WEST BOUNTIFUL - statistics show most Americans are overweight.
About 65 percent of all adults and 35 percent of children in the United States are, members of the Bountiful Breakfast Exchange Club were told last week.
Chiropractor Chris Whetton shared information on the top reasons people are overweight.
Yes, he said, eating too much and exercising too little are factors, but the top reason Americans are overweight is poor liver function, Whetton said.
The problem has gotten worse through the years. In 1985, only 10 to 14 percent of Americans were considered obese.
Whetton, who owns Whetton Weight Loss and Wellness Center in Weber County, told Exchangites that the liver is the body’s major detoxifer. Everything ingested must be processed by the liver, and eating fatty foods slows that process down, making the liver sluggish.
Those who are trying to lose weight by drinking artificially-sweetened drinks are making the situation worse because such sweeteners immediately go to the liver, overriding normal digestive processes and slowing liver function even more,Whetton said.
The way to restore liver function is to detoxify the body, Whetton said.
Other factors that may be contributing to weight gain are skipping meals, or reducing caloric intake too far.
Whetton said some weight loss plans set a daily calorie count of 500 to 600 calories.
No one should be on a program of 500 to 600 calories, he said.
“You should never let yourself get hungry,” he said, recommending 1,000 daily calories as the absolute minimum for a woman.
Whetton, like many health care providers, recommends that those wishing to lose weight should eat several smaller meals daily, rather than fewer large meals.
He also urged club members to give up refined sugars.
For more information check out the August 30 edition of Davis Clipper.
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