Empowering overweight and plus size women to be more confident in handling their careers, relationships, and personal lives is a must however, that’s not an excuse to make when it comes to overall health and wellness. Obesity causes and effects on a woman’s body has been the subject of a lot of research for many years. The overall conclusion is that, there’s a clear link between obesity and many weight related diseases. Here are the latest finds in the field of medicine and health showing a connection between obesity causes and a shorter, unhealthier life span particularly in women:

• A new study paid for by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center published online says that overweight middle-aged women may not be able to reach their golden years in good health by 80% due to changes in health conditions largely attributable to excess weight and obesity.

• The most common reported obesity causes were cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Breast cancer, specifically, has been shown to have an increased occurrence in women with increased insulin levels caused by obesity.

• Other unhealthy conditions brought about by the obesity epidemic that contributes to an unpleasant quality of life include sleep breathing disorders, back and joint problems, stroke, and even a weaker immune system.

• An analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association found out that women who were obese and overweight is twice more likely to give birth to a child with spinal bifida, neural tube defects, heart problems, cleft lip/ palate and hydrocephaly.

These are some of the obesity causes and implications.  If you fall into a obese category, you might want to consult a physician. Ask them to assess your condition and for ways on how to decrease your unhealthy weight. You could also ask the help of a nutritionist to give you a list or menu of the foods that you should be eating and avoiding. Search the Internet for the latest information on obesity causes and how to lose weight the right way. Or better yet, join the local gym class to keep your muscles active and see your waistline reduce in the process while having fun. Don’t be part of the statistics of unhealthy people. While it is true that obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, the good news is that it is not unstoppable. You can start living healthier today now that you’re informed about obesity causes.

Pilates for plus size women: pilates is a great way not only to lose weight but also stay healthy over a longer period of time regardless of body size.  There are a lot of overweight and plus size people who would also like to join in the Pilates community but are afraid to do so because of intimidation or fear of getting ridiculed. Don’t let these fears hinder you from doing pilates exercises. If this is a concern, try contacting the studio owner or instructor and ask what they can do to alleviate your concerns. Because pilates for plus size women are simple exercises yet effective, they are suitable for plus size women or men.

After getting reassured, you can now start familiarizing yourself with the Pilates equipment. Again, don’t be intimidated. Bear in mind that Pilates is a regimen that is suited for people of different sizes and is actually great for overweight and obese people as it increases the strength and coordination of core muscles. When the core is strong, alignment and posture also improve ultimately resulting to increased flexibility, muscle tone, and balance.

The central aim of Pilates is to attempt to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without even engaging the mind, the body will move with economy, grace, and balance. Pilates is also a good form of concentration as it demands intense focus. Later on, you will notice not only the weight loss and physical benefits of this exercise but also increased mental awareness that it brings you.

For starters, don’t overdo it. It is always best to take it one step at a time, from the easiest then gradually progressing to the more difficult routines. Pilates for plus size women can be started by exercising on a mat lying down, sitting, or standing. This is especially suitable for the plus size group as it diminishes the need to shift weight with every movement and reduces long periods of standing and making of sudden movements. If you still don’t feel like working out with a group, you could always try having a private session or an online Pilates workout.

Another worry that some people might think is what to wear when doing Pilates. There is no required dress code for Pilates as long as you are wearing something comfortable like t-shirts, sweats, and jogging pants. Comfort is the main thing. Can plus size people do Pilates exercises? Absolutely! Now that you’re aware of what pilates for plus size women consists of, go out and have some fun.

What are the liposuction risks? Everyone who has ever considered liposuction knows that there are many reasons to avoid a cosmetic surgery, unless there is no other choice. However, many do not fully appreciate the inherent dangers associated with this style of rapid weight loss solution. After all, it is considered a voluntary surgery, but with the dangers risked by an emergency surgery, and it costs a lot of money.

Obviously, the most critical factor is your health. Any surgery runs a few types of complication risks, and an elective surgery like liposuction is no different. Anyone who has it done can, and likely will, experience at least one of the following liposuction risks?

Bruises

Tender/painful feelings

Swollen/inflamed surgery area

Fever

Nausea

Allergic reaction

However, the typical surgery problems are not the only issues faced by liposuction patients. Like any doctor, plastic surgeons are not robots, and have the potential to make mistakes—some very serious. In addition, the completed product may not be what you had in mind, although you will still be required to pay for it. There may be errors or inconsistencies in the surgeon’s work, which can drastically affect a plus size person’s already fragile self-esteem. Unless you can afford a higher end surgeon, this is likely not the best option for you, since this is another case where you often receive what you are willing to pay.

Like all forms of emergency surgery, you could die on the operating table. This is a worst-case scenario, but a reminder of the dangers that you face, even with a voluntary surgery by a professional. Death can be due to allergic reaction, anesthetic problems, complications due to pre-existing medical problems, infections, or similar problems after the surgery which add to the liposuction risks.

With the dangers in mind, know that liposuction techniques have improved dramatically over the last few years. Instead of being forced to undergo massive surgery to get liposuction, now you can choose Botox and similar injection forms of rapid weight loss that cost less, but still pose many unique risks. Like the old days, however, most people who choose this type of surgery have the financial backing to repeat the job if something doesn’t turn out right, or have deformities that require some type of intervention.

The first form of liposuction risks was lethal in a lot of cases, due to extreme blood loss. The “dry” method of liposuction was reserved for those with extreme deformities, and the average person would not have considered it for purely cosmetic purposes. The cost was often outrageous, and insurance did not always cover all of it, and that alone was a put-off for most people, considering the budget considerations of the time for the average person.

Improvements in reducing liposuction risks have been made to the process since then, and now laser-assisted liposuction is the preferred method for most plastic surgeons in the world. This reduces blood loss dramatically, thereby cutting down on the chance of very serious complications, although these are still a possibility. The less invasive the technique, the safer it likely is, although each method has its own form of side effects and dangers.

With a wide range of potential liposuction risks to consider, and your wallet in mind, before you choose cosmetic surgery, you should consider all other options, and make sure to consult with your doctor. Most insurance policies do not cover cosmetic surgery, so you will likely have to foot the entire bill yourself. Dozens of alternative weight loss options, less expensive and less invasive, exist, if you do some searching and commit to a plan. In the vast majority of cases, surgery is not a requirement, and can be avoided.

Body image issues and self esteem, do you know what’s important? For the most part, we do not grow up already knowing how to respond to people with a different body than our own. True, there are some children who are more sensitive than others when it comes to body image issues and self esteem, and these may never say anything to offend someone regarding their body differences. That said, the majority of children speak without considering the way it might make someone feel, which is perfectly normal for that developmental stage, and they have to be taught to be respectful and tolerant, even toward plus size people.

Tolerance, from a body image issues and self esteem, is all about learning what is acceptable—and is not—to comment on in a person’s life. While it may be okay under some circumstances to ask someone how he or she lost a leg, especially if you know they are comfortable with speaking about it, it is rarely acceptable to comment on someone’s weight, unless it is to tell them that they look handsome or beautiful. Society teaches us that if we are plus sized, we are an oddball, someone different, and obviously something is wrong with us if we cannot manage our weight.

Start by teaching your children, regardless of their size or yours, about the different ways that people gain weight. For some, it’s a matter of medical problems causing them to gain weight, either through medication or lack of exercise. They may hate the way that the weight makes them feel, but they cannot quit taking the medicines. Certain arthritis medicines, sleep aids, birth control pills, stop smoking aids, migraine medications, and many others have warnings that they can cause weight gain.

There is nothing ugly about being plus size per se, when you look at things from a more personal perspective. Sure, none of us like the look or feel of the weight, but it doesn’t really change who we are inside. Teach your children to get to know the person within, not the weight outside. Once they learn this lesson, the rest will be much easier to deal with when it comes down to body image issues.

For a child, learning to tolerate someone who is not the same as they are can be a challenge. They want to know why that person is different, and what they did to become different, and are not always tactful about it. How many parents have suffered the embarrassment of a “You sure are fat” comment? A great number have, mostly because they have not really taken the time to teach tolerance.

When we think of tolerance, we usually think of sexual orientation, gender equality, religion or religious background, social status, and/or ethnicity. We may even think about disability or handicap on occasion. We rarely think of a plus size person as someone needing tolerance. Think of it this way: if you suddenly put on fifty pounds, would you want everyone to remark on it, or would you rather no one mention it, let you deal with it, and continue loving and supporting you for who you still are?

Our culture is one that preaches tolerance for most of the above mentioned reasons, and this is great, for those who pass the message on to their children at a young age especially about body image and self esteem. Yet body image issues still exist at large. Children are not born with the ability to understand that talking about someone’s weight can hurt their feelings, sometimes so severely that it changes their body image drastically. Whether your child is plus size or not, you have to talk to them about being tolerant and respectful to those who are not the same weight that they are. Do not allow society’s body image issues such as thinner is the only way to be beautiful to be passed down to another generation.

If you are a plus size man, woman, or teenager, then chances are good that you already know that being overweight can lead to a variety of health problems, some more potentially life-altering than others. While you may know some of the most serious, such as high blood pressure, heart problems, or diabetes, you may not know that some health problems could be contributing to weight gain or problems with weight loss. Here are a few reasons that going to the doctor could help you jumpstart your weight loss program and begin feeling better, in no particular order.

You may not even realize that you have a problem. Some health problems offer very few symptoms, and these may not even seem like symptoms to the average person. For example: thyroid problems can lead to problems losing weight, and can cause weight gain in some cases. There are other side effects of an underactive thyroid that can reduce your self-esteem, such as hair loss or headaches, and these can be more severe for women. Regular checkups with your doctor, and occasional blood work, can monitor for thyroid problems. If you know that you have issues with hypothyroidism, it is important to take your medicine and have regular checkups to check for changes in your levels.

For most people, it is difficult to take time out of your busy schedule for things like doctor visits when you do not feel sick. It can seem like a waste of money when you go twice or more per year, only to discover that your health is generally good, especially when you are dreading the discussion about weight that will generally come from a good doctor. However, getting to the root cause of weight gain and dealing with weight loss are critical, as it is an issue that can have long-reaching affects on your quality of life as you age.

You may not know that your problem is growing worse. You may already be well aware of your health issues through visits with a doctor in the past. Even if you do not feel like anything has changed, keeping regularly scheduled appointments for well-being checkups is an important and valuable way to monitor the problems so that they do not become debilitating issues that spiral out of control. Do what your doctor tells you to do in order to take care of yourself, whether that means cutting out the sweets or giving up your saltshaker to start. Monitor your blood sugar if diabetes is the problem, keep track of your blood pressure if high blood pressure is the issue, and take your prescribed medicines as instructed.

Feeling the same may not be an indication that the condition is stabilized, or even that it is getting better. In fact, unless you are feeling significantly different, it could actually be an early warning sign that more preventive measures are needed to avoid problems later. Sometimes, the best medicine for avoiding health complications later in life is being aware of a problem while it is a small issue and dealing with it then instead of waiting until it blossoms into a full-blown crisis.

Your medications could be making other problems worse. If you began taking medicine for a problem before you started gaining weight, or your weight has seriously increased since you started taking the medication, see your doctor. It could be contributing to or causing the weight problem, and the risks involved with severe weight gain may outweigh any potential good that the medicine may offer. Your doctor can tell you more, or speak to a licensed, professional pharmacist for prescription information and what side effects are common with a particular drug.

If the medicine did not cause or contribute to the weight gain, it still may counteract any diet plan that you are struggling with. Be sure that you have consulted your doctor before starting any weight loss plan, and make sure to remind him/her of any prescription, over-the-counter, supplemental, herbal, or even recreational drugs that you take.

Every day, we are constantly bombarded with images of the perfect and ideal body that we should possess. Thanks to Hollywood and the unrealistic standards that they market, many plus size women (or even those who are already slim) feel deeply insecure and uncomfortable with their bodies. How many stories have we heard speaking of stick-thin models, binge-eating, anorexia nervosa, and even deaths of models who drastically diet? Although these kinds of news have often made headlines, we simply never learn from their stories as many plus size and overweight individuals still resort to rapid weight loss and unhealthy dieting.

My dear folks, listening to all that the media and Hollywood says will only reinforce the “bad feelings” that we already have of ourselves, adding to a negative body image. A negative body image is characterized by a distorted perception of how we really look. Many obese and overweight individuals actually feel this way; and this does not in any way make them confident and proud of themselves as a whole. What plus size individuals should strive for is a positive body image, one that means we recognize our flaws but overall, we still love who we are and appreciate our appearances: fats, sweat, snots, and all.

Uplift your body image! Here are a few tips on how to build a positive body image:

1. Focus on your strengths and positive qualities. Create a list of what you love about your body. Focus on your best aspects and dwell on your strengths.
2. Limit the amount of time you spend with people who comment on your flaws. Moving on from a negative body image is difficult if you have the persons around you only see your flaws plus it also contributes to a decreased self-esteem.
3. Concentrate on your ambitions, dreams, and aspirations. Don’t spend your precious time worrying about superficial things like plus size appearance, being overweight, or your extra large clothes. There are a lot of positive things to think of that can even boost your personality.
4. Be fit and healthy. Exercise and physical activities trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s endogenous “happy hormones” that will leave you with a natural high. Of course, a healthy diet also contributes to your general well-being.
5. Be comfortable especially with your body. Learn to love your body and see people admire you for your no-“stick-thin” ideals and healthy principles.

Even though you can still find heartless jerks snicker over overweight bodies and extra large clothing, don’t forget to notice that there are more people who don’t (see, society cares!). Take that as an initiative to show who you really are, personality, talent, and more!