Weight Loss

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by: MoseMan.
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Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 Time: 1:23 AM

Weight loss is the unintentional or intentional reduction of total body mass by mean loss of fluid, fat in the body or adipose tissue in reference to medicine, health or physical fitness.

Unintentional weight loss

Unintentional weight loss happens with many disease and conditions such as cancer, AIDS and others. Unintentional weight loss has many causes such as the ones listed below;

1. Starvation – largely due to lack of essential nutrients over a long period of time.

2. Cancer – an often fatal disease that grows in the body which can cause expedited weight loss. Cancers in this case include gastrointestinal, prostate, hepatobilary, Ovarian, hematologic or lung malignancies.

3. AIDS – Human immune deficiency virus that causes AIDS should be a suspect in individuals showing signs of unexplained weight loss.

4. Gastrointestinal disorders – referred to as the most common non- cancerous causes of idiopathic weight loss. Possible gastrointestinal disorders of unexplained weight loss include; celiac disease, peptic ulcer, inflammatory bowel disease, gastritis, diarrhea etc.

5. Infections – some of these infectious diseases like fungal illness, endocarditic, many parasitic diseases, AIDS and some occult infections cause weight loss.

6. Renal Disease – individuals with uremia, emesis and nausea have poor or no appetite hence weight loss.

7. Cardiac Disease – for example, congestive heart failure can cause weight loss.

8. Pulmonary Disease

9. Connective Tissue Disease

10. Neurologic disease – which also includes dementia cause weight loss.

Intentional weight loss

Intentional weight loss is the loss of total body mass to enhance fitness and health and change ones appearance. Intentional weight loss mostly is achieved through dietary restrictions hence many strategies have been designed for individuals in need, for example, calorie-restriction strategies.

Therapeutic weight loss

Therapeutic weight loss in overweight or obese individuals reduces the risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis and some cancers.

The most recommended and least intrusive weight loss techniques are eating pattern adjustments, increased physical activity, increase in fiber to regulate bowel movements, drugs, supplements which block fats, decrease appetite and reduce stomach volume, surgery e.g. bariatric surgery to reduce the stomach, virtual gastric band which uses hypnosis where the brain thinks the stomach is small than it is hence low food ingestion. Note that it is recommended that these techniques should only be done under a physician or specialists’ advice and supervision.

The weight loss golden rule is to avoid foods high in sugars, fats and alcohol consumption, depression, stress, boredom which lead to increase in weight.

Crash Dieting

This refers to willful nutritional restriction, except water, for twelve hours and over, resulting in fast loss of significant weight in a short period of time. It is not recommended by doctors due to possible muscle loss.

Weight loss industry

The weight loss industry is a market promising to make weight loss easy, quick, cheap, reliable and with less pain by use of CDs, books, crèmes, lotions, pills, body wraps, body belts, earrings, rings etc. This industry spends at least $33 billion to $55billion annually for weight loss products and services.

About the Author

Emerson A Moseley Jr is the author of this article on Dieting And Weight. Find more information on Weight Plans here.

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