Although New York City (and the state of New York) appear to be a bit slimmer compared to some of the other major cities, it still has its fair share of the population dealing with weight issues. Statistics show that about half of all New Yorkers are either overweight or obese and need to lose weight.

In the United States, obesity and overweight are the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States (US) currently and is expected to soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death.

Although it does compare favorably to the other parts of the country where up to 70 percent of the population are overweight or obese, New York City has its share of the epidemic of obesity, especially among the minorities such as Hispanics, and African Americans.
Obesity is believed to shorten life expectancy in the US by 2-5 years by the year 2050!

Key obesity statistics New York State

• About 60% of adults in New York State are either overweight or obese.
• Overweight and obesity are more prevalent among African Americans (66%) than among Caucasians (61%).
• Between 2003 and 2007, the prevalence of obesity in New York City increased from 20% to 22%.
• Obesity was highest and increased the most among people living in low-income neighborhoods.
• Differences in obesity existed between neighborhoods with different levels of access to physical activity opportunities and food amenities.
• A 2003 survey of kindergarten through fifth grade students in New York City revealed that 24% were obese, compared to 19% of second through fifth grade students in 1990.

Obesity increases the overall health risk of over 50 medical problems including type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis, and more and more of these are now being seen in children and adolescents such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure in kids!

• Based on the 2004 cycle of the Oral Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey of third graders in upstate New York, 21% were obese.
• In a 1987 survey, 13% of second and fifth graders were obese.
• Obesity prevalence among 2-5 year olds enrolled in WIC in NYS increased from 12% in 1989 to 16% in 2004.
• Between 2003 and 2008 the obesity prevalence among 2-5 year-olds enrolled in WIC in NYS decreased from 17% to 15%.
• Childhood obesity remains a serious public health problem in New York as it is in the rest of the United States.

Overweight is defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.99 and obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or more.

Nearly one-quarter (24.5%) of adults in New York State are obese and another 36% are overweight according to the BRFSS survey on obesity in New York.

The rate of obesity is higher among adults who are non-Hispanic Black (32.5%), earn an annual household income less than $25,000 (26.8%), have less than a college education (27.1%), or are currently living with a disability (34.9%).

Learn more on the obesity statistics in New York in this report titled adult overweight and obesity in New York State 2000-2010

• So, what is causing this epidemic of obesity that is sweeping the nation?
• It is as simple as “eat less, exercise more”, why is more than half of New Yorkers and up to a 70 percent of all the population of the United States dealing with this issue of obesity and overweight?
• Could this weight gain be a simple of a much deeper metabolic issue that may be causing this?
• Could there be an underlying metabolic process that is driving this epidemic such as insulin resistance that affects up to 71% of the entire population?
• It is projected that up to 45 percent of the entire population of the United States are at risk for type 2 diabetes in the current trends continue.
• So, what is driving this epidemic despite the governments efforts to help people lose weight?
• Did we miss the bus on the cause and effect of weight gain?
• Our current thinking and attitude as a nation and society is that eating too much food is what causes this and eating less and exercising more should help!
• If it is as simple as this, why are we dealing with this issue as everybody knows this fact!

According to Dr. Prab R. Tumpati, MD, founder of W8MD Medical Weight Loss Centers of America and a practicing weight loss physician, weight gain is a symptom of a much deeper problem that drives the eating habits of people by causing them to overeat as it causes metabolic starvation in overweight or obese individuals that also have this metabolic process.

That metabolic process, that drives the weight gain, that causes overeating by way of causing metabolic starvation, is called insulin resistance syndrome!

So,  what can one do to understand the true causes of weight gain and start losing weight in New York City?

Weight loss step 1 for losing weight in New York City

Start with a basic understanding of your current situation, get your height, weight, calculate your body mass index. Also, understand that the distribution of weight is more important than just body mass index. For example, if you have excess weight in the tummy or upper part of the body, your risk of health problems related to obesity are a bit higher. A waist to hip ratio or simply waist circumference can serve as a guide to the health risks associated with your belly fat.

Weight loss step 2 for losing weight in New York City

Once you know your BMI, your waist to hip ratio, you want to try to understand the true causes of weight gain. Use this free metabolic syndrome meter that can help you understand your risk. If you have insulin resistance like up to 71 percent of the population to a smaller degree and up to one in three to the full degree of meeting 3 of the 5 metabolic syndrome criteria, your weight gain might be caused by this process called insulin resistance.

Weight loss step 3 for losing weight in New York City

Determine the ideal body weight for you based on your body mass index, age and starting weight. For most people, aiming to go down to a normal or mid normal body mass index is recommended although for some, slightly higher body mass index might be acceptable, especially if you are starting with a very high body mass index or morbid obesity.

Weight loss step 4 for losing weight in New York City

Understand the 5 proven measures to lose weight. Although there are over 20,000 books written on this topic, with so much misinformation, there are only about 5 things that are clinically proven to help you lose weight.

Weight loss step 5 for losing weight in New York City

Find a weight loss program that has specially trained and experience obesity medicine physicians that truly understand the real causes of your weight gain instead of blaming your or your eating habits and use evidence based measures to help you lose weight under careful medical supervision.

Since the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act mandates insurance coverage for all insurances for obesity, it is important to find a weight loss program that accepts your health insurance for the weight loss physician visits such as the unique W8MD Medical Weight Loss Centers of America’s insurance physician weight loss program in New York City.

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