Weight gain is a problem experienced by millions of people. Some people know why they are not losing weight anymore and some don’t. If you fall into the latter, and have asked yourself “Why Did I Stop Losing Weight”, here’s some food for thought.

Do you exercise daily or have a routine physical fitness program. If not, lack of exercise which increases your fat intake is a common cause.

How old are you? As we get older your metabolism naturally slows down and fat burning slows as well. Your activity level also decreases allowing you to store extra weight.

Congratulations to those out there who quit smoking. Oftentimes the lack of nicotine is no longer quenching your hunger causing you to eat frequently, replacing old smoking habits. This change in lifestyle will prevent you from losing weight in most cases.

There are known medical problems that cause weight gain. One of the most common is the thyroid that is underactive. This causes your metabolism to slow down and store calories as fat. Insulin used to treat Diabetes sometimes causes a disturbance in your hormones may cause weight gain. A few medications with side effects like birth control pills and therapeutic type pills used to replace estrogen will increase your appetite and store fat.

Being constantly irritable, having difficulty sleeping, fatigue, or lack of interested in hobbies may be a result of depression. Depression can be a serious illness and can cause overeating with chocolates or other foods you feel may perk you up.

Weight gain may not be a symptom meriting concern if you put on just a few pounds over time. If you are experiencing weight gain but didn’t know why, hopefully these common causes may help you nail it down and secure resources to help shed a few of those pounds.

Families often struggle with the need to be sure everything has been done that can be done their terminally ill loved one.  It can be very difficult for the patient and family members as they transition from making decisions  toward cure to making decisions that will help to allow for a comfortable and peaceful death.

When a terminally ill person and/or their loved ones make the decision to discontinue curative treatments and move instead into comfort care in preparation for approaching death, there are several matters which must be considered.

What is Palliative Care

Palliative  is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of symptoms rather than curing the disease.  The goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for those who are experiencing serious, complex and terminal illness.

This can include alternative or energy  work such as massage or aromatherapy which may alleviate the side effects of the curative treatments. One example is methods of relieving the nausea associated  with chemotherapy.

Over the past twenty years, the focus on a patient’s quality of life has gained substantial ground. Today in the United States, 55% of U.S. hospitals with over 100 beds offer a palliative care programand nearly one-fifth of community hospitals have palliative care programs.A relatively recent development is the concept of a dedicated health care team that is entirely geared toward palliative treatment, called a palliative care team.

There is often confusion between the terms hospice and palliative care. In the United States, hospice services and palliative care programs share similar goals of providing symptom relief and pain management.

However, the most important distinction between hospice and palliative care programs in the United States is that hospice is a Medicare Part A benefit, thus requiring many aspects of hospice care such as enrollment to be regulated by the United States federal government.

Non-hospice palliative care, however, is appropriate for anyone with a serious, complex illness, whether they are expected to recover fully, to live with chronic illness for an extended time, or to experience disease progression.

As death becomes more imminent, attempts to cure the disease taper off, while palliative care measures increase.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness it’s not unusual to routinely get lab work done to check numerous health indicators. If you thought waiting for the results from diagnostic tests were torture then you haven’t waited by the phone or computer waiting for the latest results on your current status. The test results are not only the gauge of how the treatment is working, but for many it’s the barometer of how they’re feeling.

Ever wonder how you would feel if you didn’t know the test results? What would happen if you were feeling well and you were told that the numbers were good even if they weren’t very good? Would you do anything differently? Would you feel any worse just because you were told the numbers weren’t good? The placebo effect is our response to news often used in pharmaceutical trials. It’s not uncommon to find that the patient receiving the placebo responds even though not receiving a therapeutic medication, but the mind can impact how the body responds and the opposite is true.

Are you capable of receiving the lab results and not use them as an indicator of how the body is feeling? In many instances the tests are indicators; those things you need to look into further but not necessarily a health threat. The lab results can be the springboard for conversations with your medical team. Understanding the implications of the lab results is more important than the number. If the lab results indicate the treatment regimen isn’t working that’s a big issue. If the lab results indicate that a secondary condition results from the medication, then although inconvenient you haven’t been condemned to poor health.

It’s important to keep up with your lab work because it’s part of your medical treatment. You have to remember that the numbers are indicators. They are conversation starters about how to maximize the treatment protocol. The hope is that you become conscious of the impact your lab results have on your emotional and physical health. Speak with your doctor about your reaction to your numbers so as a team you can decrease the negative impact of the numbers. Remember that how you feel is as important as the numbers. Your medical provider should couple the lab results with proof of your health and that’s based on how you’re living your life!

1. Before you start, it’s important that you get into the habit of paying more attention to what you eat. As simple as that sounds, you’d be surprised at how many people go through life indiscriminately stuffing their face without regard to the kind of food they’re actually putting in their body.

2. Make sure you choose foods that you actually enjoy eating. There’s no sense in force-feeding yourself healthy food if you can’t stand the taste. You need to strike a balance between healthy and tasty. This will ensure that you start eating healthy food as a habit. Stick with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains if possible. Try to eliminate as much fat and sugar from your diet as possible.

3. Make it a point to build muscle. Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn - simple as that. Start a weightlifting program combined with some cardio exercises and you’ll see results quickly.

4. Cut down on your carbohydrates. It’s not that you need to cut them out completely (because you need carbohydrates for energy), but the average person tends to eat more carbs than necessary. Cut down on white bread and pasta and replace them with whole wheat.

5. Make sure you set realistic goals. The reason most diets fail is because people tend to set difficult or unrealistic targets. Although you may have the energy to stick with it for a few weeks, eventually it’s going to start wearing you down. Make sure your goals have deadlines and that you have a way to measure your progress. While it’s good to have long-term goals, you should also have a list of short-term goals that can be easily achieved. This is going to motivate you by giving you a sense of accomplishment.

6. Ditch the junk food. You’d be surprised at just how unhealthy candies, cakes, cookies, soda pop, and other sweets are for you. By simply eliminating these sugar/fat laden snacks, you’re going to notice an almost immediate positive effect.

7. Have a good breakfast. It’s no secret that most of your calories should be consumed early in the day. By having a substantial, well-balanced breakfast, you are getting your metabolism off to a good start.

8. Be portion conscious. Think about how much you’re consuming. Most people simply eat until they feel full and often don’t think of the quantity of food they’re eating. One trick is to use smaller plates for your meals. Subconsciously, it’s going to feel as though you’re eating more than you actually are.