Is it true that fat bias is worse for women?

Since we are on the topic of the social rejection of fat people, here is another hot discussion point – women get discriminated against far more than men.

Apparently, this report on weight discrimination released in a 2008 report by the International Journal of Obesity (Perceptions of weight discrimination: prevalence and comparison to race and gender discrimination in America) cited the discrimination to be almost three times as bad against women as against men.

The definition of being over weight was put at a weight level where the Body Mass Index (BMI is greater than 35. Interestingly, women even get discriminated at a BMI of between 30 – 35. They are discriminated against more than their male counter-parts in similar weight/height categories.

In society, many discriminations are found: weight, height, sex, age, race, religion and so on. Fortunately, for weight discrimination, there are ways to overcome them.

For women, dressing sensibly is a great start. By not accentuating the fat look, it will help keep some discrimination at bay. Having a bright, sunny disposition also helps. But the most effective way to end the discrimination is to lose fats.

Whether it is going on a diet, starting an exercise regime or using some natural fat reducing aids like herbs and fat blockers, it is a start.

For those who discriminate against fat people, understand that being over weight is just a state of the body at a point in time. It in no way reflects on who the person is. After all, just because you are skinny does not mean you are automatically regarded as a “nice person”, right?

Is losing weight the same as losing fats?

This might seem to be a really strange question. However, it is an important question. Many times, the common answer would be “yes”, losing weight is the same as losing fats.

But then, there are other questions that need to be answered. For example, are you trying to lose weight to look good or to lose weight to become healthier?

Losing weight is good if your BMI is greater than 30. This is usually a good indicator that the fat content in your body is too high.

One of the most effective ways to lose fats is to exercise. However, many people have wrong expectations:

• they expect to lose weight fast
• they expect to lose weight consistently in a downward trend

When you exercise, you start to burn fat. You also start to build muscle. Here is an interesting fact: muscles are heavier than fats.

How about this other interesting fact – when you want to lose weight fast, you exercise more intensely, you lose fat fast and you also build muscles faster. You might even gain weight.

So, in a sense, losing weight is not quite the same as losing fats. But muscles don’t build up forever, but as you build muscles, they in turn burn more fats. In fact, even when you are just sitting there doing nothing, the more muscles you have, the more fats you burn. So, in the long run, your weight loss will become permanent, your fitness improves and you look much better than ever.

This is the reason many diet plans do not work over long periods. Failure to build muscles, failure to create a new, more active lifestyle, all leads to the fats coming back again the moment you stop the diet and your calorie intake once again out-paces your burn rate.

Control your fat intake, get a new healthy lifestyle. Join a walking club or something.

How Fats destroy your health?

The human body is a delicate balance of so many things. Have you ever thought about how fats can destroy your health? Have you ever wanted to lose fats fast?

Sometimes, the implication of gaining fats is lost on us because we hear so little about it. What we get are very commercialized versions of scare messages that encourage you to buy this latest product or that latest program.

Let’s focus on what is real.

• Fact: If you gain 6 – 10 kg, you actually increase the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes by two times as much when compared to another person who has not gained.
• Fact: More than 80 percent of people who suffer from diabetes are overweight or obese (BMI > 30).
• Fact: Being overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks for certain types of cancer, for example: endometrial (cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney and postmenopausal breast cancer.
• Fact: Women who gain more than 20 pounds from age 18 to midlife, actually double their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer when compared to women whose weight remain stable.
• Fact: Sleep apnea (a type of breathing disorder while sleeping) is more common in obese persons.
• Fact: For every 1kg increase in weight, the risk of developing arthritis increases.
• Fact: Symptoms/Severity of arthritis can be improve/relieved with weight loss.

As you can see, weight gain and obesity is not just about high blood pressure, cholesterol problems or heart diseases. There are many implications when you body accumulates too much fats. To lose fats is to gain health.

Most people believe that they do not need to lose weight because it is “normal” for people to gain weight as they get older. The reality is that the only reason you gain weight with age is your lifestyle slows down without an equal adjustment in your diet habits.

There is no need to go to extreme dieting to lose fats. However, if you are overweight, it is time to consider the benefits of losing some of those fats. Re-building some of those muscles will be good for you too.