through an opening about one-half inch in diameter... gastric bypass is associated with somewhat greater weight loss and better long term weight maintenance.

Surgical Treatment of Obesity Bariatric Treatment Centers. Surgical Treatment

7- Liposuction:

    A new, kinder, gentler Liposuction which is more like massage than surgery:
     March 2, 2001 (Washington) -- A new type of liposuction device could make getting the body-slimming procedure a less weighty matter. Using a power-assisted cannula, or tube, that moves back and forth up to 5,000 times a minute, doctors can now suck out the fat while the patient actually enjoys it.
    The technique is considered particularly valuable in difficult-to-reach areas, including the breasts, inner thighs, and around the bellybutton.
    The results show the power-boosted cannula removes 30% more fat than the traditional manual one... 10 to 20 lbs. off!.
    From http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/1728.73930

8-Weight Loss Maintenance:
After successful weight loss, the likelihood of weight loss maintenance is enhanced by a program consisting of dietary therapy, physical activity, and behavior therapy which should be continued indefinitely. Drug therapy can also be used.

Food, Diet, and Health in the Bible:

From Genesis to Revelation, food plays a vital role in the Biblical account. The forbidden fruit is elemental the Fall of mankind from grace, and Jesus ate broiled fish when He appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection--evidence that He had indeed risen bodily from the dead.

I invite you to lose weight and be healthy God's way! You will learn to make simple, healthy choices that will not only create a slim, attractive body, but a healthy one: Lose weight, be healthy, live longer, and never go hungry!

1- Original food for man in the Bible:

In the beginning before man sinned, it was plants, seeds, cereals, legumes, fruits, nuts:

Genesis 1:29 "And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food."

The following explanation of Genesis 1:29 is given according to foods as we know them today:

Every plant yielding seed:

- Grains: wheat, corn, rye, barley, rice, oats, millet, etc.

- Seeds: sunflower, sesame, flax, pumpkin seeds, etc.

- Legumes- soybeans, lentils, peas, peanuts, other beans, etc.

- eggplant, okra, bell peppers, squash, green beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, etc.

Fruits: citrus fruits, sweet fruits, palm fruits, etc.

- Nuts: almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil, walnuts, etc.

So, God originally intended man to eat plants and fruits... And after the sin of Adam, green herbs were added... and mankind lived extraordinarily long lives, 912 years on average, for over 1,700 years. Only after the drastic changes of a global flood and the addition of a meat-eating diet did man's life-span diminish.

And what was the original food for animals?:
Originally it was "every green herb", "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so" (Genesis 1:30). So, Adam and Eve and the generations following, all the way up to Noah, were vegetarians... and all the animals and birds and reptiles were green herb eaters... even Tyrannosaurus Rex was a vegetarian!.

2- Green Herb is added for man:

Although vegetables (green herb) were not part of the Original Diet given to man, they were intended for animals (Gen.1:30)... but they were added to man's diet after he sinned, and are part of his diet today.
After man sinned, he was driven out of the Garden of Eden, and no longer had access to the wonderful tree of life. Man had to gain his livelihood by tilling the earth, and the "herb of the field" (originally food for the animals) was added to his diet.

In Genesis 3:17-19 "And unto Adam He said... And you shall eat the herb of the field".

    Herbs (vegetables):
    Leaf: beet greens, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard, etc
    Flower: globe artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower.
    Root: carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, etc.

A Good 600 Calorie Diet, to loose 2 pounds per week

A Drastic, Healthy Diet, to loose One Pound per day!

3- Meat and Fish is added for man:

After the Flood, in Genesis 9:3 “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

At the time of the flood the earth's soil and climate was dramatically altered. In many places on earth it would not be possible to obtain enough food from plant sources during all times of the year. It was at this time that God gave man permission to each animal flesh... "every moving thing"!: Animals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects...
Yet even in this God gave instruction that the blood must be drained from the carcass before eating it.

4- Milk and Honey:

   The Bible speaks pretty well about Milk and Honey:
    "And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8)
    God's idea of the ideal land is one with milk (protein) and honey (carbohydrates)!. Anyone who calls you to a diet that curses honey and milk is a Bible heretic.

5- Moderation... No Gluttony:

"The glutton shall come to poverty... and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." (Proverbs 23:2, 20)

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand". (Philippians 4:5)
Weight Watchers has simply applied this Bible principle to their program.

Food did not make us fat-- Our sin made us fat!. We have to confess our sin of gluttony and be now ready to start giving that fat back to God.

Vegetarians Are Healthier

God originally intended man to be vegetarian. (Gen.1:29)..and mankind lived extraordinarily long lives, 912 years on average, for over 1,700 years. Only after the drastic changes of a global flood and the addition of a meat-eating diet did man's life-span diminish (Gen.9:3.

Vegetarians are among the healthiest and longest living people on earth.
For instance, although these cultures live in a harsh environment and eat little to no meat, the Russian Caucasians, the Yucatan Indians, the East Indian Todas, and the Pakistan Hunzakuts live to be 90 to 100 years old. The three cultures that live the longest in the world are the Vilcambas (Andes of Ecuador), the Abkhasians (Black Sea), and the Hunzas (Himalayas of Northern Pakistan). All three cultures are completely vegetarian or very close to it. The largest group, the Hunzas, only consume an average of 1.5% of total calories from animal products. The elderly in these cultures not only live to be over 100 years old, but live vital, healthy lives until their death. (Robbins, John. Diet for a New America. Walpole, New Hampshire: Stillpoint Publishing, 1987. 154-155.)

Many laboratory tests have been conducted in order to compare the strength and stamina of meat-eaters against vegetarians. Yale Professor Irving Fisher selected men from three groups: meat-eating athletes, vegetarian athletes, and vegetarian sedentary subjects. He found that the meat-eating athletes showed far less endurance than even the sedentary vegetarians. Dr. J. Ioteyko of Paris performed a comparable study and found that vegetarians averaged two to three times more stamina than meat eaters. Also, he found that vegetarians only took one-fifth of the time to recover from exhaustion than did their meat-eating counterparts. A Danish study in 1968 revealed that men peddling on a stationary bicycle until muscle failure lasted an average of 114 minutes on a mixed meat and vegetable diet, 57 minutes on a high-meat diet, and a whopping 167 minutes on a strict vegetarian diet. (Robbins, John. Diet for a New America. Walpole, New Hampshire: Stillpoint Publishing, 1987. 156-158.)

It is inarguable that a meatless diet is healthy. The overwhelming evidence, biblical and scientific, is in favor of a vegetarian diet, consisting of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, with limited amounts of whole grains, brown rice, potatoes, and legumes.

Meat Food:

After the Flood, God gave man permission to each animal flesh... "every moving thing"!: Animals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects... (Gen.9:3)

Although it is not a sin to eat meat, it is very doubtful that God intended for us to eat as much meat as we do now. Meat was usually for special occasions in the Bible, such as blessings (Genesis 27:4-31), guests (Genesis 24:33), gifts (Genesis 45:23), offerings (Exodus 29:41, 40:29, etc.), ceremonies (Exodus 12:21), and celebration (Luke 15:11-32). It is very likely that most people went days or even weeks without meat.

But, what about our protein? Isn't that essential to the growth and nutrition of our bodies? Absolutely. Let me ask you some common-sense questions: Wouldn't you agree that an infant is growing at the most rapid rate of his lifetime? That is when he would need the most protein in his diet. Right? Well, wouldn't you also agree that God designed the perfect food for that infant? Mother's milk was flawlessly designed to meet every nutritional need of a baby. How much protein do you think is in mother's milk? 50%? No. 30%? Lower. 10%? You're getting warmer. Mother's milk averages only 1.2% protein and 1.6% at its peak. That's 1 gram per 2 lbs. of body weight. One serving of broccoli has that much protein! We're poisoning ourselves!

"The glutton shall come to poverty" (Proverbs 23:20-21). Eating meat at every meal is as close to gluttony as one can get. Cut down to one serving per day. Better still, take Daniel's ten-day test. Eliminate meat for ten days and see if you feel any different. Godspeed!

Meat and dairy products are so high in phosphorus that the body requires high amounts of calcium to maintain the proper two-to-one, calcium/phosphorus ratio. Where does the body get the calcium to maintain its proper balance of minerals? The bones! The more animal products we consume, the more calcium is leached from our bones. The result? Osteoporosis.

Our body can only handle 8 grains of uric acid (urine acid of animal which gives meat its taste) per day. A 4 oz piece of meat contains 16 grains. Uric acid leaches calcium from our bodies and causes arthritis.

If you must eat meat, do not eat it more than once a day and get it from a clean, organic source (kosher has no urine, or taste).

Animals Clean and Unclean:

LEVITICUS 11:1-30 "And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ''These are the animals which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth:

MAMMALS: Among the beasts, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cut that you may eat.

Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves:

the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.

Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you. (Isa. 66:17)

FISH: These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers that you may eat.

But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you.

They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. (This would include oysters, shrimp, clams, lobster, turtle, and catfish.)

Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales - that shall be an abomination to you.

FOWL: And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination:

the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, the kite, and the falcon after its kind; every raven after its kind, the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

INSECTS: All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you.

Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.

These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.

But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you. ......

RODENTS, REPTILES: These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; The gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.'"

DEUTERONOMY 14:3-21 Clean and unclean animal foods are reviewed, with the addition of the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the mountain goat, the antelope, and the mountain sheep to the list of clean meat. Also stated is "You shall not eat any detestable thing".

Eat No Animal Fat:

"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying: You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat. And the fat of a beast that dies naturally, and the fat of what is torn by wild animals, may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it." (LEVITICUS 7:23-24)

Eat No Blood:

“. . . but you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (Gen.9:3)

"Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people." (Lev.7:26-27)

NOTE: Let me say here that I do believe in giving blood transfusions to someone who is going to die or be severely anemic without this life-saving measure. The command forbids the eating of meat with the blood, not saving lives with it. I have met too many people who would forbid a blood transfusion, but think nothing of eating a juicy stake.

When Daniel and his 3 friends were faced with a decision not unlike ours today, they chose a diet with just vegetables and water (Daniel 1). And "At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food." (Dan.1:11-15)...
... King Nebuchadnezzar's choice food was very similar to the Standard American Diet (SAD), with plenty of meat, fish, eggs... and Daniel an his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were found even ten times better in matters of wisdom and understanding (Dan.1:18-20).

Daniel was a scientist (Daniel 1:4) and used the first recorded method of classical experimental design in Daniel 1. This was nearly 2,000 years before Roger Bacon "discovered" this scientific method. The classical experimental design must contain a control group and an experimental group in order to compare results. A hypothesis must be formed with an independent and dependent variable, i.e. the cause and effect.

In Daniel's experiment, the control group subjects consumed the king's meat and wine. The experimental group subjects had vegetables and water. All other conditions were identical, so the before-and-after test would compare the changes from the one-variable diet. His hypothesis contained the independent variable, the cause—diet. It also contained the dependent variable, the effect—healthier and better nourished bodies.

The results were obvious in Dan.1:15, 18-20)...

DANIEL 1:11-14 (When Daniel and his three companions were carried to Babylon as captives): "Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days."

The royal food would have included meat, fish, eggs... and also foods first offered to idols.

DANIEL 1:15 "At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food."

DANIEL 1:18-20: At the end of the three year period during which they were to learn the Caldean language:
They were found ten times better in matters of wisdom and understanding: “Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.”

Bible Food Bible Diet Diet and Health in the Bible My Body is God's Temple

Divine Faith Healing:

In Christian retreats very seldom is mentioned divine faith healing for overweight and obesity.

However, it is important to pray for the obese and the overweight, either if it is due to a sickness, or hereditary trait, or simply gluttony by a demon oppression or possession.

The way to pray is simply by casting out the demon and placing the hands on the obese, and it shall be healed, says Jesus (Mk.16:17-18).

The biblical way to proceed for healing of the obese or the overweight follows the same general rules of all the sickness and demon oppression, obsessions and possessions. Please look at Divine Healing of the Sick in the Bible

In the name of Jesus, I order the bad spirits of obesity to get out of the person reading these lines. Thank you, Jesus. Praise be the Lord. Alleluia!. Amen.