Pioneer press ran an interesting story recently on the effect your weight can have on your job.  If you think your weight isn’t anybody’s business, you’d better think again.  With health insurance costs sky rocketing, many employers are paying attention to your figure whether or not you are.  Companies like General Mills have made “healthy weight” part of their mission statement.  A Minneapolis marketing firm launched a “Biggest Loser”-style weight-loss contest. An Indianapolis employer even proposed $30 fines for overweight workers!  Treasure Island Resort & Casino now requires employees and their spouses to take a medical exam which includes a body mass index reading in order to qualify for employer-sponsored insurance.

With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese health care costs are being driven up. It is estimated that obesity costs corporate America $13 billion a year in additional health insurance expenses, sick leave, life insurance and disability insurance.  In response, employers preaching the benefits of eating better, eating less and exercising more.

Of course, this doesn’t come without some backlash.  A recent national survey of 30,000 employees shows that 88% don’t think their health should be dictated by their employer.  The same survey found that 88% of employers plan to invest in wellness programs within the next 5 years.

Consider General Mills. The food giant, a regular on lists of best places to work, has long offered fitness programs to its corporate employees in Golden Valley. Now, manufacturing plant managers across the country are using the corporate wellness programs as models for their own customized programs.

Clarian Health Partners, the Indianapolis company that tried to fine people for being overweight, had to change their program to an incentive program instead that rewarded people for meeting the standard for body mass index.

So, what are the legal limits?  The jury is still out on that. There are restrictions in how big a financial incentive can be, for instance.

Let’s face it; health and fitness are part of the new culture. Employers may not be forcing workers to run around the block or forgo the doughnuts and half-and-half with their morning coffee, but there is no doubt there is a good deal of peer pressure to shape up, or face the consequences in lost benefits — and very probably being passed over for a promotion or even a job — although you won’t find that the official reason on the paperwork.

Want to watch your figure so that your boss doesn’t see you in a negative light?  Be sure to include some exercise in your weekly routine.  Some type of aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping and makes you use oxygen is your best bet.  Brisk walking for 20 to 30 minutes 3 days a week will increase your calorie consumption and aid you in releasing unwanted pounds.  In addition to eating healthy foods, try calorie cycling to really speed up your weight release by shifting your metabolism into overdrive and giving you an extra energy boost.

There is a new form of substance abuse spreading like wildfire. It’s one that usually goes unrecognized because it seems so innocent and benign. It’s also perfectly legal, because you can buy these substances over the counter. They are legally sold dietary supplements — vitamins, minerals, herbs and homeopathic remedies.

The hazards of ephedra garnered a lot of publicity when this one-time weight-loss aid was found to be deadly. Shortly after the ephedra fall out, cold and sinus medications containing pseudo ephedrine were moved from the generally accessible store aisles to the pharmacy and now require a signature for purchase. But, there are many other popular supplements which can be harmful — especially when taken in large doses or in combination with another substance or prescription drug.

Other issues can arise if you have hidden health problems, or if you fail to report the substances you are taking to your doctor. For example, green tea, grapeseed, ginkgo biloba turmeric, salmon oil and vitamin E, all have properties which prevent or inhibit blood clotting, which can lead to excessive bleeding.

In an article earlier today, the New York Times described a new federal law that requires supplement manufacturers to report serious adverse effects to the Food and Drug Administration, but it depends on consumers to call in reactions. The article goes on to say that most consumers are unlikely to relate health problems to a supplement they assume to be safe. Even if they do, they may be reluctant to report an adverse effect from a self-medicated substance.

A 2002 Harris poll found that 70 percent of adults in the United States take vitamins, minerals, herbs or other supplements. And the use of supplements is on the rise. Most people believe that they can make you feel better, give you energy, improve health and prevent and treat disease.

It’s important to remember that while some supplements are beneficial, they are not risk free and can be dangerous when taken in large amounts or the wrong combinations. Just because a small amount is good, doesn’t mean that more is better. In fact, some studies have shown the opposite to be true.

The bottom line: Exercise, eating healthy foods, watching your caloric intake and shifting calories is still the best way to release excess weight and keep it off. Be sure to check with your doctor before adding over the counter diet supplements to your regimen, and remember, more is not necessarily better.

A recent study in Economic Inquiry raises the question: “Is fat the new normal?” Let’s face it, what we consider “normal” changes based on what appears to be a majority rules mind set. With approximately 2/3 of the American population now considered overweight or even obese, has this changed our view of what we see as “normal weight?”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think we needed to adjust our sights from the rail thin, “waif” look that was so popular when skinny models on the covers of fashion magazines were all the rage. The skeletal look caused widespread self-esteem issues among American women – especially young girls – as they compared themselves with these impossibly thin role models. But, has the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction now making fat the new normal?

The study found that standards for acceptable body weight relax as the average weight of the population increases. And the average weight continues to increase in response to the loosening up of social standards. This report doesn’t really present any shockingly new information. A 2000 study in Obesity Research obtained similar results in that people general choose their own shape as being within the “acceptable” range – even if the respondents were obviously outside of what would be considered a healthy body weight.

In the end, what truly matters is not what is “normal” or “acceptable” but rather, what is “healthy”. Do you feel energetic? Can you take a brisk walk without gasping for breath? Is your blood cholesterol level in a healthy range? If you answered now to any of those questions, then it may be time to re-evaluate your own body shape. If it isn’t where you would like it to be, you can change it.

A healthy diet combined with physical exercise is your best bet at achieving a healthy weight for your own body. Yo-yo dieting, low fat/low carb diets or the latest diet fad won’t get you where you want to be long-term. Calorie cycling is a wonderful way to achieve that healthy weight. You don’t lose the weight only to put it back on, because you never feel as though you are depriving yourself of the foods you love. In fact, most people comment that they can eat far more food than they ever dreamed, and still lose weight. And, the best part is, because you are retraining yourself to eat more healthily rather than simply “dieting”, you will keep the weight off.

When you eat low calorie or low carbohydrate, your body gets used to the same routine. Eating 1200 (or however many you choose) calories every day is something that your body can easily get used to, and it will adjust accordingly. It will lower your metabolism accordingly, and it will make you lose weight at a much slower pace.

Changing up your calories is a great way to lose weight, because it helps you easily trick your body.

With this method, your body never knows what’s coming to it, so it will never be able to plateau. You’ll continuously lose weight, over and over again.

This is also great for your mindset, psychologically speaking. First of all, you’re never bored on this “diet”. This is great because a “diet” isn’t a long-term fix. People get bored with “diets”, and then revert back to their old eating habits. The shifting calorie method is one in which you can stay with for life.

With this lifestyle change, you shift you calories to a certain level on different days. Because some days are almost drastically higher, you get to “cheat” on those days. This is great for people because they don’t feel like they’re missing out on their favorite foods, or that they’re different from the non-dieters in their life.

With the shifting calorie method, you also don’t need to deprive yourself of nutrients, as you would on diets such as the cabbage soup diet, the cookie diet, or other popular fad diets. You can eat whatever you want, as long as it’s within calorie allotments.