Definitions

Central Obesity

Central obesity, at it’s most basic is simply the presence of excess fat in the abdomen. A lot of times when people discuss central obesity, it also means the weight is concentrated in the abdominal area, and the fat in the abdomen is out of proportion when compared to the rest of the body. Sometimes [...]

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Metabolic Syndrome (MetS)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a term you’ll hear often when childhood obesity comes up. MetS is simply a name for a varied group of risk factors that occur together and increase one’s risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. What causes MetS? Researchers are not sure if MetS can be officially linked [...]

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How do calories and your basal metabolic rate work?

Let’s look at a quick primer about how body weight and calories works. This information can be hyper boring and hard to understand. Even when I was in college RN nutrition classes, some students struggled to get this stuff. Still, it’s important to understand how calories and weight work in order to understand why portion sizes, [...]

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Is weight in America a taboo discussion topic or just politically incorrect?

I often talk about how weight in this country is a “taboo” topic. But, I’m exaggerating a bit when I say “taboo.” Technically a taboo is a norm that’s so deeply ingrained in society that to break such a norm would be considered 100% unacceptable by the rest of society. For example, not to get [...]

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Diet

Diet means many different things to many people, but specifically, in real clinical terms and in terms of this site, a diet simply refers to the foods and beverages that an individual eats. For example, “Bob’s diet is healthy and balanced for the most part, but he could eat more vegetables to improve his diet.” [...]

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Calorie Control

Technically, calories are units of energy. Specifically, one calorie is the energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. Also specifically, 3,500 calories equal one pound of body weight. Knowing the figure above can help you cut back or increase calories if needed. For example, to lose 2 pounds a [...]

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Malnutrition

Malnutrition is often thought of as not getting enough to eat. In reality, malnutrition is really when a condition is present that is caused by one of the following issues: Excess nutrients – more nutrients than a body needs. Deficit nutrients – fewer nutrients than a body needs. Nutrient imbalances. Weight (too much or too little) is [...]

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Chronic Disease

A chronic disease is a long-term, or long-in-duration disease that is characterized by a deterioration of body organs. Examples include heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In some cases, a chronic disease may be turned entirely around if an individual makes healthier lifestyle choices, but not always.

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Overweight

A child who is overweight is defined as a child who has a larger than average amount of body fat. The World Health Organization says that an adult with a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight. For kids and teens specifically, the CDC says that an overweight child is defined by a BMI that [...]

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Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body mass index (BMI) is a basic measure of body fat based on one’s height and weight and is usually used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems among kids, although adults may use BMI measurements as well. For children and teens, BMI is age- and sex-specific because body fat changes with age and body fat [...]