More than half of Europe is in a lifetime battle with excess weight… lucky if they are trying to fight it at all… The primary reason for becoming overweight is too much consumption of refined carbohydrates (food containing sugar and made with white flour). This causes carbohydrates to get absorbed in larger quantities and faster, thus forcing cells to store excess in the form of fat. Basically, we take up more energy than would be required by our body for everyday life.
A lifestyle lacking physical exercise fosters weight gain. According to statistics, Europeans spend 80 % of their free time watching TV or sitting in front of the computer. Another factor promoting weight increase is lack of sleep. A person who sleeps 6 hours has a greater appetite promoting unnecessary eating than someone who sleeps 6-9 hours. Another thing that clearly increases physical weight is lack of self-control and motivation to keep a balanced weight. It has been proved that young married couples gain much more weight than unmarried couples and the least is gained by singles.
Becoming fat causes self-evaluation problems. Most overweight people think that excess kilos are the cause of sexual and social failures. Fat deposited in large quantities however truly overloads the heart, blood vessels, generates high blood pressure, diabetes, seizure, heart attack, but chances of tumorous and locomotor diseases, hormonal disorders also grow.
Excess weight is most often measured by BMI (body mass index), which is the quotient of body weight and height squared. BMI under 18,5 refers to body weight that is too low. BMI is considered normal between 18,5-24,9. However BMI between 25-29,9 means slightly higher chances of getting any diseases. Above 30 refers to overweightness with medium to high levels of risks.
Another important way to measure excess weight is the circumference of the waist, which, independent of height, measures abdominal fat. Studies indicate that fat deposited on abdominal organs and around them (apple shape overweightness) imply greater exposure to health problems than extra weight on the bottom, thighs (pear shape). Waist circumference is considered pathological at 94-102 cm for men and at 80-88 cm for women.
Excess weight always goes hand in hand with the spread of unwanted excreta and the body’s acidification. Therefore, besides changing the amount of our eating and physical exercise, we can reduce weight most effectively by the help of detoxing liquid fasts. During the 3-6 weeks of the Buchinger liquid fast we take juices, soup, tea, grain purees, in other words only liquids. In the course of the fast, due to the various types of liquids we do not starve, we are capable of performing everyday work activities, in fact our vital force grows. After fasting we need to change our diet, which is done through nutritional counseling together with a doctor, taking into account our previous eating habits. After fasting our blood pressure decreases, as well as our levels of cholesterol and blood-sugar.
Further tools to assist successful weight loss are acupuncture, certain biological substances (like L-carnitin, chromium, herbs), special yoga exercises, rinsing of the large intestine (colon hydrotherapy). Eating should not be rich in fats and simple sugar, yet it should contain a lot of vegetables and fruits. It is not advised to try unsuccessful trendy slimming diets because they actually make true weight loss more and more difficult. Therefore, it is best if a slimming program is designed by doctor-patient together, who meet regularly and evaluate experiences professionally.