The Gulf Cooperation Council: Weight Loss Surgeries

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the number of overweight and obesity cases across the globe. The GCC region has recorded a massive increase in the population that is obese as compared to other parts of the world. This has prompted individuals to use various approaches to lose weight. One approach that is gaining popularity over the last decade is Bariatric surgery. The paper carried analysis of descriptive statistics and graphs for the number of weight loss surgeries in the GCC.

The analysis was carried out between the year 1995 and 2015. The results show that there was a significant increase in the number of weight loss surgeries in the GCC. Further, a rapid increase was experienced from the year 2004. The average number of weight loss surgeries conducted in GCC was 88,241. Finally, the surgeries conducted in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates accounted for more than 60% of the total surgeries in the GCC.

Introduction

Cases of obesity and overweight have increased significantly over the past years across the globe. The situation in the GCC is considered bad because the cases of overweight and obesity rates have grown at a disturbing rate over the past 10 years. Studies indicate that women in the GCC are generally more than men (Almunajjed, 2012). This can be attributed to the culture and lifestyle in the region. The data for prevalence of overweight for the member states in the GCC are summarized in the table below.

Men Women
Kuwait 78% 79%
Qatar 73% 70%
UAE 71% 71%
Bahrain 71% 70%
Saudi Arabia 69% 69%
Oman 57% 54%

The high percentages of overweight and obesity has created a need to fight this major health concern. One of the major approaches that people use to treat obesity is weight loss surgery (Bariatric surgery). The demand for Bariatric surgery among adolescents and adults has grown significantly in the GCC. In some countries such as Qatar, the surgery is performed at no cost to the nationals by hospitals such as Hamad Medical Corporation (Hamad Medical Corporation, 2015; Hamad Medical Corporation, 2016). Further, it is estimated that about 30% of the obese population always goes for the weight loss surgery (ALNohair, 2014). The main objective of the paper is to carry out data analysis for number of weight loss surgery in the GCC.

Data

The data for the total number of people who have undergone weight loss surgery between the period 1995 and 2015 was collected from the Word Bank and World Health Organization websites (The World Bank, 2016; World Health Organization, 2016). Further, the data are collected from all the six member states that make up the GCC. The table presented below shows the total number of people who have undergone weight loss surgery in the six countries and the total for the GCC region.

Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates GCC
1995 2,782 10,313 6,871 2,495 11,633 11,528 45,623
1996 2,862 10,319 6,959 2,549 12,215 12,104 47,008
1997 2,950 10,623 6,984 2,631 12,846 12,730 48,764
1998 3,050 11,127 6,975 2,732 13,532 13,409 50,826
1999 3,163 11,675 6,977 2,842 14,277 14,147 53,080
2000 3,291 12,156 7,021 2,955 15,098 14,961 55,482
2001 3,429 12,537 7,124 3,056 15,928 15,784 57,859
2002 3,580 12,866 7,283 3,159 16,801 16,648 60,337
2003 3,758 13,205 7,477 3,327 17,948 17,785 63,500
2004 3,987 13,648 7,675 3,646 19,681 19,502 68,139
2005 4,279 14,261 7,859 4,168 22,186 21,984 74,736
2006 4,643 15,054 8,005 4,922 25,598 25,365 83,587
2007 5,066 15,993 8,131 5,871 29,750 29,480 94,291
2008 5,506 17,043 8,315 6,917 34,156 33,845 105,783
2009 5,906 18,152 8,659 7,924 38,142 37,795 116,578
2010 6,225 19,275 9,229 8,792 41,231 40,856 125,607
2011 6,445 20,407 10,063 9,489 43,237 42,844 132,485
2012 6,581 21,543 11,114 10,038 44,315 43,912 137,504
2013 6,659 22,640 12,248 10,464 44,748 44,341 141,101
2014 6,721 23,645 13,280 10,817 44,976 44,568 144,007
2015 6,795 24,520 14,079 11,130 45,327 44,915 146,767

Descriptive statics

Results of descriptive statistics

Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates GCC
Mean 4,651.42 15,761.97 8,682.36 5,710.77 26,839.28 26,595.29 88,241.09
Standard Error 327.50 1,012.25 481.19 703.62 2,865.88 2,839.83 8,159.63
Median 4,278.71 14,260.71 7,859.10 4,167.88 22,185.78 21,984.09 74,736.28
Mode #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A
Standard Deviation 1,500.81 4,638.69 2,205.08 3,224.41 13,133.12 13,013.73 37,392.10
Sample Variance 2,252,442.01 21,517,458.93 4,862,383.61 10,396,845.93 172,478,959.94 169,357,233.31 1,398,169,217.39
Kurtosis -1.65 -0.98 0.95 -1.40 -1.69 -1.69 -1.54
Skewness 0.25 0.60 1.42 0.58 0.34 0.34 0.42
Range 4,013.49 14,206.30 7,207.79 8,635.23 33,693.70 33,387.39 101,143.90
Minimum 2,782.01 10,313.30 6,871.49 2,495.07 11,633.45 11,527.69 45,623.01
Maximum 6,795.50 24,519.60 14,079.29 11,130.30 45,327.15 44,915.09 146,766.92
Sum 97,679.85 331,001.41 182,329.52 119,926.10 563,624.93 558,501.07 1,853,062.87
Count 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00
Largest(1) 6,795.50 24,519.60 14,079.29 11,130.30 45,327.15 44,915.09 146,766.92
Smallest(1) 2,782.01 10,313.30 6,871.49 2,495.07 11,633.45 11,527.69 45,623.01
Confidence Level (95.0%) 683.16 2,111.51 1,003.74 1,467.74 5,978.13 5,923.78 17,020.68

Graphs

Proportion

Trend analysis

Comparison results

Column graph

Bar graph

Analysis and conclusion

Descriptive statistics

The descriptive statistics give a summary of the data of Bariatric surgery in the GCC. The mean gives information on the average number of surgeries conducted in the GCC between the year 1995 and 2015. A comparison of the mean values shows that Bahrain had the lowest mean (4,651.42) while Saudi Arabia had the highest value (26,839.28). The differences in the mean values can partly be attributed to the differences in size of population in these countries.

The mean for GCC is 88,241. The median is the middle value of the data set. They are values that were reported in the year 2005. Standard deviation is a measure of dispersion. It shows how the values are spread around the mean. A high value of standard deviation implies that the values are widely spread from the mean. The result shows that Saudi Arabia had the highest value of standard deviation while Bahrain had the lowest value.

The standard deviation for GCC was 74,736. The high value of the standard deviation can be attributed to the significant growth of a number of weight loss surgeries over the years. The range shows the difference between the maximum and the minimum value in the data set. The range is also a basic measure of dispersion. It shows how the values in the data set are spread. The range of weight loss surgeries in GCC was 101,143. The high value shows that the there was significant growth in the variable during the 21 year period.

A comparison can also be made on skewness and kurtosis of the data set. These two elements of descriptive statistics give information on the symmetry of the data used. The results of skewness and kurtosis can be used to make inferences about the normality of the data. For a normally distributed data, the value of skewness is zero while the value of kurtosis is 3. Thus, positive values of skewness indicate that the data is tilted to the right while negative skewness implies that the data is slanted to the left. The values of skewness for all the countries and GCC were positive. This shows that they are tilted to the right.

Further, the values for Bahrain (0.25), Saudi Arabia (0.34), United Arab Emirates (0.34), and GCC (0.42) were close to zero. This shows that the data are nearly symmetrical. Oman had the highest value of skewness (1.42) followed by Kuwait (0.60), and Qatar (0.58). The data for these countries are skewed to the right. On the other hand, Bahrain (-1.65), Qatar (-1.40), Saudi Arabia (-1.69), United Arabs Emirates (-1.69), and GCC (1.54) had a relatively similar level of kurtosis.

The values of kurtosis show that they have similar levels of peakedness. Further, Kuwait (-0.98) and Oman (0.95) had lower levels of kurtosis as compared to those of the other countries. Thus, based on the values of skewness and kurtosis, the data for Bahrain is closer to normality while the data for Oman is less close to normality. It can be concluded that the data set for all the six countries and GCC do not follow a normal distribution.

Graphs

The pie chart shows the proportion of the number of weight loss surgeries for each county in the GCC. The chart shows the number of surgeries carried out in Saudi Arabia (30.42%) accounted for the highest percentage of total number of surgeries in the GCC. This was followed by the United Arab Emirates (30.14%) and Kuwait (17.86%). Bahrain had the least percentage (5.27%). Thus, it can be observed that the two countries (Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) accounted for more than half of the total surgeries in the GCC. This can be attributed to the high size of population in these two countries. Thus, movements in the number of surgeries in these countries will have a direct effect on overall total for the GCC.

The line graph presented above shows the trend of the number of surgeries carried out between 1995 and 2015. It can be noted that there was an increase in the number of surgeries in all the six countries and in the GCC. Further, it can be observed that the growth rate increased tremendously after 2010. This can be seen in the change of the steepness of the line graphs. The increase can be attributed to the rapid increase in cases of obesity after 2010.

The increase can also be attributed to increased awareness in the use of Bariatric surgery across the globe. The line graph for GCC also displays a significant increase number of surgeries. A steep increase was experienced between the year 2004 and 2011. This shows that the number of Bariatric surgeries increased at an increasing rate during this period. After 2011, the rate of increase slowed down.

Finally, the column and bar graphs show a comparison of the number of surgeries for GCC and the six countries. The graph shows that Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia had the highest number of weight loss surgeries while Bahrain had the lowest number of surgeries. The graph also shows that there was an increase in the number of surgeries in all the countries and GCC during the period of analysis.

References

Almunajjed, M. (2012). . Web.

ALNohair, S. (2014). Obesity in Gulf Countries: International Journal of Health Sciences, 8(1), 79-83.

Hamad Medical Corporation. (2015). . Web.

Hamad Medical Corporation. (2016). . Web.

The World Bank. (2016).

World Health Organization. (2016). Obesity  situations and trend. Web.

Weight Loss in an Elderly Male

Introduction

Weight loss experience in late adulthood is a critical concern to health care providers. Loss of weight is an indicator of malnutrition; therefore, appropriate management should be given promptly. In recent studies, the elderly suffering from involuntary weight loss has significantly contributed to morbidity and mortality (Na et al., 2021). Health care providers should have a framework for assessing and evaluating weight loss in patients.

Summary Using Nine Ds of Geriatric Weight Loss

Dementia predisposes Roy to forget doing daily routines such as exercising, taking meals, and cooking. Polypharmacy becomes a challenge and stress for Roy, which leads to loss of weight. Dysphagia enhances the choking of food, thus leading to dehydration and malnutrition. Dysgeusia predisposes Roy to a distorted taste of food, leading to a disorder that emanates from foul, salty, and metallic perceptions. Dentation portrays challenges of food aversion and reduced food intake, thus suppressing weight. Diarrhea causes loss of nutrients and electrolytes vital for weight maintenance (Na et al., 2021). Depression causes a change of appetite leading to a low intake of food. Diseases cause muscle wasting that predisposes Roy to weight loss. Dysfunction of body organs leads to debilitating nature that involves insufficient information about food.

Steps Involved in Improving Eating Habits

First, the family should encourage Roy to eat more frequently. Measuring food intake is essential because an increase in food consumption evaluates improvement. Instead of taking three meals a day, the family should make arrangements for five to six smaller meals. Second, consuming foods rich in calories (Na et al., 2021). The family should have a weighing scale to ascertain the effectiveness of high caloric foods. Weight loss is an essential and crucial concept that healthcare workers and family members must have prior knowledge of for patients effective management.

Reference

Na, W., Kim, J., Kim, H., Lee, Y., Jeong, B., Lee, S. P., & Sohn, C. (2021).Clinical Nutrition Research, 10(1), 2435. Web.

The Definition Of Weight Loss And Effective Ways To Gain It

It’s an exceptional goal to give yourself thirty days or about a month to shed some weight. There are lots of transformations that you can make within a month that will outcome in significance dissimilarities not only in your weight but the general appearance and well being. From several Weight loss tips, normally, shedding more than one to two pounds every week or about eight to nine pounds each month is not commended. Rapid loss of weight isn’t consistently secure or sustainable for an extended period. It may not be a practical objective when you aim to Lose Six Kg in One month. But with suitable transformations to your diet, lifestyle, and exercise strategy, you can come close to shedding that weight.

What is weight loss?

In the context of health, physical fitness or medicine, weight loss refers to a depletion of the total body weight because of loss of body fat, fluid or lean mass. It may either happen accidentally due to starving, an underlying illness or arise from a deliberate attempt to enhance perceived or actual overweight.

How to lose 6 Kg of weight in 1 month

One month is long enough to aid you to shed weight securely. Setting a time limit can keep you remain disciplined as you attempt to attain your earmarked weight. This time limit can assist you in growing healthy routines while discerning the outcomes of your attempts without feeling very disadvantaged. Several elements decide how much weight you can lose in a month, such as eating routines and lifestyle. Here are helpful tips to assist you to Lose Six Kg in One month.

Following a weight loss diet.

Opt for a low carb diet.

If you desire to lose six kilograms of weight in four weeks, you should begin by avoiding starch and sugar. As you go through many Weight loss tips, you’ll discover that it’s still feasible to shed weight on any diet. You only need to devour a few calories than you’re burning. The significant benefit of a low carb food is that it occasions you to desire to eat less. Starch and sugar may grow your craving while circumventing them may lessen your appetite to a sufficient level. Therefore, low carb food can diminish your desire and make it simple to eat less.

Devour real food.

If you desire to Lose Six Kg in One month, it’s better you avoid exceptional low carb substances that are brimfull of carbs. An efficient low carb food for loss of weight should be based on real nourishment. Avoid eating small carb types of high carb materials such as chocolate, bread, cookies, pasta, or ice cream unless you’re confident of the components, possibly from making it yourself. You should concentrate on eating standard minimal processed real nourishment.

Observe your activities.

Keeping trail of your day to day undertakings will assist you to perceive how much more you may shed and where to trim down. It will additionally aid you to decide your progress and remain inspired. You can perform this utilizing paper and pen or download mobile applications for simple observation. You have to keep trail of your fats, protein, carbohydrates, calories, physical activity, and water intake.

Avoid artificial sweeteners.

Many individuals restore sugar with sugar substitutes, believing that this will lessen their intake of calorie and occasion loss of weight. Sugar substitute may increase craving and preserve hunger for sweet food. Additionally, when you switch artificial sweeteners’ drinks with water, it will help you to lose weight. Circumventing diet beverage can also help to shed weight. This is because the anatomy grows the secretion of insulin in the expectation that sugar will materialize in the blood. When this does not occur, blood sugar will drop, and craving will increase. Furthermore, artificial sweeteners can preserve dependency on sweets and lead to the need for snacks.

Eat less of nuts and dairy products.

Dairy products comprise different quantities of lactose, which can slow down the loss of weight. Additionally, part of the milk’s protein can generate an unusual insulin reaction which can have a similar outcome. Therefore, cutting back on the consumption of dairy products can escalate weight loss. This pertains specifically to dairy products normally deficient in fat like regular milk and varied yogurts. However, be cautious with brimfull fat like cheese and cream.

Physical Activity & Lifestyle Changes.

Running

Whether you adore it or loathe it running is one of the ideal and easy methods of losing weight, and several Weight loss tips have recommended this. You do not require a treadmill to perform it. You only need to lace up your sneakers and hit the highway. When you run in interludes like sprinting up and decelerating your speed will assist in making the munites and miles move by rapidly.

Jump rope.

Jump rope is a calorie-busting exercise that can shed up to three hundred and eighteen calories, and your heart won’t be the only muscle exercising hard. Jumping rope is a brimful body exercise. You can fire up your glutes and quads to assist you to explode from the floor and engross your core to maintain you stable and upright while landing back to the floor. This exercise additionally comprises a little shoulder and arm action. As they stay rigid, the movement of the rope all emerges from the wrist.

Strength training.

Strength training will assist you to Lose Six Kg in One month in different ways. It will aid you to preserve the muscles you have while devouring a calorie deficiency and losing weight. This type of weight loss exercise can assist in growing your metabolism by racing up your resting metabolic rate. This is because it can take your extra anatomy calories to preserve muscle than it does to maintain fat. Approximates are that for each one pound of muscle acquired, your resting metabolic rate will go up to thirty to fifty calories.

Get enough sleep

Even in a brief thirty day period, insufficient sleep may influence your loss of weight. You should try and get sufficient sleep every night to assist you to attain your objective. Apart from several online Weight lose tips, most health professionals suggest getting at least nine hours of sleep every night for grownups. Try working on enhancing your sleep sterility which comprises proceeding to bed earlier and making your sleeping room an excellent habitat for rest. Research has revealed that when you don’t get enough sleep, your body will have a hard time losing weight, it will have growth emissions of craving hormones, and will even start to seek higher carb nourishments and fat. Also, if you’re feeling fatigued and tired, you may be less inspired to remain on track with your healthy eating strategy and exercise.

Lessen stress.

Like sleep, persistent or low-grade pressure can function against your weight loss. This is mainly true when you’re attempting to shed weight in thirty days. Stress has a significant outcome on your capability to shed weight. Even slight day to day pressure can grow the cortisol level of your body, a hormone connected to stress. Occasionally, this makes it hard for your anatomy to shed weight and can raise your craving levels. Additionally, pressure can make you feel fatigued and tired, which can hurl you off trail from your exercising, meal prepping, and other well-being lifestyle transformations. You should attempt on doing some unwinding pressure relieving undertakings such as meditation, taking a walk, chatting to a caring companion, or listening to music.

Having the Right Mindset.

If you do not have an optimistic mentality about your weight loss, body, and eating, then you’ll consistently feel like it’s a combat and the possibilities are, you’ll be losing. Here are mindset tips for weight loss.

Affirmation

Affirmations are merely certain statements. You can fill your mind with hopeful affirmations to assist in keeping your believes confident and reprogram your thoughts. Affirmations can also aid you to feel cheerful. Using optimistic declarations through the day will assist you to keep your mind and thoughts positive. Some weight loss positive affirmations include

  • I’m healthy, slim, and strong.
  • Each day in each way, I’m moving close to my best weight.
  • I devour what I desire, when I want only, when I’m craving, and I cease when I begin to feel brimful.

Visualize your best weight.

Enjoy imaginations continually to assist you to remain super optimistic. Additionally, your unconscious mind will contemplate this is actual and aid you to get there. There are some astounding visualizations for weight loss that are accessible free on the web.

Concentrate on the positives

When we’re attempting to shed weight, we usually concentrate on the negatives. Like I cannot eat, I have to proceed to the gym, and I loathe moving to the gym. Instead, you should try and focus on what you’ll acquire by shedding weight like, you’ll improve your well-being, feel better, and appear the way you desire. Food wise, you should try and concentrate on tasty, healthy nourishment you can devour.

Maintain a victory journal.

Within your thirty day period, it might be useful to begin a weight loss diary. You can record your food intake, exercise, and general progress. You can also inscribe about any successes and challenges you encounter during your thirty-day diet. When attempting to Lose six Kg in One month, you may discover you can’t make your precise objective at the end of thirty days. It’s okay if you keep a diary about a successful exercise strategy and diet. You can pursue with these journal notes till you do attain your objective.

The excellent thing about these Weight loss tips is that you won’t waste your hard earned money on patchy supplements, starve yourself, or punish your body with extreme exercises.

References

  1. https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight
  2. https://idealweightchallenge.com/mindset-tips-weight-loss/
  3. https://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/a20474562/best-weight-loss-exercises/

Why Proper Lifestyle Is Better Than Diets For Weight Loss

Just behind drinking water, eating is one of the most essential acts of taking care of oneself. The foods in which people choose to digest depend on several factors: taste, convenience, cost, variety, palatability, satiety and hunger triggers, metabolic responses elicited, and cultural and behavioral factors (Foreyt, 2010). What we put into our bodies determine a lot of factors about our body composition and wellbeing as people. With health and beauty becoming a major industry in today’s world, the focus on diet has never been more relevant than it is now. There are several diets for people to follow achieving whatever goal they have set before them. The core reading, I am going to be discussing through this paper is titled, “Weight Loss Diets: Are They All the Same?” written by John P. Foreyt. He discusses the two most relevant weight loss diets. Although there are many options for losing weight, to achieve

The first point John Foreyt brings up during his paper is how obesity is a major world problem — a problem that is steadily increasing even among developing countries (Foreyt, 2010). He breaks this down by providing statistics. The adult population in the United States has seen an increase from 13.4% to 33.8% from 1980 to 2008 (Foreyt, 2010). Just as the adult population has seen an increase, so has the children population within the United States; there has been an increase from 5% to 16.9% during the same span of years (Foreyt, 2010). Foreyt used these statistics to lead him into the main points of his article which are the comparison of the two diets of choice to combat obesity.

The first diet the author breaks down is the low-fat diet. This diet consists of restricting your intake of fat to no more than 30% of your daily caloric composition (Foreyt, 2010). Low fat diets are seemingly popular because of the theory that the less saturated and trans fatty acids ingested the lesser the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases (Foreyt, 2010). The other advantage to this diet is the fact that fat contains 9 calories per gram versus protein and carbohydrates only consisting of 4 calories per gram. (Foreyt, 2010).

The second diet that Foreyt breaks down is the reciprocal of the first, a low carbohydrate diet. Diets that are low carbohydrate focused consist of limiting the intake of carbs to only 20 to 60 grams per day (Foreyt, 2010) The focus of these diets is to limit the intake of foods such as breads, pasta, potatoes and rice with foods that are high in protein, fats, and dairy (Foreyt, 2010). The theory of low carb diets is that it forces the body to increase production of ketones to use as an energy source, therefore promoting weight loss (Foreyt, 2010).

Following his summaries of these two diets he then goes into the comparisons of the two. He provides some information on a study performs by Sacks and Colleagues. They performed a study over the course of two years, which found that no matter what composition of macronutrient diet the subjects were on the weight loss percentage was similar between the diets (Sacks, et al. 2009). The conclusion: no matter the composition of diet, reduced caloric intake will result in weight loss (Sacks, et al. 2009). They placed a heavier importance on the weight loss interventions, overall commitment, and enthusiasm to losing weight as a higher contributing factor that what diet they were following (Sacks, et al. 2009).

In response to Foreyt’s article, I do believe he did lay a good foundation for readers who are interested in weight loss. Although he did not go into very much detail about either diet, he did lay the groundwork to spark interest in readers to do more research for themselves. Just as the Sacks and Colleagues report stated, “Behavioral factors such as commitment to achieving weight loss and attending the intervention classes were the main influences on weight loss rather than the macronutrient composition of a diet” (Sacks, et al. 2009). “According to the researchers, any type of weight loss diet that is followed with enthusiasm and persistence can be effective” (Foreyt, 2010). If the readers have a desire to achieve weight loss, then they often will have the desire to do thorough research on finding ways to lose weight. I have not necessarily been on a weight loss venture, but I am currently on an overall fitness expedition. I have found that when it comes to dieting it is all about balance, control, and consistency. The statement that Sacks and Colleagues made resonates with me on a personal level because it is the motivation and lifestyle that is the contributing factor to weight loss and in my case fitness results more so than giving credit to a single specific diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also agrees that, “The key to achieving and maintaining healthy weight isn’t short-term dietary changes” (CDC). “It’s about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses” (CDC).

Overall, Foreyt was not biased to any diet he summarized, and he did present an outside source to further the point that lifestyle choices are the root cause of true weight loss. He ended the article effectively by stating, “Given a range of choices, it is then the consumers’ responsibility to make appropriate lifestyle changes for the benefit of their health” (Foreyt, 2010). He ended by furthermore pushing the reader to take a closer look into their life, owning up to the fact that their health is in their hands. It is up to them to make the necessary lifestyle change. No single diet alone will lead to lasting weight loss results like an educated lifestyle change to live healthier will.

Bibliography

  1. Foreyt, John P. “Weight Loss Diets: Are They All the Same?” Food Engineering and Ingredients, vol. 35, no. 3, June 2010, pp. 38–40., http://www.cengage.com/custom/static_content/OLC/s76656_76218lf/foreyt.pdf.
  2. Healthy Weight It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Lifestyle. CDC, www.cdc.gov/media/subtopic/matte/pdf/031210-Healthy-Weight.pdf.
  3. Sacks, Frank M., et al. “Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates: NEJM.” New England Journal of Medicine, 26 Feb. 2009, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0804748.

Adderall Weight Loss Effectiveness And Impact On Health

In the fifties and sixties, doctors prescribed amphetamines to lose weight. The law put an end to that practice when the addictive nature of these drugs was proven. Today, Adderall prescribed for ADD / ADHD is sometimes used non-medically for its weight loss support properties.

Adderall contains amphetamine and has the typical amphetamine effect of suppressing appetite. Some people resort to this ‘Adderall diet’ or ‘fast diet’ to lose weight, although no doctor will prescribe the medication for that purpose.

With many people who have been prescribed Adderall properly for ADD / ADHD, it is no surprise that people who use it for non-medical purposes often get it from friends and family or can easily buy it on the street.

Off-Label Sketch

Off-label prescription is the act of prescribing a medication to treat a condition that the medication is not intended to treat. While this practice may be effective, the scientific evidence supporting the safety of the use of the drug for that purpose may be limited or even non-existent.

As a patient, you should always do your own research and thoroughly analyze the potential risks with your doctor before agreeing to take a medication for a use not indicated on the label.

Effectiveness

According to the Adderall prescription information sheet, two of Adderall’s most common side effects are loss of appetite and weight loss. In clinical trials, there was a loss of appetite in 22 percent of children between 6 and 12 years old, 36 percent in teenagers between 13 and 17 years old and 33 percent of adults over 18 years old. Weight loss occurred in 4 percent of children between 6 and 12 years old, 9 percent in adolescents between 13 and 17 years old and 11 percent of adults over 18 years of age.

Although these percentages provide some useful ideas, keep in mind that the results may not reflect the percentages that occur in clinical practice. Adderall affects everyone in a slightly different way, so you may not experience the same medication effects that others experienced.

Children and teenagers

Adderall prescription information indicates that this medication may cause long-term growth suppression in children or adolescents. Higher doses are associated with a higher risk of this than lower doses. Children and adolescents should only take this medication under the careful guidance of a doctor and may need to stop treatment if they stop growing normally.

Adderall Effects and Nonmedical Use

Adderall, when used properly and as prescribed, can be beneficial for treating ADD / ADHD. Unfortunately, there are those who abuse stimulants. Adderall abuse and misuse of similar stimulants are seen in approximately 3.4 percent of those over 12, according to a study published in 2013.

Adderall has the effect of increasing dopamine signaling in the brain. This can give a feeling of euphoria and be energized. Physical effects include raising heart rate and blood pressure, narrowing blood vessels, opening the airways and increasing blood glucose. It can have the effect of suppressing appetite, which can result in eating less. People who take Adderall for ADD / ADHD may experience weight loss due to the side effect of appetite suppression, even if they do not try to lose weight.

According to a study published in 2013, most people who take Adderall non-medically give the reason to improve their productivity, and less say they use it to lose weight. But doctors have noticed drug-seeking behavior by clients looking for an ADD medication that contains amphetamine instead of Strattera, which is not a stimulant and does not suppress appetite.

Biopsychology: Weight Loss Program and Mama Wawa

Weight Loss program

In the world we live today most people are trying to lose weight for various reasons. Some want to lose weight because of their careers for instance models while some do it for medical reasons and others just to keep fit. Keeping fit has been shown to decrease cardiovascular complications (Rena R.W. 2010. para.1). Whatever the reasons are, one requires a program that would be of assistance in the weight reduction and to maintain it as well. In some instances weight loss can be unintentional where one loses weight due to diseases or even lack of food.

Diet is the most important when it comes to weight loss. One may do all the procedures necessary to cut down his or her body mass but are on a diet that is full of fats. This would be a total waste of time as body mass will still be gained. So in case one wants to cut down body mass permanently the one needs to change the way of living, which includes eating habits, exercising and many other things that affect the weight of a person. Cheryl L. R. (2010, Para. 12) claims that diet has a more effective weight loss programs group programs.

There are various methods that one can use in weight loss. With the current level of technology scientists have come up with numerous techniques that can be used for weight loss. They include: slimming pills, slimming belts, machines that can emulsify fats from the body. Most of these have side effects that are health hazards; thus this brings us to devise a weight loss program that has no side effects and would be permanent.

There are three keys to effective weight loss. They include: exercising, education and nutrition. Exercising is one of the most important factors of mass loss. During exercising one requires energy. This energy is achieved by metabolisms which can be increased by exercise. Some scientists recommend that one should exercise four to five times a week for a period of 20 to 30 minutes. This helps in burning down the excess fats in the body; hence mass loss.

Springer, S. (1999, p.2) argues that education is pillar to healthy lifestyle. If one is educated then one can easily make decisions regarding the kind of foods one eats. It also creates an awareness of keeping fit and the kind of diet one should be on.

Lastly there is nutrition; it is key factor to permanent weight loss (Kuczmarski, 2001, p.23).Naturally the human body has the capability of maintaining the recommended weight. On the other if one keeps ingesting lots of fatty foods it is forced to store the excessive fat thus leading to obesity. One can have a balanced diet with fewer intakes of calories. This would help in maintaining a normal body weight.

Generally the nutrition, regular exercising and knowledge are the key components of a perfect weight loss program.

Mama Wawa

Men are men and women are women assumption is based on the fact that men have hormones that make them men, and women too have hormones that make them women. It is an assumption that categorizes men and women as opposites with respect to biological features. Mama Wawa is the tendencies that people assume that men and women are discrete opposites with respect to their hormones. People have the mentality that men and women can not take part in each other duties. These allegations as we have seen women do men’s jobs better than the men themselves or vice versa. As many humans contain traits that are either masculine inherent or feminine inherent, any human being has the capability to express any of the traits in different combinations. For instance Ardeners, (1975) claims that, “A social gathering for women might involve eating out or staying in as a large group actively communicating and socializing or men might be to meet at someone’s house to watch sports or go to a bar to play pool and not say more than 5 words each.”(p.199), there is no implication that the above examples can work the other way round. Both men and women can also play pool or even watch sports though these are considered men’s activities.

Despite the physical differences between men and women they both have different experiences in the world. (Kramarae, 1981, p.66) Women, for example, do not know what it feels like to have a penis and on the other hand men do not know how the menstrual cycle goes. Mama Wawa is due to the difference in perception of the two (Miller, 2005, P.10) men are considered to be the more dominant group than the women. In order to change these women have been trying to equal men by doing what these men do and in some cases they become better than the men.

In general, the men are men and women are women assumption is not true as we have seen that both men and women can switch activities and still be comfortable and maybe do even better than the opposite sex.

Referencing List

Ardener, E. (1975). Belief and the problem of women. London: Malaby Press.

Cheryl L. R. (2010). JAMA: Effect of a Free Prepared Meal and Incentivized Weight Loss Program on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance in Obese and Overweight Women. Weight loss. Web.

Friedrich M J. ( 2002). Epidemic of obesity expands its spread to developing countries. London :Macmillan publishers.

Kramarae, C. (1981). Women and men speaking: Frameworks for analysis. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Kuczmarski, R. J, Flegal, K. M, Campbell, S. M. (2001). Increasing prevalence of overweight among US adults. New York: Malaby Press.

Miller, K. (2005). Communication theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Rena R.W. (2010). JAMA: Treatment Options for Obesity. Weight loss. Web.

Springer, S. (1999). The continuing epidemics of obesity and diabetes in the United States. London: Malaby Press.

Weight Loss Systems: The Dietary Approaches to Weight Loss

Introduction

Obesity is one of the major health problems in the world. This problem occurs due to a variety of reasons, one of them being the diet of the affected person. Although a balance of a check on the causes of obesity is required for a person to lose weight, this paper focuses on the dietary approaches to weight loss.

Weight loss system

Most obese people struggle the whole of their lives trying to lose weight due to application of ineffective weight loss systems. These systems are mostly ineffective due to the little emphasis they put on dietary weight loss methods. This is because, most obese people have a consumption problem and thus for a weight loss programme to be effective, dietary methods should be highly considered and the client must ensure that he/she abides to them.

In order to effectively shed off weight, it is necessary to watch what one eats. This is as opposed to the common belief that some diets like weight watchers and the Atkins are able to make a person lose weight effortlessly. Watching one’s diet is necessary in order to ensure a long term effect on the weight and health of the client.

Highly fatty foods as well as sweets and soft drinks should be avoided as much as possible (Kalat, 2009, p. 314). The client should also ensure that he/she only eats when driven by hunger. This is as opposed to some consumption habits in some people which are driven by cravings, the good taste of food, depression etc. Such people are highly likely to have unhealthy weight and they are also likely to have a problem obeying weight loss programmes.

If the client is such a person, he/she she will be in dire need of a therapeutic intervention to help in changing his/her motivation to eat and the system will easily help him/her. In addition to the diet, there is need for the client to maintain a positive attitude towards the weight loss system. The client should have faith that after applying the suggestions of the system, he/she will definitely lose weight.

This mental state is very important since it controls the secretion of hormones which could be very substantial in helping the client to lose weight. Furthermore, eating, drinking and their satiation effects are depended on a person’s psychology. If a person believes that he has to take three pizzas before he is satisfied, he will most likely not be satisfied after taking one pizza (Kalat, 2009, p. 544). It is therefore apparent that psychological control is essential in a weight loss system.

In summary, a weight loss system should be aimed at helping the client control his/her bad eating habits, suggesting healthy diets that he/she likes and helping him/her control his/her psychology in relation to eating habits.

Evaluation of the weight loss system

The weight loss system discussed above is bound to achieve effective results due to the following reasons: the programme addresses a number of eating habits that are responsible for weight gain in most obese people and thus if an obese person or a person wishing to lose weight follows the guidelines of the programme obediently, the programme is bound to achieve its objectives.

Secondly, the programme addresses a number of factors which may make a client fail to observe its guidelines well (Glenville, 2010, p. 1). This enables people to be aware of the possible factors that may hinder them from achieving their desirable weight and thus they are prepared to observe the guidelines of the programme even in hardships.

The system is bound to have a permanent effect on the person who applies it because it teaches skills to help the person wishing to shed off weight skills to maintain weight after applying the system. It is also realistic since it highly considers the taste of the person wishing to lose weight and thus its success can be guaranteed since the person will be, arguably, comfortable with the diet suggested by the programme (Iannelli, 2003, p. 1).

I would highly recommend this programme due to its near assurance of weight loss and its characteristic sustainability. It is a good system which is likely to have no adverse effects on the life of the client and thus the client will comfortably lose weight. The programme can also be improved by incorporating the idea of exercise to its activities in order to help the client to incorporate a variety of weight loss efforts in the same system (Glenville, 2010, p. 1).

Conclusion

From the discussion above, it is apparent that a weight loss programme has to have three key components for it to be effective. These are diet control, psychological control and exercise. Although much emphasis is put on the control of a person’s diet, exercises are equally important and a diet-based weight control programme is likely to have short term effects only if it does not incorporate exercises. In a nutshell, obese people wishing to lose weight should ensure that they cultivate a great deal of self control.

Reference List

Glenville, M. (2010). How to lose weight naturally. Web.

Iannelli, V. (2003). . Web.

Kalat, J. (2009). Biological Psychology. United States. Barnes & Noble.

The Weight Loss Science and the Recommended Procedures

Introduction

Weight loss is the act of engaging in a number of activities, including body exercises and dieting, in a bid to reduce body mass. This is normally done by obese people whose weight causes a lot of discomfort. Obesity may at times result to detrimental diseases like heart illnesses. This paper is aimed at explaining the science behind weight loss and the recommended procedures one should take while going through this process.

Quite a number of people go on diets, and take food supplements so as to lose their excess weight and achieve a desirable body weight and shape. Apparently, many of these people do not know or understand the manner in which the weight loss mechanism actually works. Consequently, many of them end up with unsatisfactory results due to their ignorance about the matter (Ratcliffe 134).

Dieting and random body exercises do not comprehensively facilitate weight loss if the concerned party is completely unaware of the science behind it. In fact, this notion should be scrapped off people’s minds because it is misleading. If one is serious about losing his or her weight, it is imperative that they understand that weight loss process is no work of magic.

A healthy diet and exercise routine must be planned in correlation to specific body needs. In order to do so, it is essential to acknowledge the scientific mechanism of weight loss. This will then play an imperative role in enabling one to plan accordingly.

According to a deeper scientific knowledge on metabolism, body weight is determined by energy intake on one hand, and energy expenditure on the other. Body weight loss is, therefore, a reduction of the total body mass. From the two statements, we can deduce that an energy intake lesser than energy expenditure of the body unavoidably causes a decrease of adipose tissues.

An adipose tissue is a type of connective tissue that naturally stores excess energy in the form of fat in the body. Since a decrease in body fat is always accompanied by a decrease in lean body mass, it is important to note that this simple theory can be used to reduce body weight inconsiderate of the age or gender of the victim. Reduced body fats, therefore, results to a decrease in body weight and vice versa (Ratcliffe 84).

Those who are intending to lose their weight have to take into consideration a number of scientific theories. For instance, energy required by the body must be observed. This is done in order to give the body just the amount of energy it needs without providing excess or limited energy.

As a result, balances between body weight and energy intake and body weight and energy expenditure have to be monitored and perfectly regulated in order to achieve weight loss. This is important in enabling the patient to reach the late phases of weight loss mechanism where body fat is burned and body weight is reduced considerably (Dokken, Betsy and Tsu-ShuenTsao 120).

This is an implication that an obesity victim has to meticulously understand his or her energy requirements before embarking on dieting and body exercises. It is only through this that one is able to effectively go through the tiresome weight loss procedure and achieve desired results.

In addition to understanding one’s energy requirements, it is also important to know the nutritional values of some foods and their composition in order to give the body exactly the foods it needs during weight loss process. Glucose, for instance, is a simple sugar and a crucial carbohydrate in biology.

Living cells rely on it as a basic source of energy. It plays an imperative role in the physiological process of weight loss and burning fat. For this reason, glucose is an important part of the diets for the obese. It is basically the first step to lose weight when taken in recommended proportions. As a matter of fact, glucose is converted to glycogen which is the primary source of energy. It is not only the primary source of energy in humans, but in most living organism as well.

Glycogen is a substance deposited in body tissues and stores carbohydrate sugars such as glucose as mentioned above (Craig 159). The existence of this substance in the body may facilitate either weight gain or weight loss depending on the degree of its consumption by the body and intake through ingestion.

It is stored in the liver and in the muscles as a primary energy source but is converted to fats in the event that the amount stored exceeds the body’s daily consumption of energy. This implies that obese victims must know the approximate amount of glucose their bodies need on a daily basis in order to avert the conversion of excess glycogen into fats to facilitate weight gain (Dokken, Betsy and Tsu-ShuenTsao 93).

The burning of fats in the body is largely determined by the daily food intake. This can be described scientifically as glucose intake. There is always the production of the hormone insulin by the body each time one consumes glucose. This hormone filters the glucose, transforms it into glycogen, and stores it in the storage tissues in the body such as the liver and muscles.

This is done so that the human body can make use of it in the production of energy needed to carry out a number of activities done by an individual. At this level, one must balance his or her energy expenditure so that the energy used up is not less than the energy ought to have been produced by the ingested glucose.

In other words, one must workout him or herself and burn the consumed calories based on their goal plans. In the event that this is not done, what happens in the body is completely astonishing. If the glycogen contained in the body is inappropriately consumed and others remain unutilized, one ends up with excess glycogen in the body. This will then cause an unavoidable process of converting the overload of glycogen into body fats. As a result of this, one is bound to increase his or her body weight (Canfield, Mark and Andrew 67).

Conclusion

The ultimate goal of weight loss should be to compel the body to utilize its glycogen without storing excess. In order to do so, one must modify his or her diet to fit own preferences and lower the amount of carbohydrates consumed. This is the only viable way of preventing the body from converting excess glycogen into fats which apparently contribute to a lot to weight gain (Fletcher and Anne 154).

The weight loss mechanism can be fairly complicated, but it is understandable. All that people need to do is modify their diets to conform to their energy requirements, exercise regularly and make sure that they do not end up with excess calories and this should see them through effective weight loss.

Works Cited

Canfield, Jack, Mark V. Hansen, and Andrew Larson. Weight Loss. Deerfield Beach, Fla: Health Communications, 2005. Print.

Craig, Gary. Eft for Weight Loss: The Revolutionary Technique for Conquering Emotional Overeating, Cravings, Bingeing, Eating Disorders, and Self-Sabotage : Featureing Reports from Eft Practioners, Instructors, Students, and Users. Fulton, CA: Energy Psychology Press, 2010. Print.

Dokken, Betsy, and Tsu-ShuenTsao. The Physiology of Body Weight Regulation: Are We Too Efficient for Our Own Good? Fulton, CA: Diabetes Spectrum, 2007. Print.

Fletcher R and Anne M. Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off and What They Wish Parents Knew. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2006. Print.

Ratcliffe, John. Health & Weight Loss. Dingley, Vic: Hinkler Books, 2005. Print.

Weight Loss Alternatives: Viable Options for Losing That Extra Weight

Introduction

Since the onset of this century, one of the most prevalent problems that has afflicted the society, especially in the developed countries, is that of obesity. Hendrick asserts that up to 63.1% of adults in America are suffering from this health anomaly (Hendrick, 2010).

This figure implies that two out of every three American adults are obese. This finding suggests that thousands of Americans are at risk of contracting medical conditions such as diabetes, high-blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and heart attacks. This is primarily the reason why the focus of numerous television advertisements, according to Grannis (2008), has shifted towards alternative weight loss solutions for Americans.

Some of these solutions have occasionally come under heavy criticism, probably due to competitive reasons, yet, they seem to be viable options for losing that extra weight. This article gives some of these alternative solutions, their pros and cons, and a conclusive argument about each method.

Controlled Breathing

As a common exercise during regular Yoga classes, controlled breathing seems to be the least of the alternatives that can assist a person to lose weight. Nevertheless, latest studies reveal that breathing in a controlled fashion burns excess body fats. How does this occur?

A big portion of body fat constitutes fragments of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. According to WeightLossfor All (2010), addition of oxygen to the body through inhalation will inevitably break down the fatty compound into water molecules and carbon dioxide and secreted through urination and exhalation respectively.

For a normal human being, taking deep breaths that lasts five seconds in the inhalation process, then exhaling through the mouth, is a sure way of achieving this goal. The same article advises that one should exercise this procedure at least eight times every minute to burn the fat in the body.

Asthanga is a Yoga related treatment that uses this breathing technique (Carter, 2010). Scientists have made discoveries that suggest that this hypnosis method converts fats conceived through stress, thyroid issues and poor eating habits into body waste. For athletes, using the same method to relax after vigorous activity also helps in burning extra fats in the body.

There are certain advantages that are associated with controlled breathing methods. The most outstanding advantage in using this method of losing weight is how cheap it would possibly be. According to the mentioned sources, the person engaging in this alternative method will only have to subject himself to controlled breathing. Nevertheless, Carter also points out that there is some information from Yoga experts that one needs to be aware of while practicing these techniques in order to have the desired effects.

Other advantages mentioned by Carter include the holistic cleansing of certain systems of one’s body. While performing this procedure, she claims that the colon as well as the digestive system receives purification. Large amounts of oxygen in the body works well in detoxifying the internal organs in one’s body. Another system that receives cleansing is the respiratory system, whereby eradication of toxic substances that sublime along the lungs takes place.

One of the disadvantages of using this method as an alternative weight loss method is that it is slow. It will take a lot of time for a normal person to lose a significant number of pounds.

In addition, there is a lot of external influence that may hamper this method, including eating habits, day-to-day activities and stresses and strains of life. These factors have to play to the person’s advantage in order for controlled breathing methods to take effect entirely (iloveindia.com, 2010).

Another disadvantage is the fact that it can play as a muscle builder, rather than a relaxation procedure for athletes. This is not particularly a disadvantage for all athletes, but some sports require minimum muscles in certain body parts. Continuous controlled breathing, according to WeightlossForAll increases the rates at which the heart pumps blood to the body. This may be hazardous to people with weaker cardiovascular mechanisms.

Overall, controlled breathing seems to be quite a working method of losing weight. Though it may require constant practice and patience, the advantages of doing this along other weight reduction methods do bring the desired results.

The use of Lipozene

There are certain pills called Lipozenes that may assist in loss of weight in a quicker way than the methods mentioned earlier. Lipozene is made from konjac, a plant with tough fibers. It has the ability to make the user feel full by slowing down the food digestion process (Monson & Schoenstadt, 2009).

Nevertheless, Monson in his review asserts that there is a need for much research to determine the degree of its effect in reduction of weight loss in a normal human being. Primary suggestions show that Lipozene contains a certain ingredient, glucomannan, which has an effect on the fatty tissue of the human body.

According to Grannis, there are suggestions that seem to validate the above theory by stating that glucomannan has the ability to reduce the sugar level of the user (2008). In addition, the article mentions that it also lowers cholesterol and fat qualtities in the body.

On face value, the drug seems to give quite an innovative way to coerce the human being into reducing fats in the body. The direct advantage of using Lipozene is that the pill itself is a supplement. This means that the drug contains all the advantages that supplements have, that is, it is a fiber. As stated earlier, fibers assists in the digestive system of the body by cleaning it up.

The other advantage is that fiber in the digestive system reduces the amount of food that one consumes. Hawarth, a specialist in nutrition as mentioned in Askville (2008) asserts that 14 grams of fiber each day in the diet can reduce the amount of real food that the person would otherwise consume by 4 pounds. This significant reduction in the end gives us our second advantage; controlled eating habits.

Finally, the chemical within this ingredient has some medicinal value. Glucomannan, as stated earlier does not only reduce a person’s weight, but also assists the body through reduction of blood sugar and cholesterol (Kennedy, 2010). The balancing of these two factors in one’s body is necessary, and since overweight people suffer from these imbalances, this chemical content might be of value in their recovery.

Natural ways

Natural ways of losing weight are the steadiest and most consistent ways of according to some health experts. The body itself can burn the fat that an overweight individual has in their body; it only takes healthy and permanent changes in how one perceives food. Instead of removing unhealthy foods from ones diet abruptly, one can begin by adding healthier foods to their diet. This will ensure that they are full and will have less space in their stomach for the unhealthy foods.

Increasing ones protein intake helps them to feel full for longer periods because they increase the amount of time it takes the food to reach the stomach (Nicks, 2010); vegetables and fruits also provide vitamins and phytonutrients that make one full. Eating healthy boosts one’s energy leading them to start exercising, this helps in naturally burning accumulated fats as well as boosting more energy. New research has shown that exercises release a hormone that suppresses ones appetite naturally.

Physical activity lowers the risk of high-blood pressure, heart disease and heart attacks, and, at the same time, lowering the cholesterol levels in the body, which lead to clogged arteries (Mayo, 2010). One down side to going to the gym or jogging to lose weight is that it can lead to many injuries incase one is using the equipment in the wrong way or if they strain themselves too much. In addition, incase ones schedule becomes too busy and stop the exercise that they had begun, it will lead to one gaining weight all again.

Aromatherapy

The word aromatherapy seems as if it has nothing to do with weight loss. On the contrary, Aromatherapy motivates one to diet or even go for exercise. Smell therapy also stimulates some feelings as well as memories (Ehrlich, 2009). For example, the use of grapefruit oil is a common exercise motivator for people who want to keep fit.

On the down low, aromatherapy is an extremely expensive form of healing that requires a lot of equipment, a lot of knowledge in chemistry and it consumes a lot of time. The aroma of some foods motivates people to eat, as is the case where one enters a restaurant and orders something because it smells appetizing. This can lead to overeating and thus a person ends up adding more weight.

Acupuncture

The Chinese have used this approach as a form of therapy for many centuries. The most experienced acupuncturist studies how energy flows in the body and how it impedes or controls digestion. It has been proven that metabolism impediments can be unblocked if needles are applied in the specific body regions (Helmz, 2006).

This procedure also helps the body in controlling a raging appetite as well as keeping the individual on track in their goal for weight loss.

Acupuncture though being low-risk can have some dangers associated to it. Failure to sterilize the needles can cause disease transmission having in mind that the transmission of Hepatitis B and C is possible even when using sterilized needles. Placing the needles carelessly can cause damage to the brain, lungs and other organs incase deep needling is done in these areas.

On a less serious note, some people have complained of headaches, fatigue, and nausea or even in other cases, a worsening of the symptoms after acupuncture.

Drinking water

The kidneys need a lot of water to be able to clean up the blood (Donald, 2010). If there is not enough water, the liver performs both of these roles, a function that will lead to it lowering productivity reduction, which is converting fats to energy. The above inefficiency leads to the body storing up fats and leads to weight gain.

Some experts say that drinking cold water enhances burning of fat, which eventually leads to weight loss and in addition, drinking a lot of water leads to a loss of appetite, which is a step in the right direction for anyone who wants to look lean and healthy.

Giving the body a lot of water makes it to eliminate the water that it had stored in places like the ankles, thighs or even around the belly in order to create a balance. This can be a disadvantage because if one goes through a long period without water, the body will have no reserve to depend on.

Detox and Raw Diets

Detox diets are those diets that get rid of impurities in the body, the body’s inability to remove these toxins leads to illness. Toxins are poisonous substances that interfere with the bodies normal functions (Wong, 2010). Raw diets are meals that are made up of uncooked foodstuff. These diets lead to fast and natural weight loss that improves people’s health at the same time boosting their energy.

Though they have many advantages, these types of weight loss alternatives require total commitment; detox diets usually lead to cases of low immunity and nutrient deficiency; some foods gain nutritional value after being cooked. Some people’s digestive systems cannot handle raw foods because of the nature of the foods despite having all the enzymes they require.

Colon cleansing

The colon is a vital part in the digestive system, but if toxins clog it with wastes and fecal material, it does not work effectively because the body gets tired quickly and lacks the energy to burn the fat.

When a colon is cleansed the necessary nutrients and vitamins can be absorbed more easily and incase one is on a diet, they can follow it without difficulty. This practice supplies a person with additional energy, reduces the weight and enhances metabolism.

Colon cleansing is specific to an individual. One can lose a lot of weight from a colon cleanse diet while another may not. Some factors that lead to this disparity include eating habits, metabolism, and exercise routines.

Some colon cleanse diets like the lemon juice stipulates that no solid foods are allowed for a period of ten days, during this time, one has to take a salt-water flush while during the afternoon they take laxative tea each morning. These diet requirements are quite a challenge and force many people to quit a few days after they have started the weight loss program.

Bariatric Surgery

This surgery places a physical obstacle to the calories that one can take over a period. Some procedures act as early signs of fullness while others act as a barrier. This leads to an individual eating less food and then their body turns to the excess fat that it has stored as an immediate source of energy.

The common types of this surgery are gastric bypass, gastric banding and gastroplasty. Many patients have successfully gone through these procedures making it a remarkably safe and effective weight loss method. However, like every other surgery, it can get complex and has its own risks.

Conclusion

There are very many ways of losing weight, whereby each has its advantages and disadvantages. It is in the hands of whoever is losing the weight to choose the method that is most suitable and convenient for them. Someone ought to be extremely careful in choosing which method to employ, giving preference to those that have the least risks as compared to their effectiveness.

References

Askville. (2008). How does lipozene work to assist users in losing weight? Web.

Carter, D. (2010). Yoga Weight Loss A Healthy Alternative: Penetration of Disaster. Web.

Donald, S. (2010). The Water Health Report: How eight glasses a day keeps the fat off! Web.

Ehrlich, D. (2009). Aromatherapy. Medical Center. MA: University of Maryland. Web.

Grannis, J. (2008). Effective Lipozene alternatives for losing weight quickly. Helium:Diet and Weight loss. Web.

Helmz, M. (2006). Doctor, what’s this Acupuncture all About. Web.

Hendrick , B. (2010). Americans Are Eating Poorly, Exercising Less, and Getting Bigger, Survey Finds. Web.

Ilonveindia. (2010). : Yoga Benefits. Web.

Kennedy, D., (2010). What Are the Benefits of Lipozene. Web.

Mayo, C. (2010). . Web.

Monson, K., and Schoenstadt, A. (2009). Lipozene. Web.

Nicks, J. (2010). How to Fix a Slow Digestive System. Web.

WeightLossForAll. (2010). Can breathing really affect potential weight loss. Web.

Wong, C. (2010). Learn About the Detox Diet. Web.

The Gulf Cooperation Council: Weight Loss Surgeries

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the number of overweight and obesity cases across the globe. The GCC region has recorded a massive increase in the population that is obese as compared to other parts of the world. This has prompted individuals to use various approaches to lose weight. One approach that is gaining popularity over the last decade is Bariatric surgery. The paper carried analysis of descriptive statistics and graphs for the number of weight loss surgeries in the GCC.

The analysis was carried out between the year 1995 and 2015. The results show that there was a significant increase in the number of weight loss surgeries in the GCC. Further, a rapid increase was experienced from the year 2004. The average number of weight loss surgeries conducted in GCC was 88,241. Finally, the surgeries conducted in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates accounted for more than 60% of the total surgeries in the GCC.

Introduction

Cases of obesity and overweight have increased significantly over the past years across the globe. The situation in the GCC is considered bad because the cases of overweight and obesity rates have grown at a disturbing rate over the past 10 years. Studies indicate that women in the GCC are generally more than men (Almunajjed, 2012). This can be attributed to the culture and lifestyle in the region. The data for prevalence of overweight for the member states in the GCC are summarized in the table below.

Men Women
Kuwait 78% 79%
Qatar 73% 70%
UAE 71% 71%
Bahrain 71% 70%
Saudi Arabia 69% 69%
Oman 57% 54%

The high percentages of overweight and obesity has created a need to fight this major health concern. One of the major approaches that people use to treat obesity is weight loss surgery (Bariatric surgery). The demand for Bariatric surgery among adolescents and adults has grown significantly in the GCC. In some countries such as Qatar, the surgery is performed at no cost to the nationals by hospitals such as Hamad Medical Corporation (Hamad Medical Corporation, 2015; Hamad Medical Corporation, 2016). Further, it is estimated that about 30% of the obese population always goes for the weight loss surgery (ALNohair, 2014). The main objective of the paper is to carry out data analysis for number of weight loss surgery in the GCC.

Data

The data for the total number of people who have undergone weight loss surgery between the period 1995 and 2015 was collected from the Word Bank and World Health Organization websites (The World Bank, 2016; World Health Organization, 2016). Further, the data are collected from all the six member states that make up the GCC. The table presented below shows the total number of people who have undergone weight loss surgery in the six countries and the total for the GCC region.

Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates GCC
1995 2,782 10,313 6,871 2,495 11,633 11,528 45,623
1996 2,862 10,319 6,959 2,549 12,215 12,104 47,008
1997 2,950 10,623 6,984 2,631 12,846 12,730 48,764
1998 3,050 11,127 6,975 2,732 13,532 13,409 50,826
1999 3,163 11,675 6,977 2,842 14,277 14,147 53,080
2000 3,291 12,156 7,021 2,955 15,098 14,961 55,482
2001 3,429 12,537 7,124 3,056 15,928 15,784 57,859
2002 3,580 12,866 7,283 3,159 16,801 16,648 60,337
2003 3,758 13,205 7,477 3,327 17,948 17,785 63,500
2004 3,987 13,648 7,675 3,646 19,681 19,502 68,139
2005 4,279 14,261 7,859 4,168 22,186 21,984 74,736
2006 4,643 15,054 8,005 4,922 25,598 25,365 83,587
2007 5,066 15,993 8,131 5,871 29,750 29,480 94,291
2008 5,506 17,043 8,315 6,917 34,156 33,845 105,783
2009 5,906 18,152 8,659 7,924 38,142 37,795 116,578
2010 6,225 19,275 9,229 8,792 41,231 40,856 125,607
2011 6,445 20,407 10,063 9,489 43,237 42,844 132,485
2012 6,581 21,543 11,114 10,038 44,315 43,912 137,504
2013 6,659 22,640 12,248 10,464 44,748 44,341 141,101
2014 6,721 23,645 13,280 10,817 44,976 44,568 144,007
2015 6,795 24,520 14,079 11,130 45,327 44,915 146,767

Descriptive statics

Results of descriptive statistics

Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates GCC
Mean 4,651.42 15,761.97 8,682.36 5,710.77 26,839.28 26,595.29 88,241.09
Standard Error 327.50 1,012.25 481.19 703.62 2,865.88 2,839.83 8,159.63
Median 4,278.71 14,260.71 7,859.10 4,167.88 22,185.78 21,984.09 74,736.28
Mode #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A
Standard Deviation 1,500.81 4,638.69 2,205.08 3,224.41 13,133.12 13,013.73 37,392.10
Sample Variance 2,252,442.01 21,517,458.93 4,862,383.61 10,396,845.93 172,478,959.94 169,357,233.31 1,398,169,217.39
Kurtosis -1.65 -0.98 0.95 -1.40 -1.69 -1.69 -1.54
Skewness 0.25 0.60 1.42 0.58 0.34 0.34 0.42
Range 4,013.49 14,206.30 7,207.79 8,635.23 33,693.70 33,387.39 101,143.90
Minimum 2,782.01 10,313.30 6,871.49 2,495.07 11,633.45 11,527.69 45,623.01
Maximum 6,795.50 24,519.60 14,079.29 11,130.30 45,327.15 44,915.09 146,766.92
Sum 97,679.85 331,001.41 182,329.52 119,926.10 563,624.93 558,501.07 1,853,062.87
Count 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00
Largest(1) 6,795.50 24,519.60 14,079.29 11,130.30 45,327.15 44,915.09 146,766.92
Smallest(1) 2,782.01 10,313.30 6,871.49 2,495.07 11,633.45 11,527.69 45,623.01
Confidence Level (95.0%) 683.16 2,111.51 1,003.74 1,467.74 5,978.13 5,923.78 17,020.68

Graphs

Proportion

Trend analysis

Comparison results

Column graph

Bar graph

Analysis and conclusion

Descriptive statistics

The descriptive statistics give a summary of the data of Bariatric surgery in the GCC. The mean gives information on the average number of surgeries conducted in the GCC between the year 1995 and 2015. A comparison of the mean values shows that Bahrain had the lowest mean (4,651.42) while Saudi Arabia had the highest value (26,839.28). The differences in the mean values can partly be attributed to the differences in size of population in these countries.

The mean for GCC is 88,241. The median is the middle value of the data set. They are values that were reported in the year 2005. Standard deviation is a measure of dispersion. It shows how the values are spread around the mean. A high value of standard deviation implies that the values are widely spread from the mean. The result shows that Saudi Arabia had the highest value of standard deviation while Bahrain had the lowest value.

The standard deviation for GCC was 74,736. The high value of the standard deviation can be attributed to the significant growth of a number of weight loss surgeries over the years. The range shows the difference between the maximum and the minimum value in the data set. The range is also a basic measure of dispersion. It shows how the values in the data set are spread. The range of weight loss surgeries in GCC was 101,143. The high value shows that the there was significant growth in the variable during the 21 year period.

A comparison can also be made on skewness and kurtosis of the data set. These two elements of descriptive statistics give information on the symmetry of the data used. The results of skewness and kurtosis can be used to make inferences about the normality of the data. For a normally distributed data, the value of skewness is zero while the value of kurtosis is 3. Thus, positive values of skewness indicate that the data is tilted to the right while negative skewness implies that the data is slanted to the left. The values of skewness for all the countries and GCC were positive. This shows that they are tilted to the right.

Further, the values for Bahrain (0.25), Saudi Arabia (0.34), United Arab Emirates (0.34), and GCC (0.42) were close to zero. This shows that the data are nearly symmetrical. Oman had the highest value of skewness (1.42) followed by Kuwait (0.60), and Qatar (0.58). The data for these countries are skewed to the right. On the other hand, Bahrain (-1.65), Qatar (-1.40), Saudi Arabia (-1.69), United Arabs Emirates (-1.69), and GCC (1.54) had a relatively similar level of kurtosis.

The values of kurtosis show that they have similar levels of peakedness. Further, Kuwait (-0.98) and Oman (0.95) had lower levels of kurtosis as compared to those of the other countries. Thus, based on the values of skewness and kurtosis, the data for Bahrain is closer to normality while the data for Oman is less close to normality. It can be concluded that the data set for all the six countries and GCC do not follow a normal distribution.

Graphs

The pie chart shows the proportion of the number of weight loss surgeries for each county in the GCC. The chart shows the number of surgeries carried out in Saudi Arabia (30.42%) accounted for the highest percentage of total number of surgeries in the GCC. This was followed by the United Arab Emirates (30.14%) and Kuwait (17.86%). Bahrain had the least percentage (5.27%). Thus, it can be observed that the two countries (Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) accounted for more than half of the total surgeries in the GCC. This can be attributed to the high size of population in these two countries. Thus, movements in the number of surgeries in these countries will have a direct effect on overall total for the GCC.

The line graph presented above shows the trend of the number of surgeries carried out between 1995 and 2015. It can be noted that there was an increase in the number of surgeries in all the six countries and in the GCC. Further, it can be observed that the growth rate increased tremendously after 2010. This can be seen in the change of the steepness of the line graphs. The increase can be attributed to the rapid increase in cases of obesity after 2010.

The increase can also be attributed to increased awareness in the use of Bariatric surgery across the globe. The line graph for GCC also displays a significant increase number of surgeries. A steep increase was experienced between the year 2004 and 2011. This shows that the number of Bariatric surgeries increased at an increasing rate during this period. After 2011, the rate of increase slowed down.

Finally, the column and bar graphs show a comparison of the number of surgeries for GCC and the six countries. The graph shows that Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia had the highest number of weight loss surgeries while Bahrain had the lowest number of surgeries. The graph also shows that there was an increase in the number of surgeries in all the countries and GCC during the period of analysis.

References

Almunajjed, M. (2012). . Web.

ALNohair, S. (2014). Obesity in Gulf Countries: International Journal of Health Sciences, 8(1), 79-83.

Hamad Medical Corporation. (2015). . Web.

Hamad Medical Corporation. (2016). . Web.

The World Bank. (2016).

World Health Organization. (2016). Obesity – situations and trend. Web.