The primary purpose of fitness and body composition standards in the U.S. Armed Forces has always been to select individuals best suited to the physical demands of military service, based on the assumption that proper body weight and composition supports good health, physical fitness, and appropriate military appearance. The current epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States affects the military services. The pool of available recruits is reduced because of failure to meet body composition standards for entry into the services and a high percentage of individuals exceeding military weight-for-height standards at the time of entry into the service leave the military before completing their term of enlistment. To aid in developing strategies for prevention and remediation of overweight in military personnel, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command requested the Committee on Military Nutrition Research to review the scientific evidence for: factors that influence body weight, optimal components of a weight loss and weight maintenance program, and the role of gender, age, and ethnicity in weight management.

The leading clinical reference work in the field--now significantly revised with 85% new material--this handbook has given thousands of practitioners and students a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences, and management of adult and childhood obesity. In concise, extensively referenced chapters from preeminent authorities, the Handbook presents foundational knowledge and reviews the state of the science of evidence-based psychosocial and lifestyle interventions as well as pharmacological and surgical treatments. It provides guidelines for conducting psychosocial and medical assessments and for developing individualized treatment plans. The effects of obesity--and of weight loss--on physical and psychological well-being are reviewed, as are strategies for helping patients maintain their weight loss. New to This Edition *Many new authors and topics; extensively revised and expanded with over 15 years of research and clinical advances, including breakthroughs in understanding the biological regulation of appetite and body weight. *Section on contributors to obesity, with new chapters on food choices, physical activity, sleep, and psychosocial and environmental factors. *Chapters on novel treatments for adults--acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, digitally based interventions, behavioral economics, community-based programs, and nonsurgical devices. *Chapters on novel treatments for children and adolescents--school-based preventive interventions, pharmacological treatment, and bariatric surgery. *Chapters on the gut microbiome, the emerging field of obesity medicine, reimbursement for weight loss therapies, and managing co-occurring eating disorders and obesity.

A lifetime of fitness in just minutes a day. I don't have time . . . I'm too tired . . . I hate gyms . . . These are among the most common excuses for not exercising. But the truth is that getting in shape requires less time and effort than you might think. Examining everything from pre-workout stretches to post-workout protein shakes, this science-backed book slices through fitness fads and misconceptions to reveal how you can exercise quickly and effectively. For example, is it best to exercise in the morning? Does aerobic activity burn more fat than weight lifting? You'll also learn how to get and stay motivated, what equipment to buy (and what not to waste money on), which dietary supplements really help, and how to combat muscle soreness. Fitter Faster explains how to: Find the right balance between cardio, strength, and stretching * Slash workout times with high-intensity interval training * Prevent boredom * Enhance fat-burning The accompanying Fitter Faster Plan, developed with celebrity trainer Brad Kolowich, Jr., pulls everything together. Requiring as little as 15 minutes a day, these quick workouts maximize efficiency-allowing you to reap the greatest benefit in the shortest possible time...all without ever having to set foot in a gym. With photographs illustrating each exercise routine, this eye-opening book will forever change the way you work out- and help you get fitter faster.

SLIM--it's the state everyone wishes their body was in. And it turns out there's actually a state of slim: Colorado, the place that boasts the lowest obesity rate in America. Now leading weight-loss researchers James O. Hill, PhD, and Holly R. Wyatt, MD, reveal how slender Coloradans get and stay that way and show how you can achieve the same results--even if you live in Connecticut, California, or Canada! If you doubt you will ever reach your ideal weight, help and hope are here. State of Slim is broken down into three phases to help you reignite, rebuild, and reinforce your body's fat-burning engines so you develop a Mile-High Metabolism--one that is keenly responsive to shifts in activity and diet. In the reignite and rebuild phases, you'll learn the diet and exercise strategies that will help you drop up to 20 pounds in just 8 weeks. In the reinforce phase, you'll continue to lose weight and solidify your new lifestyle. Along the way, you'll discover how to make changes in your environment and your mind-set so they support, rather than thwart, your success. With State of Slim as your guide, you won't just lose weight, you'll actually change your body so it is primed to stay in a state of slim for good.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Foreword by John Robbins, author of the international bestseller Diet for A New America In this book, Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. shares the groundbreaking weight-loss solution based on her highly acclaimed Bright Line Eating Boot Camps. Rooted in cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, and biology, Bright Line Eating explains why people who are desperate to lose weight fail again and again: it’s because the brain blocks weight loss. Bright Line Eating (BLE) is a simple approach designed to reverse that process. By working with four "Bright Lines"—clear, unambiguous, boundaries—Susan Peirce Thompson shows us how to heal our brain and shift it into a mode where it is ready to shed pounds, release cravings, and stop sabotaging our weight loss goals.Best of all, it is a program that understands that willpower cannot be relied on, and sets us up to be successful anyway. Through the lens of Susan’s own moving story, and those of her Bright Lifers, you’ll discover firsthand why traditional diet and exercise plans have failed in the past. You’ll also learn about the role addictive susceptibility plays in your personal weight-loss journey, where cravings come from, how to rewire your brain so they disappear, and more. Susan guides you through the phases of Bright Line Eating—from weight loss to maintenance and beyond—and offers a dynamic food plan that will work for anyone, whether you’re vegan, gluten-free, paleo, or none of the above. Bright Line Eating frees us from the obesity cycle and introduces a radical plan for sustainable weight loss. It’s a game changer in a game that desperately needs changing.

This volume presents criteria for evaluating treatment programs for obesity and explores what these criteria mean--to health care providers, program designers, researchers, and even overweight people seeking help. Discusses information necessary to make wise program choices and evaluations; examines how client demographics and characteristics--including health status, knowledge of weight-loss issues, and attitude toward weight and body image--affect these programs.