DON’T WAIT–DROP THE WEIGHT

Coronary artery disease (CAD) kills more men and women than any other disease including cancer. Being overweight increases your chance of heart attack. With 68% of adults in the US now being overweight or obese, weight loss is key in reducing heart disease and sudden death risks. Reduce your risk for dying from this silently progressive disease by taking control of your life. The most important step to reduce your risks for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease is to obtain a normal weight. Weight loss is difficult, possibly more difficult than quitting smoking, but if you do smoke, it is killing you. You need to stop. Smoking is the number one risk for heart disease. To reduce your weight, you can’t  just stop eating. Instead, you must make choices, change your eating habits and begin following a path to health.

This is the first LINK TO LIVING LONGER blog. Regular postings will follow. Many will be excerpts from our book Your Heart that will be available this month. Your Heart is a handbook for heart health and the road to longevity. All of the information is science-based. No gimmicks. All the facts are there, from normal heart function to what happens at the cellular level when cholesterol starts clogging your arteries.

We won’t try to turn you into doctors, but all the facts will be there to help you make informed decisions related to your health and the health of your family. You will be able to understand cholesterol, dietary fats, sugar, high fructose sugar and how obesity is killing us. The book is not a diet book but does provide factual information on food choices.

You may want to try the “5:2” diet popularized by Dr. Michael J. Mosley. See the link below. In the 5:2 diet, you eat normally for five days, then you eat only 500 calories for 2 days.  Many people are finding this “intermittent fasting” diet a way to jump-start their weight loss program. You might call it a gimmick, but it is a way for you to begin losing weight while  learning to change what you eat. If you are diabetic, you should do this only under the care of your physician. However, as a Type 2 diabetic, weight loss does reduce insulin resistance and may actually get you off your medications. Weight loss also lowers blood pressure and reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and stroke.

On the days your calorie intake is down, your body will thank you. Soon, you will be patting yourself on the back. Feeling better and lowering heart risks is your present to yourself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5:2_diet

Betty Kuffel, MD