Male health concerns

I normally don't write about male health simply because I am female. What prompted me to cover one health concern is the fact that most men seem to be obsessed with it. I am talking about ED or what used to be called impudence. The lack of libido seems to be the number one concern for most men that are not stressed out about other problems in their lives.

The inability to perform well in bed is often related to having something else on their minds. Thinking about money or lack of it is right up there with any concerns about size. Doubts about sexual performance will often hinder that performance.   

The business community has latched onto men's concerns of ED that a huge multi billion dollar business has cropped up in the last 15 years. Everything from Viagra pills to enlargement devices and surgery. Whole websites devoted to the subject of male enhancement reviews sales of pills are now the norm.

While I would love to say to those men to just not worry about your ED and it will go away, that is not always true. First and foremost talk to your doctor before embarking on a trail of trial and error when it comes to ED. Only then will everything get better.

Your weight and looking for work

Our society (in the USA) is unfortunately one of being superficial. This fact is often more apparent when a woman (yep this post is aimed at the women readers for now) is looking for a job. While men are judged on their previous work history or education, women are judged first on their looks then their education and work history. It is not uncommon for men to be hired over the phone for a job without having that interview in person, but a woman is often called to come in for that interview.

Employers want to see what that prospective women employee looks like before they hire them. Employers are often more critical of a woman's looks for sales jobs, receptionists or other high public contact position. They claim that those positions are more as company representatives and they want to put out a good impression to the public. I say BS. It is just their method of discrimination, but how to you prove it?

Since the job market is very tight right now, women are getting their faces lifted, having tummy tucks done and above all else, going back to the gym for working out. While plastic surgery is very expensive and I don't recommend it at all, getting your body in shape, the cheap old fashioned way of working out, will not only benefit you but might increase your chances of securing that job you have wanted.

Your skin after a crash diet

The one reason I tell people not to go on crash diets (losing more than 5 pounds a week) is the fact that your skin will look like loose flab after you lose the weight. Your skin needs time to adjust to not being stretched over your fat. Unless you want to pay for cosmetic surgery to remove all that extra skin, do yourself a favor and don't go on any crash diets. You will find that even a wrinkle cream that works will not remove that turkey neck if you lose weight too fast.

By losing weight slowly you skin will have a chance to bounce back to a slimmer you.

Don't be stupid

Now I know that New Years is just a few days away now. Like most people you might be making unrealistic resolutions that you cannot keep. For example losing 20 pounds a month in weight. That is not only unrealistic but can be dangerous. The most drastic weight loss I have ever gone through was losing 15 pounds in 3 days, that was because I had the flu and between not eating much and spending my time either puking or pooping it was not a very nice way to lose weight. In fact for the next week after that I was extremely weak. I had the advantage of being in my late teens at the time so my young strong body could handle it. Nowadays forget it, I would end up in ER.

You don't want to lose weight by unconventional means either. Don't be planning on that trip down to Mexico for liposuction from a back alley doctor. Those places are known for leaving the patient with more health problems then they arrived with. A friend of mine went down for dental implants Mexico and ended up with a bone infection.

Lose those excessive pounds the old fashioned way, by eating less and being more active. Don't eat more than your body can use in energy and maintaining bodily functions.

Have a great new year and don't make unrealistic plans that you know you can't keep.

Exercise is very important when dieting

If you don't exercise when you are dieting you will end up with loose flabs of skin hanging off your body. Women will lose weight where men like to see it - in the boobs. If women don't exercise to tighten the muscles to pull in the skin they will end up at the plastic surgeons office. Men will have a flap of skin over hanging their belt. Both will need a nip and tuck.

Exercise is cheaper than plastic surgery. Exercise is also a great way to unwind from the day's events. Mental worries and stress are gone when you exercise. You could care less about the state of the economy, Outer Banks foreclosures and looking for a job while you exercise.

Another bonus is the fact that if you are looking for a new job, you will look physically better during the interview if you are on a good exercise routine.

Surgery for weight loss

Would you resort to surgery as a method of weight loss? Most people would say no, but there are some people where surgery is the only option left open to them. The lap band was recommended to a family member that cannot exercise because of lack of mobility. That person uses food as a comfort. Depression of his condition triggers him to eat more which in turn depresses him. It is a vicious cycle.

I would not recommend you go out and find a lap band doctor on your own. You need to go through your doctor for all the information and discuss the surgery with him/her. After all, lap band surgery is MAJOR surgery and not to be entered into lightly.

Surgery to reduce your size

Losing weight is not that hard. It is simply a matter of putting less food into your body than you body is utilizing. Unfortunately some people want the results fast and that is when people resort to fad diets, pills and lap-band surgery.

Is surgery a realistic option? I have watched people keep the weight off with lap-band surgery and I have also seen them gain weight after a weight loss. You see the lap-band surgeon never explained to those patients that the stomach is very adaptable and will grow to accommodate more food over time. The same is true when patients have part of their stomach removed to make it smaller. If they don't learn to eat less then over time they will go back to where they started, obese again.

Try to lose weight slowly

Rapid weight loss will result in excess folds of skin. Your skin needs time to shrink back to it's smaller size. Skin is very elastic and will tighten slowly as you lose weight - SLOWLY. To help skin tighten as you lose weight you will have to exercise to tighten the muscles underlying the skin.

If you choose to diet without exercise then plan on visiting the plastic surgeon after your weight loss for some expensive nipping and tucking.

Surgery to lose weight

Now I know from personal experience there are just some people that don't have the will power or the discipline to lose weight. There are a few members of my husbands family that need to lose weight NOW or suffer the consequences. Thankfully the medical community has come to the rescue with lap-band surgery a method of putting a band around the top part of your stomach so that it will allow your body to think it is full of food only after a much smaller meal. If you have tried everything to lose weight and you are in the obese category then you might want to talk to your doctor about this option.