Losing Weight Contributions by sshowalter

While scientific evidence is inconclusive as to how much obesity contributes to back pain in general, extra pounds can increase pressure on the spinal muscles and disks. Follow the dietary and exercise plan recommended by your doctora healthy diet and exercise to help with the treatment of low back pain and sciatica. To lose weight you have to consume fewer calories of high quality food* than you expend. To maintain a healthy weight, eat an equal number of calories of high quality food to those you expend. Even more exercise than minimum recommendations may be required to lose weight.

• Not all calories are created equally; eating 500 calories of candy is not the same as eating 500 calories of vegetables. Make sure you are eating healthy foods that are not processed, and in as close to their natural state as possible.

Maintenance of good weight is important for your overall health.

While scientific evidence is inconclusive as to how much obesity contributes to back pain in general, extra pounds can increase pressure on the spinal muscles and disks. Follow a healthy diet and exercise to help with the treatment of low back pain and sciatica. To lose weight you have to consume fewer calories of high quality food* than you expend. To maintain a healthy weight, eat an equal number of calories of high quality food to those you expend. Even more exercise than minimum recommendations may be required to lose weight.

• Not all calories are created equally; eating 500 calories of candy is not the same as eating 500 calories of vegetables. Make sure you are eating healthy foods that are not processed, and in as close to their natural state as possible.

American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html .

American College of Rheumatology website. Available at: http://www.rheumatology.org/ .

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website. Available at: http://www.niams.nih.gov/ . The Merck Manual of Medical Information. 17th ed. Simon and Schuster, Inc; 2000.

Losing weight can help lower uric acid levels. If you are overweight, losing weight should help reduce your symptoms and prevent future gout attacks. However, do not go on a crash diet because this can make your gout worse.

Consult a practitioner for help designing a safe and effective weight loss program that includes:

• Setting a proper weight loss goal
• An appropriate diet to both lose weight and maintain a proper weight.
• A regular exercise program.