Fight the bulge

MANILA, Philippines - It’s not rare to hear people complain about the complete failure of their attempts at dieting or losing weight. 

Women, especially, have more weight issues than men; they have the misfortune of being ostracized more for having a bit of extra weight when compared to men. 

A slightly overweight woman is often considered unattractive or “a person who has neither discipline nor self-respect,” which is why the self-esteem of women in general has become closely intertwined with their self-esteem. 

Having trouble losing weight would then likely lead to some degree of self-loathing, or even depression. It doesn’t help that women lose less fat than men because they evolved to retain fat to sustain healthy babies even in lean seasons.

The emotional impact of being unable to lose weight is especially hard on women in their 40s or even older: this is when their metabolism slows down, which in turn causes them to store more fat without turning it into energy. 

The combination of weight gain and aging, with health issues finishing off the combo, is often a demoralizing prospect.

Either way, any person who has trouble losing weight even with the consistent lifestyle changes may be happy to know that this may not be her fault — it’s possible that she has a deficiency in the nutrient CoQ10 (also known as coenzyme Q), which helps turn stored fat into fuel. 

Studies have shown that 50 percent of people who have trouble losing weight don’t have enough CoQ10 to process the fat that they are taking in. As a result, fat is stored in their bodies without being used.

CoQ10 deficiency may be dealt with by taking CoQ10 supplements, which compensate for the lack of this coenzyme in the body. With a healthy lifestyle and the CoQ10 supplement, a person will not have to go through the pain of weight loss regimens that show no results.

An over-the-counter CoQ10 food supplement, Trianon CoQ10, is available in Mercury Drug Stores.