Obesity (Overweight)

Obesity is a medical condition which refers to as accumulation of excess body fat. This condition is commonly seen across the globe and in different age groups. Obesity is responsible for causing many health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Being a high level obese means you are vulnerable to health problems related to your weight. Obesity is behind a number of deaths due to heart ailments, diabetes and hypertension. An important thing to note is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity. Starting with healthy eating, increased physical activity and behaviour changes can also help you lose weight. In some cases, medications or weight-loss surgery is beneficial. Common causes of obesity Although genes and hormones influence body weight, obesity occurs when you consume more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. The body stores excess calories as fat. Obesity usually results from a number of causes, including: If you are inactive, you don't burn as many calories. With a lethargic lifestyle, you can easily consume more calories every day than you use through exercise. Having a high calorie diet full of fast food minus fruits and vegetables, skipping breakfast and taking high-calorie beverages all contribute to weight gain. A woman's weight necessarily increases during pregnancy. Some women find it difficult to shed weight after child birth. This weight gain may contribute to the development of obesity in women. Too little sleep can disturb hormones which can increase your appetite. You may also indulge in foods high in calories and carbohydrates leading to weight gain. Some medications such as antidepressants, diabetes medications, beta blockers, corticosteroids can lead to weight gain if you don't compensate through diet or activity.

Symptoms:

A case of obesity is confirmed when an individual’s BMI (body mass index) is 30 or more. Body mass index is computed by dividing your weight in kilograms (kg) by your height in meters (m) square. Below is an indication of BMI and weight status: BMI            Weight status Below 18.5   Underweight 18.5-24.9      Normal 25.0-29.9      Overweight 30.0-34.9     Class 1 Obese 35.0-39.9     Class 2 Obese 40.0            Class 3 Obese(Extreme) For many individuals, BMI is a logical calculation of body fat. However, BMI does not accurately measure body fat. So some people like athletes may not fall under the obese category even though their BMI is on the higher side. You can take assistance from a dietitian to solve this problem.

Treatments:

The main objective of obesity treatment is to reach a healthy weight. You may require working with some health professionals to help you understand and make changes in your eating and activity habits. Dietary Changes: Minimizing calories and eating healthier are important to overcoming obesity. At the beginning, you may lose weight quickly, but steady weight loss over the long term is considered the safest way to lose weight. Say no crash diets, because they are not prudent enough to help you keep excess weight off for the long term. Exercise and physical activity: One of the important treatments for obesity is increased physical activity or exercise. Many people are able to control their weight by simply walking, 30 minutes daily. But for obese people at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity is recommended to prevent further weight gain. It is best to break exercise regime into several sessions throughout the day. Behavioural Changes: A behaviour change program can help you make lifestyle changes and lose weight. Measures to take include examining your current habits to find out what factors, stresses or situations may have contributed to your obesity. Behaviour modification can include counselling from trained mental health professionals and support groups. Weight-Loss Surgery: Also known as bariatric surgery, this option is open for individuals who have tried everything in the book to lose weight but have failed every time. However, bariatric surgery can pose serious risks. You may always have to be vigilant about your weight. A combination of healthier diet and more activity in a practical and sustainable manner is the best way to lose weight and keep it off for the long term.

World Obesity Day: It’s time we start controlling obesity

Studies reveal that India will be at the helm of diabetes by 2050 if the abdominal and lower limb obesity and metabolic syndrome are not taken care of. Alarmed by the reports, the Health Ministry of India has reduced the cut-off for body mass index (BMI) to 23 kg/m2 to fight the battle against obesity. If your BMI is over 23 kg/m2, then you are considered overweight. The global standard for this is a BMI of 25 kg/m2. So, someone considered healthy by most international standards, might be overweight in India! BMI is the ratio of the body weight in kg versus height in m2. 

The guidelines were released jointly by the Health Ministry, the Diabetes Foundation of India, the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Indian Council of Medical Research, the National Institute of Nutrition and 20 other health organisations - Those with BMI of 25 kg/m2 will be clinically termed obese (as opposed to 30 kg/m2 at the international level) and those with BMI of 32.5 kg/m2 will require bariatric surgery to eliminate excess flab.

Along with the BMI guidelines, they have also released guidelines cut-offs for waist measurement at 90 cm for Indian men (as opposed to 102 cm globally) and 80 cm for Indian women (as opposed to 88 cm at the international level).

The study says one in every three Indians has high triglyceride (bad cholesterol) levels and 30-70 per cent has low levels of HDL (good cholesterol). For every 10 extra kilograms above the stipulated body weight (measured according to height), life expectancy of a person reduces by three years – the report said.

By the new obesity guidelines, every second person in Delhi fulfils the criteria of obesity or has excess abdominal fat and nearly one-fourth of the adolescent population in the capital has metabolic syndrome that heralds the onset of heart diseases and diabetes. So, what are planning to do, to avoid obesity? Here are some ways.

How to control over-eating

Are you tired of your binge eating habit? Do you find yourself giving into temptation to gorge down delicious food and before you can control it’s too late and the damage of consuming excessive calories is already done? Why do we find ourselves making the same mistake over and over again and how can you salvage the situation and control overeating in future?

The need to obsessively over eat is mostly triggered by emotional factors. Either you are too sad, too happy, too tired or simply bored when you get this intense urge to eat. Some studies even blame our ancestors for our compulsive binging behaviour. According to them, our primal ancestors were hunters and gatherers and went without food for long periods, so once they found it they would eat everything they could get their hands on.  The latest research suggests that starving leads to overeating and is also responsible for slowing down of metabolism. This leads to storing of food in our bellies which is linked to heart diseases and acquiring diabetes type 2.

A binging outburst can set you back to a minimum of 1000 calories per meal and above your daily calorie intake. This means that you could be potentially adding up to 1 kg each time you have 2 bags of chips while just chilling in front of the TV!

Knowing your triggers can help you minimise the damage. The logic behind cravings for high carbohydrates or sugar foods is that as they spike insulin levels in the body and release endorphins, also known as the pleasure hormone. This is the actual trigger that causes us to binge over and over again. There is a healthier alternative to this addiction. There are studies that have proved that exercise can also trigger the same happy hormone. Besides the fact exercise is great for health and helps keeping the lifestyle related disorders at bay.

The biggest downside to seeking solace in high sugar/carbohydrate food for emotional need is that over a period of time your body develops a natural resistance towards them. So your body craves more quantities to get the same desired effect. For e.g. If one slice of cake was enough to make you feel good before with time you will need at least two slices to trigger the same feeling.  It’s a tricky situation to get dependent to relieve stress or solve any other emotional conditions. Eventually it’s a mind over matter game. If you can understand your action you can control your behaviour in time and prevent causing damage to your health.