Here on The Online Clinic news blog we endeavour to cover all the latest news stories on weight loss and weight loss treatments. Whether it be a story about the media furore which surrounded the revelation that Fern Britton had been fitted with a gastric band, the terrible story of a young woman who died after taking illegal weight loss pills bought on the internet or the latest developments in medical research and treatments for weight loss, you will find them on this blog.
Sometimes amidst all these stories, however, it becomes possible to lose sight of the fact that there are many simple life-style approaches and choices that can help us, and our children, to maintain a healthy weight. One such approach is to own a dog.
Australian scientists have found that overweight and obese children can lose weight by owning this family pet. Young children who have a dog in their household were found to be up to fifty per cent less likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not have canine companion.
The research was carried out on 1110 children aged between five and twelve. It was discovered that those who were in contact with a dog were in the best physical shape even if they did not take the dog for walks.
This reiterates the fact that physical activity is the best way to keep weight off. If a person consumes more calories than he or she uses in a day then that person is going to put weight on. One only needs to look at Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as a case in point. Although he consumes over 12000 calories a day, his body fat index is extremely low. This is hardly surprising when one considers that he trains for over six hours every day.
For parents keen to wean the children off computer games or away from the computer, a pet may well be a good idea and whilst it is not viable for many people to have a dog, it does remind us that simple exercise and physical exertion combined with a healthy calorie-controlled diet is the best way to maintain or lose weight.