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World Health Organization (WHO) Updated March 2011

Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.
In 2008, 1.5 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
Overallm more than one in ten of the world's adult population was obese
Nearly 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2010.
Obesity is preventable
Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.
In addition, obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases. 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity.

The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.
Globally, there has been:
- an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat, salt and sugars but low in vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients; and
- a decrease in physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

Obesity rates among children in the United States

   Data from the National and Nutrition Examination Survey - 2011
              - Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 are obese
              - .Since 1880, obestity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled
              - There are significant and ethnic disparities in obestity prevalence amoung U.S. children and
                  adolescents. In 2007-2008, Hispanic boys, aged 2 to 10 years were significantly more likely
                  to be obese than non-Hispanic white boys, and non-Hispanic black girls were significantly
                  more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white girls.

FirmContour has especially designed meals plans for the teenagers (age 13-19) in your life. Get started now and help make a difference today!

Keeping A Food Journal Doubles Diet Weight Loss

ScienceDaily (July 8, 2008) — Keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss according to a study from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research. The findings, from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost," said lead author Jack Hollis Ph.D., a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories."

At FirmContour members are encouraged to track everything they eat on a daily basis with our user-friendly weight and fitness interactive e-tools.
FirmContour Benefits

Prevention VS. Cure

Here is what experts say moderate exercise along with healthy eating can reduce a person's risk of...
    Obesity, which is a major risk factor for many forms of cancer
    1/3 of annual cancer deaths are attributable to either diet or sedentary lifestyles
       Diabetes risks can be reduced by 58%
       Heart disease risks can be reduced by 45%
       Breast cancer risks can be reduced by 30% (nearly 1 in 3 could be spared)
       Colon cancer risks can be reduced by 50%
       Even lung cancer risks can be reduced by 20% (33% of all cancer deaths are attributable to smoking!!)
       Stroke risks can be reduced by 50%

While efforts to find cures for these and many other diseases must continue to be supported, we can do far more to prevent both the suffering and staggering costs that accompany them. Suey Starczynski Prevention Project
Team Firm  Contour urges you for your sake and the sake of your loved ones to adopt a healthy lifestyle by incorporating eating right with the help of our weight and fitness management program and to find a form of regular physical activity that you can enjoy and incorporate into your lifestyle.

USA Overweight Population (2005-2006)
Percentage of non institutional adults ages 20 years and over who are overweight or obese: 67% (2005-2006)
Percent of non institutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 34% (2005-2006)
Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are overweight: 18% (2005-2006)
Percent of children age 6-11 years who are overweight: 15% (2005-2006)
Percent of children age 2-5 years who are overweight: 11% (2005-2006
Source: Health, United States, 2008, table 70

Fitness is Key
Member Benefits / Move It To Lose It: More than 94% of participants who succeeded in their goals in the National Weight Control Registry increased their rate of physical activity (NWCR 2007).

updated 17 September 2011