Blog

Dietician Sheela Seharawat

Obesity means having excess body fat but it does not mean of being overweight. The weight may be because of muscle, bone, fat, and may be because of body water.
Obesity takes place when you eat more calories than you should. The balances of calories-in and calories-off vary in each person. Fact is, obesity may not only increase your weight but can also include your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high fat foods, and not be able to be properly active physically.
It can also increase the risk of your diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and also some of the cancers.

What are the causes of obesity?
If you are a victim of obesity then you should know that there is not only one reason. The main contributors of obesity are their behaviour, environment and even genetics.

Behaviour: Behaviour relates to food choice, amount of physical activities you adopt to main your health. It is the main factor among these three.

Environment: It plays a key role in shaping of a person’s habit and lifestyle. Many environmental influences can put impact on your health decisions.

Genetics: According to the science, genetics plays a great role in obesity. However, not all individuals who are predisposed to obesity become affected by obesity.

Symptoms of obesity
Apart from above average body weight, the other symptoms of obesity are:

Trouble sleeping
Suffering from depression
Shortness of breath
Coronary artery, it is a heart disease
Skin problems caused by moisture that accumulates in the folds of your skin
diabetes
Osteoarthritis in weight bearing joints, especially the knees
Liver disease
Sleep apnea. It is a condition in which breathing is irregular and periodically stops during sleep
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Varicose veins
High blood pressure
Gallstones
High cholesterol
Prostate and bowel cancer in men and, breast and uterine cancer in women

Repercussion of obesity
Obesity is not only a cosmetic problem; it is also a major contributing factor to a number of serious, potentially life threatening health conditions and complications.
The diseases you have to face after being a victim of obesity are –

Coronary heart disease, heart failure, angina, and heart attack are very common if you are having obesity.
High blood pressure
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
High cholesterol
Certain types of cancer including liver, kidney, esophageal, breast, or gallbladder and many more.
Sleep apnea
Depression victim
High blood sugar
Suffering from large waistline

How diet can play major role to fight obesity
Because of obesity, the risk factors and complications are depending on your body weight. The more the weight you have, there is more chances of risk factors and complications. For some, a weight loss program consisting of reduced calorie intake, nutrition counselling, physical exercise, and behavioural therapy to help you recognize the situations that cause you to overeat is the best place to start. So start your day from today on how to take your diet so that it can play a major role to fight against obesity. For that, you have to be aware on what to take in your diet, along with when to take.

How to calculate BMI
A measurement called the Body Mass Index (BMI) does not directly measure body fat. But it is a useful tool which will help you to assess the health risk associated with being overweight or obese. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered within the healthy range. The BMI is calculated using kilograms (kg) and metres (m) instead of pounds (lb) and inches/feet. Keep in mind that 1 lb equals 0.45 kg and 1 inch equals to 0.0254 m.
But Body Mass Index (BMI) has its own formulae to calculate:
BMI = body weight (kg) divided by height to the power square (m)

Positive note
Surgery is not the only way to get rid of obesity. Surgery is only considered when other weight management options have not given you successful of what you have desired. There are many forms of surgery, but surgery often reduces the size of the stomach so that only a small amount of food can be eaten comfortably. But surgery will not be a good option for obesity. It may harm you again in future. So, going for a diet will be a good option. It will not only keep you safe but also will save your money. Be smart, don’t choose wrong.