The good news is you can fight obesity and learn to control your weight if you're willing to commit yourself to it. Following are several ways you can effectively control your weight:
1. Set goals: What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to add physical activity to your schedule? Do you want to cut out the fatty and sugary foods? Set your goals for losing weight before you do anything else.
2. Exercise regularly. The fact is only 40 percent of men in the United Kingdom and 28 percent of women exercise a minimum of a half an hour each week. Exercise is essential to weight loss and to maintaining your ideal weight. Exercising can be as simple as walking instead of taking the bus. Talk with your physician to devise an exercise regiment that is best for your needs.
A word of caution: Before you adjust your diet or begin a regular exercise regiment, be sure that you consult your physician first to determine how many calories a day you should intake and to ensure that you are healthy enough to begin exercising.
3. Drink plenty of water. Cut out the sugary drinks and those drinks that contain caffeine - both also contain plenty of fat. The general rule of thumb is to drink eight glasses of water a day.
4. Create a meal plan. Some medical experts advise, rather than eating three meals a day, eating small meals throughout the day. Talk with your doctor to determine what is best for your individual needs.
5. Surround yourself by those who support you. Combating obesity and losing weight isn't easy, and it's essential that you have a strong support system. In addition to friends and family who support you, you may also want to consider finding a support group in your local community. Support groups are an excellent means of sharing the ups and downs of weight loss with others who are going through the same thing.
6. Keep a daily journal documenting how you've dealt with food each day: For example, write down what you ate, how you felt before you ate, and how you felt after you ate. A daily journal will help you identify behaviours you want to avoid (i.e. overeating because you're upset) and will ensure you remain focused on your goals.
7. Diet Correctly. The word diet strikes fear in the heart of many of us, but diet doesn't have to be a bad word. Learning how to eat healthy is a diet habit that we can do for the rest of our lives.
Most people think of diet as being something that you do until your lose a certain amount of weight, and then you go back to regular eating. This is the precise reason why most diets fail; they are impossible to sustain in the long run.
Learning how to diet right will help you get to a healthy weight and stay there. Staying away from fad diets is vital to losing weight successfully. Low carbohydrate diets are a good example of this.
Millions of people swear by the latest low carb craze, but how many of us know a friend or co-worker who had lost a shocking amount of weight in a short period of time, only to gain it back in an even shorter period? Carbohydrates are an important part of a complete and healthy diet, so they certainly can't be omitted forever. While your body may lose weight while on the diet, you're bound to gain it back when you start eating carbs again.
Everyone knows that too much fat is a bad thing. While certain fats are very good for us, many people on low carb diets are getting too much of the bad fats, i.e. animal fats. It is a shame that people are so concerned with losing weight that they lose sight of the fact that their wonder diet may actually be doing their body harm.
Losing weight can be a struggle, but you don't have to go through it alone. Follow the preceding tips, and you'll be well on your way to a new, healthier you. Remember, in the end, losing weight is all about you becoming healthier: It's not about becoming thinner.
Monday, March 3, 2008
AROWANA THE LUCKY FISH
Arowanas, also known as aruanas or arawanas are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as "bony tongues." In this family of fishes, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. The dorsal and the anal fins have soft rays and are long based, while the pectoral and ventral fins are small. The name 'bony tongues' is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the 'tongue', equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth. The fish can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries like lung tissue. The arapaima is an "obligatory air breather".
Osteoglossids are basal (primitive) fish from the lower Tertiary and are placed in the actinopterygiid order Osteoglossiformes. There are ten described living species: three from South America, one from Africa, four from Asia, and the remaining two from Australia.
Osteoglossidae is the only exclusively freshwater fish family found on both sides of the Wallace Line. This may be explained by the fact that Asian arowanas (S. formosus) diverged from the Australian Scleropages, S. jardinii and S. leichardti, about 140 million years ago, making it likely that Asian arowanas were carried to Asia on the Indian subcontinent.
Osteoglossids are carnivorous, often being specialized surface feeders. They are excellent jumpers; it has been reported that Osteoglossum species have been seen leaping more than 6 feet (almost 2 metres) from the water surface to pick off insects and birds from overhanging branches in South America, hence the nickname "water monkeys". Arowanas have been rumored to capture prey as large as low flying bats and small birds. All species are large, and the arapaima is a contender for the world's largest freshwater fish title. Arowana typically grow around 3 to 4 feet, but this is only accountable in captivity.
Several species of osteoglossid exhibit extensive parental care. They build nests and protect the young after they hatch. Some species are mouth brooders, the parents holding sometimes hundreds of eggs in their mouths. The young may make several tentative trips outside the parent's mouth to investigate the surroundings before leaving permanently.
Arowanas tend to merge in groups of 5 to 8; any fewer may show an excess of dominance and aggression. Keep this fish in a minimum of about 750 litres (240 gallons)for a single fish with good filtration, add another 100 for every other fish kept. This fish should not be purchased by an amateur fish hobbyist. Some compatible fish to partner with this fish are clown knifefish, pacu, oscars, plecostomus, jaguar cichlids, green terrors, gar and any other semi-aggressive fish that cannot fit in the arowana's mouth.
Australian species should be kept singly in aquaria.
The family contains two subfamilies, Heterotidinae and Osteoglossinae, with all but two of the ten extant species being members of the latter. Species are given with one or more prominent common names.
* Subfamily Heterotidinae
o Genus Arapaima
+ Arapaima or pirarucu, Arapaima gigas (Cuvier, 1829)
o Genus Heterotis
+ African arowana, Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829)
* Subfamily Osteoglossinae
o Genus Osteoglossum (Cuvier, 1829)
+ Silver arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Cuvier, 1829)
+ Black arowana, Osteoglossum ferreirai Kanazawa, 1966
o Genus Scleropages
+ Red-tailed golden arowana Scleropages aureus † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
+ Green arowana or gold crossback arowana, Scleropages formosus † (Schlegel & Müller, 1844)
+ Gulf saratoga, red saratoga or northern spotted barramundi, Scleropages jardinii ‡ (Saville-Kent, 1892)
+ Red arowana, super red arowana, or chili red arowana, Scleropages legendrei † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
+ Saratoga, silver saratoga or spotted barramundi, Scleropages leichardti ‡ Günther, 1864
+ Silver Asian arowana, Scleropages macrocephalus † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
†This species is one of several known also as the Asian arowana or Asian bonytongue.
‡This species is one of two sometimes called the Australian arowana or Australian bonytongue.
A genetic study shows that the lineage leading to the arapaima and African arowana diverged about 220 million years ago, during the Late Triassic; the lineage leading to the silver and black arowanas of South America diverged about 170 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic. The lineage leading to the Australian arowanas diverged from that leading to the Asian arowanas about 140 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous.
Osteoglossids are basal (primitive) fish from the lower Tertiary and are placed in the actinopterygiid order Osteoglossiformes. There are ten described living species: three from South America, one from Africa, four from Asia, and the remaining two from Australia.
Osteoglossidae is the only exclusively freshwater fish family found on both sides of the Wallace Line. This may be explained by the fact that Asian arowanas (S. formosus) diverged from the Australian Scleropages, S. jardinii and S. leichardti, about 140 million years ago, making it likely that Asian arowanas were carried to Asia on the Indian subcontinent.
Osteoglossids are carnivorous, often being specialized surface feeders. They are excellent jumpers; it has been reported that Osteoglossum species have been seen leaping more than 6 feet (almost 2 metres) from the water surface to pick off insects and birds from overhanging branches in South America, hence the nickname "water monkeys". Arowanas have been rumored to capture prey as large as low flying bats and small birds. All species are large, and the arapaima is a contender for the world's largest freshwater fish title. Arowana typically grow around 3 to 4 feet, but this is only accountable in captivity.
Several species of osteoglossid exhibit extensive parental care. They build nests and protect the young after they hatch. Some species are mouth brooders, the parents holding sometimes hundreds of eggs in their mouths. The young may make several tentative trips outside the parent's mouth to investigate the surroundings before leaving permanently.
Arowanas tend to merge in groups of 5 to 8; any fewer may show an excess of dominance and aggression. Keep this fish in a minimum of about 750 litres (240 gallons)for a single fish with good filtration, add another 100 for every other fish kept. This fish should not be purchased by an amateur fish hobbyist. Some compatible fish to partner with this fish are clown knifefish, pacu, oscars, plecostomus, jaguar cichlids, green terrors, gar and any other semi-aggressive fish that cannot fit in the arowana's mouth.
Australian species should be kept singly in aquaria.
The family contains two subfamilies, Heterotidinae and Osteoglossinae, with all but two of the ten extant species being members of the latter. Species are given with one or more prominent common names.
* Subfamily Heterotidinae
o Genus Arapaima
+ Arapaima or pirarucu, Arapaima gigas (Cuvier, 1829)
o Genus Heterotis
+ African arowana, Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829)
* Subfamily Osteoglossinae
o Genus Osteoglossum (Cuvier, 1829)
+ Silver arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Cuvier, 1829)
+ Black arowana, Osteoglossum ferreirai Kanazawa, 1966
o Genus Scleropages
+ Red-tailed golden arowana Scleropages aureus † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
+ Green arowana or gold crossback arowana, Scleropages formosus † (Schlegel & Müller, 1844)
+ Gulf saratoga, red saratoga or northern spotted barramundi, Scleropages jardinii ‡ (Saville-Kent, 1892)
+ Red arowana, super red arowana, or chili red arowana, Scleropages legendrei † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
+ Saratoga, silver saratoga or spotted barramundi, Scleropages leichardti ‡ Günther, 1864
+ Silver Asian arowana, Scleropages macrocephalus † (Pouyad, Sudarto & Teugels, 2003)
†This species is one of several known also as the Asian arowana or Asian bonytongue.
‡This species is one of two sometimes called the Australian arowana or Australian bonytongue.
A genetic study shows that the lineage leading to the arapaima and African arowana diverged about 220 million years ago, during the Late Triassic; the lineage leading to the silver and black arowanas of South America diverged about 170 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic. The lineage leading to the Australian arowanas diverged from that leading to the Asian arowanas about 140 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
THE DEVIL HAS A FROG OF IT'S OWN
It was the biggest, baddest, meanest frog ever to have hopped on Earth. This the largest recorded size of a frog. It is called the devil frog because of its size and and looks. This frog is believed to be the predator of small dinosaurs and other small mammals.
Scientists on Monday announced the discovery in northwestern Madagascar of a bulky amphibian dubbed the "devil frog" that lived 65 million to 70 million years ago and was so nasty it may have eaten newborn dinosaurs.
This brute was larger than any frog living today and may be the biggest frog ever to have existed, according to paleontologist David Krause of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, one of the scientists who found the remains.
Its name, Beelzebufo ampinga, came from Beelzebub, the Greek for devil, and bufo -- Latin for toad. Ampinga means "shield," named for an armor-like part of its anatomy.
Beelzebufo (pronounced bee-el-zeh-BOOF-oh) was 16 inches
long and weighed an estimated 10 pounds (4.5 kg).
It was powerfully built and possessed a very wide mouth and powerful jaws. It probably didn't dine daintily.
"It's not outside the realm of possibility that Beelzebufo took down lizards and mammals and smaller frogs, and even -- considering its size -- possibly hatchling dinosaurs," Krause said in a telephone interview.
"It would have been quite mean," added paleontologist Susan Evans of University College London, another of the scientists.
Their findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Even though it lived far away, Beelzebufo appears to be closely related to a group of frogs that live today in South America, the scientists said. They are nicknamed "Pac-Man" frogs due to their huge mouths. Some have little horns on their heads, and the scientists think Beelzebufo also may have had horns -- a fitting touch for the "devil frog."
Beelzebufo was bigger than any of its South American kin or any other living frog -- "as if it was on steroids," Krause said. The largest one today is the goliath frog of West Africa, up to 12.5 inches long and 7.2 pounds (3.3 kg).
The presence of Beelzebufo in Madagascar and its modern relatives in South America is the latest sign a long-lost land bridge once may have linked Madagascar to Antarctica -- much warmer then -- and South America, the scientists said.
That would have let animals move overland among those land masses. Fossils have been found of other animals in Madagascar from Beelzebufo's time similar to South American ones.
KING OF FROGS
The first frogs appeared about 180 million years ago, and their basic body plan has remained unchanged. Beelzebufo lived during the Cretaceous Period at the end of the age of dinosaurs, which went extinct along with many other types of animals 65 million years ago when a huge space rock clobbered Earth.
Beelzebufo did not live an aquatic lifestyle, hopping among lily pads, the scientists said. Instead, it lived in a semi-arid environment and may have hunted like its modern-day relatives, which camouflage themselves and jump out at prey.
Its first fragmentary fossils were found in 1993, and the scientists have since assembled enough fragments to piece its remains together like a jigsaw puzzle, Krause said.
While it was the king of frogs, Beelzebufo is not the largest amphibian ever to have lived. Many reached truly astounding dimensions, such as the crocodile-like Prionosuchus that grew to an estimated 30 feet during the Permian Period, which ended about 250 million years ago.
Scientists on Monday announced the discovery in northwestern Madagascar of a bulky amphibian dubbed the "devil frog" that lived 65 million to 70 million years ago and was so nasty it may have eaten newborn dinosaurs.
This brute was larger than any frog living today and may be the biggest frog ever to have existed, according to paleontologist David Krause of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, one of the scientists who found the remains.
Its name, Beelzebufo ampinga, came from Beelzebub, the Greek for devil, and bufo -- Latin for toad. Ampinga means "shield," named for an armor-like part of its anatomy.
Beelzebufo (pronounced bee-el-zeh-BOOF-oh) was 16 inches
long and weighed an estimated 10 pounds (4.5 kg).
It was powerfully built and possessed a very wide mouth and powerful jaws. It probably didn't dine daintily.
"It's not outside the realm of possibility that Beelzebufo took down lizards and mammals and smaller frogs, and even -- considering its size -- possibly hatchling dinosaurs," Krause said in a telephone interview.
"It would have been quite mean," added paleontologist Susan Evans of University College London, another of the scientists.
Their findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Even though it lived far away, Beelzebufo appears to be closely related to a group of frogs that live today in South America, the scientists said. They are nicknamed "Pac-Man" frogs due to their huge mouths. Some have little horns on their heads, and the scientists think Beelzebufo also may have had horns -- a fitting touch for the "devil frog."
Beelzebufo was bigger than any of its South American kin or any other living frog -- "as if it was on steroids," Krause said. The largest one today is the goliath frog of West Africa, up to 12.5 inches long and 7.2 pounds (3.3 kg).
The presence of Beelzebufo in Madagascar and its modern relatives in South America is the latest sign a long-lost land bridge once may have linked Madagascar to Antarctica -- much warmer then -- and South America, the scientists said.
That would have let animals move overland among those land masses. Fossils have been found of other animals in Madagascar from Beelzebufo's time similar to South American ones.
KING OF FROGS
The first frogs appeared about 180 million years ago, and their basic body plan has remained unchanged. Beelzebufo lived during the Cretaceous Period at the end of the age of dinosaurs, which went extinct along with many other types of animals 65 million years ago when a huge space rock clobbered Earth.
Beelzebufo did not live an aquatic lifestyle, hopping among lily pads, the scientists said. Instead, it lived in a semi-arid environment and may have hunted like its modern-day relatives, which camouflage themselves and jump out at prey.
Its first fragmentary fossils were found in 1993, and the scientists have since assembled enough fragments to piece its remains together like a jigsaw puzzle, Krause said.
While it was the king of frogs, Beelzebufo is not the largest amphibian ever to have lived. Many reached truly astounding dimensions, such as the crocodile-like Prionosuchus that grew to an estimated 30 feet during the Permian Period, which ended about 250 million years ago.
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