Rabies Prevention Tips

The summer season brings with it many outdoor activities to enjoy including hiking, camping and picnicking. It is wise to be aware of your surroundings and to understand the possibility of encountering bats while exploring the outdoors, and even the possibility of encountering a bat in your own home.

Bats often reside in undisturbed areas such as eve troughs, attics and crawl spaces. So long as they remain there and cannot gain access to the living space of buildings there is no immediate health hazard. However, if bats can gain access to the living space of buildings, particularly areas where people sleep, the risk of exposure to rabies is significantly elevated.

Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the nervous system and is always fatal once symptoms develop. It is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Most human cases of rabies in the Unites States are due to prior bat exposure, and in most cases direct contact with bats is not documented.

Bites from bats may be so minor as to not wake persons who are sleeping when the bite occurs.

To keep bats from entering your home, do not leave unscreened windows or doors open to the outside, eliminate attic access to living spaces, make sure window screens are in good repair and keep up with routine maintenance on the exterior of your home.

Keeping your home in good repair by caulking and sealing exterior holes and making sure attic vents are screened can minimize the likelihood of a bat encounter. Bats have been known to enter homes through openings as small as a pencil.

If a bat or bats are identified in a room where people sleep, please take the following actions:

1. Immediately move residents in the home to a bat free building
2. Contact your local health department to help determine your risk of rabies exposure
3. Begin work to exclude bats from the building
4. Do NOT repopulate the building until you are certain all bats are excluded

For more information, please visit: http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/story/Health_Department_offers_rabies_prevention_tips_id_003446

10 Health Benefits of Cherries

10 Health Benefits of Cherries

Cherries are commonly found in many different desserts, from pies to turnovers and more, but they also provide plenty of health benefits. If you would like to know what the cherry can do for you, read on.

Arthritis: Cherries contain a phytochemical known as anthocyanins that numerous studies have shown help in pain, specifically pain caused by arthritis. One study performed by scientists at John Hopkins University showed that tart red cherries reduced inflammation, which causes much of the pain that comes with arthritis. Losing weight: Yes, cherries are an excellent addition to the diet of anyone trying to lose weight.



Content Source: Bukisa - 10 Health Benefits of Cherries

How You Might Use Yoga Fitness To Your Benefit

How You Might Use Yoga Fitness To Your Benefit

by Adriana Noton


It is common for people who exercise to find doing the same routine boring after a while. They might have a membership at the gym, use a treadmill in their living room and participate in the odd aerobics class but still find them not interesting after a while. Sometimes the key to getting into shape is to try new things and keep your mind and body active with what it is doing. The idea behind yoga fitness has many perks to it that might have you excited about exercise again.

Once you learn the reasons behind this type of activity then you might not view it in a strange way. Typical yoga might be pared with meditation and unusual and painful poses and stretches. The truth is many forms of yoga do use breathing activities and stretches, however when you are going it and having fun, then you are not really thinking about it anymore.

If you are willing to give yoga a shot, then you have many resources to try. Places that specialize in yoga classes and teachings will be able to give you some high quality classes that are instructed by certified yoga teachers. If you are part of a gym, it might have a yoga class for you to try. When you are new to the sport, there are beginner classes for you that move up to advanced when you are ready. DVDs can be bought or rented and tried in the home if that is how you would prefer to try it.

It will take a while to master the moves involved in completing the classes. It is important to give it a try and attempt a few different classes before you rule it out. It might seem hard and difficult at first, but with a few repeat classes you just might be on your way to becoming a pro.

This workout method has a way of conditioning the body and mind. You will have more energy and be able to focus better than before. Stronger muscles can happen with the continued use of yoga throughout the week.

Yoga should be combined with other forms of exercise to see some awesome results. For a tight and fit body you can try many different kinds of fitness that will help to improve your strength and endurance. When you are able to do yoga and other activities, your body will be in great shape.

Many people who are trying to loose weight will include yoga Toronto classes as part of their routine and schedule. It has many weight loss properties that can help you get into the best shape ever.

For a low impact exercise that can be used by pregnant women and seniors, the concept of yoga fitness can help everyone who gives it a try. It is a well loved form of exercise that has a strong history for a good reason. Most people try it and find that they cannot stop, it is a fun and rewarding type of class.

About the Author:

As a leader in the Fitness industry, Extreme Fitness strives to offer its members yoga Toronto. Check us out today and find out what one of the premiere gym Toronto is all about.

Source:
PopularArticles.com^TM /
http://www.PopularArticles.com/article202242.html

SilverSneakers Celebrated Fitness program's first anniversary

The SilverSneakers fitness program celebrated its first anniversary at the Field House Sports and Fitness Center last week with a cookout in Hinkston Park, Waukegan.

Program members work out three days a week at the Fitness Center. Besides the physical and health benefits, participants develop real camaraderie and friendships, according to Michael Wirsing, fitness center supervisor.

SilverSneakers is the nation's largest fitness program geared to help older adults stay fit, strong and active.

Residents with Humana Medicare Advantage, Humana Team Care Gold, Humana Team Gold, AARP Medicare Supplement, Secure Horizons and United Healthcare Group medical coverage are eligible to obtain free SilverSneakers memberships at the Field House Sports and Fitness Center.

For more information about the program, call (847) 782-3300 or visit the Fitness Center, 800 N Baldwin Ave., Waukegan.

Source:
Suburban Chicago News

Team Fitness America Announced - Personal Trainer Of The Month June 2010

Motta has received notable client reviews and continues to show success with helping clients with their fitness goals, making him Team Fitness America June Personal Trainer Of The Month. Team Fitness America offers fitness throughout 17 states.

Team Fitness America announced their June Personal Trainer Of The Month out of New York City. Victor Motta, an ACE certified personal trainer, was chosen among the several hundreds of personal trainers that were eligible for the prestigious award. Motta is the first personal trainer at Team Fitness America to put New York on the map with the award.

Motta was nominated by each of his Team Fitness America clients along with the area’s Fitness Director. He has mastered every requirement of Team Fitness America while going above and beyond their requirements for customer service skills. Motta started out five years ago at a local YMCA where he jumped right into training people with disabilities and learned to modify his routines to meet their needs. He moved on to an athletic club where Motta learned martial arts and boxing to add to his fast growing repertoire later finding himself earning at spot with Team Fitness America while broadening his horizons.

Certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), which is the oldest certification body in the nation, and also enrolled at Brooklyn College, where he is working on a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science, Motta is well rounded. He combines his passion for helping others achieve their goals with his knowledge of both fitness and nutrition to create an amazing program for his clients. Motta has received notable client reviews and continues to show success with helping clients with their fitness goals, making him Team Fitness America June Personal Trainer Of The Month.

Team Fitness America offers clients the prospect to experience fitness training with one of their stellar personal trainers throughout 17 states. They started announcing a top Personal Trainer Of The Month to illustrate one fitness trainer’s ability to provide not only a satisfying workout with measurable results but also great customer service. Each month they announced top personal trainers from places such as Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Baltimore, New Jersey, and Miami, but this month the city of Manhattan takes the first place prize from housing the top personal trainer.

For more information please visit:

http://www.i-newswire.com/team-fitness-america-june-2010/43384

Four Tips to Start Your Exercise Program

Often, the hardest step to take is the first one. Follow these 4 simple ideas to get you started on the road to fitness.

For the beginner, getting to the gym is the hardest part. Most of the time you just don't want to go and when you do, you don't know where to start! There are a million other things you could be doing with that time for work, for the kids, or just to relax. The thought of losing 20 or more pounds can really be overwhelming and that is why most people don't even try. You really just have to buckle down and determine to better yourself so make use of these helpful hints:

Make it Easy: The biggest reason most people don't get to the gym is inconvenience. This can easily be solved by joining a gym close to your house or work so it's not out of your way to get there. That will eliminate probably half of your excuses, which are only making you your own worst enemy.

Get a Partner: Hiring a trainer is awesome, but you don’t have to train with Jillian Michaels to see results. Even a workout partner will do. If you need motivation, team up with someone who can help you.

Make it a Habit: Make your gym time a part of your routine and go every day you say you will. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit, be it good or bad. This is simply you forcing yourself to create good habits. Exercise offers so many benefits for your health that you can't afford to put it off any longer.

Educate Yourself:Invest in magazines, fitness websites, or fitness tv shows to learn more about healthy eating, exercise, and the human body. The more you know, the more you will be able to stick to the plan because you’ll know why.

In order to get somewhere, you have to start. The weight loss may not be fast, but it will be rewarding. Take it one day at a time and eventually you will reap the benefits of hard work, and remember - the most effective piece of equipment you use on your fitness journey is a positive attitude.

Probiotics may help fat and weight loss

Daily supplements of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) may help weight loss in people with obese tendencies, says new science from Japan.

Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction in abdominal fat, and a 3.3 per cent reduction in subcutaneous fat, according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Furthermore, body weight dropped by 1.4 per cent and waist size decreased by 1.8 per cent, report researchers from Snow Brand Milk Products, Kyushu University, Nippon Milk Community Co., Iwaki Meisei University, and Isogo Central and Neurosurgical Hospital.

The study extends previous findings from Kyushu University researchers, which showed LG2055 may reduce fat levels (adiposity) and fat cells in animals (British Journal of Nutrition, 2009, Vol. 101, pp. 716-724; 2008, Vol. 99, pp. 1013-7). In addition, Snow Brand scientists have reported that LG2055 in fermented milk "has the ability to establish in the human gastrointestinal tract and alters the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora and physical characteristics of faeces", (J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001, Vol. 90, pp. 343-352).

Potential

With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.

A breakthrough paper published in Nature in December 2006 (Vol. 444, pp. 1022-1023, 1027-1031) reported that microbial populations in the gut are different between obese and lean people, and that when the obese people lost weight their microflora reverted back to that observed in a lean person, suggesting that obesity may have a microbial component.

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine (Vol. 1, Issue 6, 6ra14), advanced this by successfully showing that the human gut microbiota can successfully be transferred to germ-free mice, and that this can then be passed on from mother to offspring.

Study details

The Japanese scientists recruited 87 overweight people with an average BMI of 24.2 kg/m2 to participate in their multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention trial. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 200 grams per day of fermented milk with or without LG2055 day for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, significant decreases were observed in the Lactobacillus group in body weight, BMI (1.5 per cent), waist circumference, and in the hips (1.5 per cent). No significant reductions were observed in the control group, however.

"The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders," concluded the scientists.

Source:

http://www.dairyreporter.com/Products/Probiotics-may-help-fat-and-weight-loss-Study

Taking Steps to Lose Your Weight With a Walking Workout

If you would like to lose a little weight and generally get into better shape, like many of us would, then it is very simple. You must consume fewer calories by eating and drinking than you expend as a result of physical exercise. Do this consistently over a period of time and you will be certain to lose weight. There is no big secret, no wonder drug and no miracle health supplement involved.

Basically, if you want to lose weight, then you need to eat and drink less (diet), burn more calories (exercise) – or both. In fact, the best solution is very definitely to do both simultaneously. Taking regular exercise will increase your metabolic rate – the rate at which you burn calories. As long as you exercise on a regular basis then you will burn calories at a greater rate when you’re not exercising, for example sitting watching the TV, typing on your computer or even sleeping.

Of course, the very thought of exercising can be off-putting for many people – but there’s no reason to avoid exercise, it needn’t involve getting all hot, sweaty and out of breath. One of the very best exercises that you can do is walking, something which the large majority of us do every single day. You just need to walk a little more often and a little further and you will soon reap the rewards – and there are numerous benefits available to anyone who walks on a regular basis.

The recommendation of many health and fitness professionals is that we should try to walk 10,000 steps a day. That equates to a distance of between four and a half and five miles for the average person. It sounds like a long way – but you may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to achieve. Remember, that 10,000 steps is the total distance, it includes the normal walking that you do every day anyway. You aren’t starting from scratch.

Leave the car at home and walk to work – or get off the bus a couple of stops early and finish the last part of your journey on foot. If you do decide to take the car then just park it in a faraway corner of the parking lot so that you need to walk further. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Take a fifteen minute walk at lunch time. It all adds up.

Other than a comfortable pair of shoes, no special equipment is required to start a walking exercise program. However, you might find it useful to invest in a pedometer – especially if your walking is broken up into short sessions throughout your day. It will help you to keep track of your progress and to stay motivated.

If you are able to fit longer walks into your day then you might also want to think about getting an mp3 player if you don’t already have one. The miles and the time will pass much faster when you’re walking along listening to your favorite tunes.

Source:

http://news.netstrife.com/taking-steps-to-lose-weight-with-a-walking-workout/417/

Weight Loss Program in Los Angles

NCRPO chief supervises officers’ fitness exams

The chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Monday said he will personally supervise the conduct of the 2010 First Semester Graded Physical Fitness (GPFT) of all Police Commissioned Officers assigned in Metro Manila.

NCRPO chief Roberto Rosales said he wanted to personally supervise the GPFT to emphasize his resolve to ensure that every NCRPO police is physically fit to keep up with the rigors of police work.

He explained that the GPFT is composed of sets of physical exercise like pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, 100-meter dash and road run (1, 2, or 3 kilometer run, depending on the age of the performer) which were established to provide minimum standards on the amount of physical activities that a policeman must pass to be considered fit and able for active police work.

The NCRPO chief explained that the activities included in the GPFT approximate some of the strenuous circumstances a policeman would face on a daily basis such as running after a fleeing felon, pounding an eight-hour patrol beat, conducting reconnaissance in rugged terrains, or taking part in quelling a mob during a Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) operation.

Rosales said that all Police Commissioned Officers or those with rank from Police Inspector to Police Senior Superintendent will take the GPFT at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City starting Tuesday and will last up to June 2, 2010.

He said the rest of the Police Non-Commissioned Officers will take the test in their respective police Districts and came out with a directive that teams of GPFT facilitators will be sent from another Police district to supervise the performance of every policeman so as to avoid familiarity with the supervisors and remove speculations that some are lax in implementing the set standard.

It was learned that during the last 2009 second semester GPFT in NCRPO, from the total personnel strength of 15,010 policemen, 13,022 (86.76%) had undertaken the test and from those who took the exam, 12,668 (97.3%) passed while 218 (1.67%) failed.

For more information please visit:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/258837/ncrpo-chief-supervises-officers-fitness-exams

A handful of pistachios keeps heart doc away

A diet containing nuts, including pistachios, can significantly lower total and LDL-cholesterol levels, in addition to triglycerides, according to a new study.

Published in Archives of Internal Medicine, the 600-subject, 25 clinical trial study, conducted in seven counties, is the most comprehensive study of its kind and further substantiates the evidence that nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The report, authored by Dr. Joan Sabaté of Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health, and funded by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation, set out to quantify the cholesterol-reducing benefits of various nuts, such as pistachios, by analyzing previously published human clinical trials.

To reach the conclusion, the authors reviewed the results of 25 human clinical trials published from 1992 through 2007. The analysis included data from 583 men and women, aged 19 to 86 years old. Among the studies, nut consumption ranged from less than one ounce to 4.75 ounces per day. The average daily intake for the meta-analysis was 67 grams per day or 2.4 ounces.

The results found that when 67 grams of nuts were consumed, triglycerides were reduced by 10.2 per cent among those with high triglyceride levels at the onset of the study; and total and LDL-cholesterol were lowered by 5.1 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively. Individuals with higher baseline LDL-cholesterol levels also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels compared to those with normal baseline LDL levels. Subjects following a typical Western-diet also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels (-7.4 percent and - 9.6 per cent, respectively) compared to a low-fat (-4.1 per cent and -6.0 per cent, respectively) or a Mediterranean diet (-4.1 per cent and -6.0 per cent, respectively).

“Enjoying a handful or two of in-shell pistachios may provide significant heart health benefits,” said Martin Yadrick, M.B.A., R.D., immediate past-president of the American Dietetic Association. “They are known to also improve blood vessel function, blood sugar control, act as potent antioxidant and offer weight management benefits, all of which are important for improving heart health.”

Source:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Life/Health-Fitness/Health/A-handful-of-pistachios-keeps-heart-doc-away/articleshow/5943851.cms

Improved cholesterol and blood pressure levels reduce heart attack risk

A drop in the rate of deaths due to coronary heart disease (CHD) by 35 percent has been witnessed in Ontario between 1994 and 2005, a new research has revealed. The reduction in the death rate has been attributed to improvements in both lifestyle factors and medical treatments.

The study published in the May 12 issue of JAMA, shows that both improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels and new medical and surgical treatments have contributed towards the reduction in the rates of death due to heart disease.

Harindra C Wijeysundera, of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada and his colleagues, the researchers and authors of this study stated that coronary heart disease continues to remain the most common cause of death worldwide. However, the death rates have reduced over the last three decades to a large extent. Recognizing the underlying causes associated with this decline is necessary for planning future health policies and prioritizing strategies for primary and secondary prevention.

For more information please visit:

http://www.bolohealth.com/news/2855-improved-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure-levels-reduce-heart-attack-risk

The best diets to reduce weight

A perennial topic of debate is the right diet for losing weight. Many different approaches have been popularized over the years, each with its adherents. In particular, there has been an ongoing battle between the Atkins diet and Dean Ornish's low fat approach, and between these two extremes the Mediterranean diet has straddled a seemingly healthy middle ground.

Now it appears that there is enough evidence to indicate that no one diet is the 'best' for weight loss. A report last year by my colleague Dr Frank Sacks at the Harvard School of Public Health (the 'Pounds Lost' trial) found that the amount of weight lost was the same regardless of the ratio of protein, fat or carbohydrate in the diet.

This was one of the longest and most rigorous studies comparing a low-carb approach to a low-fat approach. They randomly assigned overweight adults to varying ratios of nutrients. The participants were offered instructional sessions for 2 years. At 6 months, participants assigned to each diet had lost an average of 6 kg, but then they began to regain weight after 12 months. By 2 years, weight loss was the same regardless of protein, fat, or carbohydrate ratios.

What they found is that cutting calories is the basic element to weight-loss success. Satiety, hunger, satisfaction with the diet, and attendance at group sessions were similar for all 4 diets. The diets all improved lipid-related risk factors and fasting insulin levels.

Interestingly, attendance at group sessions was strongly associated with weight loss, adding more evidence that our social nature needs to be mobilized in the service of our health.

In the end, these results con-firm the basic laws of physics. Energy intake, if not burned, will lead to weight gain. A few tips: It does appear that exercise in modest amounts can help curb the appetite just enough to help.

For more information please visit:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/96861/Lifestyle/The+best+diets+for+weight+loss.html

The skinny on weight loss in children

CHILDREN usually gain weight faster in their earlier years than any other time in their life, but there are some babies who fail to gain weight at a normal rate or who lose weight rapidly for no apparent reason. There are varying reasons for slow weight gain in children. According to paediatrician Dr Lisa Franklin, these reasons can vary from medical to social in nature.

"When I think of low weight gain, how I would approach it, is looking at a child who is one, not getting enough calories; two, the child who is getting enough calories, but for some reason he or she is not absorbing those calories; or three, the child who is requiring more than the usual amount of calories," she said.

Franklin also noted that in some cases, babies do not get enough calories because they are not being fed properly.

"For some reasons, mommy is breastfeeding and there are some issues with breastfeeding," she said. "Maybe the child is not sucking properly, maybe the child is having a problem that is causing him/her not to suck properly [and] if the child is being formula fed, the formula might not be prepared correctly."

In addition to this, the paediatrician explains that there are some medical conditions that would prevent the child from getting the correct quantity of feeding. This occurs, for example, when the child may have a cleft lip or a cleft palate.

"There might also be some children who have milk protein intolerance, so they may be vomiting and that sort of stuff. So you can think about illnesses that may affect the way calories are absorbed; one example is cystic fibrosis -- not common here -- but you have to think about it," she said, adding that a child with a congenital heart condition or gastro oesophagus reflux usually requires more calories than the average child.

Children who do not consume the right amount of nutrients usually suffer from slow weight gain. The paediatrician explains that in some cases poverty prevents parents from giving their children food with the right amount of nutritional content, while in other cases children might refuse to eat foods that are nutritious for them.

For more information please visit:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/The-skinny-on-weight-loss-in-children_7588665

How federal health care reform will impact Wisconsin

Health care. It is one of the most basic needs for all citizens, yet there are citizens who do not have access to quality care for various reasons.

In response to this need, the federal government enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act last month to help those vulnerable citizens get coverage.

There have been many who criticize the merits - and the legality - of this set of bills. In particular, Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen requested permission from state leaders to join with other state attorney generals to file suit contesting the constitutionality of the bills.

However, most agree these bills will make sweeping changes across the nation with effects varying depending on each state.

For example, while Wisconsin has always been a leader in health care, Department of Health Services spokesperson Seth Boffeli said the state will still need to make adjustments to meet the new national health care standards.

The bills

The House of Representatives first passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act in November 2009 as a means of reforming the U.S. health care system, but this bill did not make it past the Senate. Instead, the Senate crafted the PPACA, which the House then passed, along with the HCERA to amend parts of the PPACA.

The PPACA prohibits insurance companies from rating customers based on preexisting health conditions or current health status, and it set up a national "health insurance exchange" where qualifying insurance companies can be listed on a marketplace for consumers to browse the best coverage option.

This bill also forms a public health insurance option to ensure competition, allow for unmarried older children to stay on their parents’ insurance up to age 26 and offer small businesses and low-income residents tax credits to help them afford coverage.

The HCERA also makes such amendments to the PPACA as increasing tax credits to buy insurance, closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap, giving seniors a $250 rebate and having the government pay the total costs of Medicaid expansion from 2014 until 2016, when the percentage will decrease incrementally to 90 percent after 2019.

"As I looked across the well of the House, I saw so many of my colleagues tearing up because I think like me they sense the … history of this vote, the history of this moment," U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. said in a video statement following the PPACA floor vote.

However, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. did not share Baldwin's opinion of the bills and criticized the government's "power grab" during the March 21 floor debate.

"Health care affects each and every one of us. It is the most personal thing there is. And yet, here we are debating whether the government should have a bigger role in making those decisions," Ryan said.

For more information please visit: http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/04/28/how_federal_health_c.php

Weight loss sites target men living large

Do men really need their own weight-loss programs?

The leaders in the industry, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, have targeted men. Working under the premise that “men approach weight loss differently,” Weight Watchers for Men offers a “customized online system built for men, just men,” the program’s Web site says. Jenny Craig has enlisted actor Jason Alexander as a spokesman and promises guys that they can occasionally splurge on beer and fries.

But do men lose weight differently than women do? Or are these “for men” programs gimmicks?

A bit of both. Arizona-based weight-loss doctor Craig Primack, speaking for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, says there are a few ways in which men diverge from women in approaches to losing weight. But he suggests the differences aren’t big enough to require separate programs: “I think (the companies) are looking for subtypes of people to market to.”

That’s probably a smart business move, as the market is, well, huge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one-third of all men are obese.

Men, Primack says, “tend to underestimate how much weight they have to lose, and they won’t start until they have 50 pounds” to shed. Plus, he says, “In society now, it’s not frowned upon when a man is mildly overweight.” The same doesn’t hold true for women.

Men also are generally taller and carry more lean muscle mass, which helps in losing weight, Primack says. “For women, baby weight often puts them behind the eight ball, and they get a second hit around menopause, when they gain weight around the middle.”

“When you have more muscle, you burn more calories at rest. We tend to see the men lose weight at a quicker rate than women,” agrees Misti Evans, a clinical dietitian and director of weight management and diabetes education at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.

Plus, women tend to carry extra weight in the hips, thighs and stomach, which is often is more difficult to lose than the typical male “apple shape,” where weight is concentrated in the stomach, she says.

Although 80 percent of its patients are female, the center’s programs don’t separate support groups by gender, because the behavioral therapists believe everyone can benefit from discussing their experiences together, she says.

The programs are individualized to tackle each patient’s issues, but she’s noticed a trend among new female patients: self-doubt.

“Typically, women deal with this more than men and have tried a number of things (before joining the program), and have that little voice in the back of their head telling them they’re going to fail,” Evans says.

Primack notes that while women are generally “slow and persistent” in their approach to weight loss, men tend to “initially lose faster, 15 or more pounds in three or four months. But then they get a little complacent” and their progress slows.

For more information please visit: http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100422/FEAT/304229919/1162

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