From 1988-1994 the number of Americans who were over weight or obese was 56%. That number rose from 1999-2000 to 64% according to NAASO.org. Oregon is one of the highest with 23% of its population being obese. There are many reasons why people become obese or over weight. Many times it is genetic but that is something you can not change. What you can change is the way you eat, what you eat and how much you eat. If our society as a whole does not change the way we eat, we will be at high risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks. In 2004 obesity related deaths ranked number two, smoking came in first. By 2005 obesity related deaths was expected to pass smoking as the number one cause of death, according to Medscape.com.

Americans lead busy lives and the cost of living is not cheep. In a typical family home, both parents work a forty hour week and arrive home late. Most of those families would rather relax than think about making a well balanced meal for everyone. Usually they will grab what it closest or easiest such as a microwave dinner, take out or the phone to order a pizza.

Often eating out is cheaper than making a home cooked meal. You can go to McDonalds and feed a family of four for fewer than twenty dollars. It is fast, easy and cheap. To feed a family of four a balanced meal, for example chicken with rice and a vegetable, costs more in both time and money. Foster Farms offers three chicken breasts in a package for around $9.00 at a local Fred Meyer here in Oregon. You would have to buy two in order to feed a family of four. One package of Uncle Ben’s instant wild rice only has two to three servings per container for $2.50 which means again you would have to buy two packages. For a bushel of broccoli can range in price from $1.00 per pound. Once you go to the grocery store, come home and make all this food, you evening is gone and so is over twenty dollars.

Lack of health choice at restaurants makes eating right difficult. According to Foodfacts.info, in 2005 fast food chain, Wendy’s, pulled their fruit salad option after only ten months on the menu, sighting low sales. Many fast food chains have started to offer healthier choices such as Subway which offers raisins and yogurt, and Wendy’s offers mandarin orange fruit cups in place of fries. Some sit down restaurants have followed suit such as Red Robin which will allow you to order either a petite hamburger patty or a Boca Burger substitute for any of their burgers. Unfortunately other places do not offer alternatives or the alternatives are not well advertised by the prospective restaurant. Red Robin might offer a Boca patty substitution but it is in fine print which is barley visible at the very bottom of their menu.

Serving sizes are something you are not in control of when eating out. Most restaurants fill your plate with fries and a giant burger. When the food comes, the presentation is nice and the food smells good, and since we are all in such a hurry, we devour the whole plate before we know it consuming double the empty calories.

Gastric bypass surgery is the second only to breast augmentation, as the most common surgery among young adults. The time is now for us to start setting a good example for all people and start making smarter choices of food, make the effort to cook healthy meals, and rethink what a serving size is. Sure it might require more effort and more time and sacrifice but when you look at the health risks and concerns associated with obesity, it just makes sense to spend a few extra dollars, a little more time and make a few better choices in order to make a better future for you and your family.

Obesity in America is out of control. According to the CDC, in 2006 only four states had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. This trend is happening not only here in America, but abroad as well. People gain weight for many reasons. Often they do not know proper portions, enjoy snacking or have emotional attachments to food, or could suffer from a food addiction. Weight loss can be intimidating, especially if you have a significant amount of weight to lose. However, weight loss can be easily attained if you go about it the right way.

Everyone could benefit from knowing what a proper portion is. Every time you eat at a restaurant, you are greeted by large unrealistic portions. Take a “dinner salad” for example, it can contain two portions instead of the implied single portion. By eating more portions than you should can obviously cause you to gain weight.

No one knows what an ounce of chicken truly is, many put their trust in restaurants to give them proper portions, and sadly this does not happen often. The portions found at restaurants are grossly exaggerated, and now more than ever people are eating out which fuels the problem. This issue obviously causes gain weight. Even when preparing food in the home, it is hard to decide what a proper portion is, especially if the food is tasty.

An over looked weight gain issue is food addiction. Food addicts have a hard time identifying that they have a problem or what the problem is caused from. People who are food addicts are usually completely out of control and unable to know if they are truly hungry or simply having a craving. Often times, food addicts have become so because of a habit. Once you address this habit, you are able to regain control and focus this energy on something else such as weight loss and exercise.

It is difficult to figure out why you over eat, make bad food choices or snack without help. Hypnosis has proven to be a highly effective tool in the battle against weight loss. Hypnosis is not a short term fix, many have experienced long term success because hypnosis deals with the actual triggers and attachments to food that could hold you back with other short term plans. It confronts food addiction head on by giving an answer to the “why am I eating so much” question that many food addicts deal with day in and day out. This treatment deals with all the behaviors you are unable to deal with through regular diet and exercise.

With this program you will feel rejuvenated and energized. Hypnosis helps you to crave other things such as exercise, healthy food and other activities. Your energy will return to allow you to find joy in new activities and hobbies. You will feel more happy and relaxed that you are doing something about your problem instead of doing nothing at all. You will no longer feel the need to eat unhealthy things and sit at home on the couch. It is a wonderful feeling indeed.

Think about how different you life could be in just a few short sessions. Think of all the things you could be doing instead of eating. You need to find a pan that fits with you and your lifestyle. Don’t allow yourself to be one more in the obesity epidemic, be a better healthier you. There is no time like to present to make a decision to change you life. There are plans out there than can help you, make your choice.