Obesity, Problems it cause and How to lose weight

There was a time when big women were seen as beautiful and well-fed. Gone are those days. Obesity increases your chances of developing a lot of problems in life such as diabetes, hypertension, and some other conditions.
This condition is fast rising in Nigeria, especially among our women & young ladies, & it’s becoming a cause for concern.
It’s time you consider losing that weight. Continue reading for how.

What is Obesity?

Obesity simply means overweight. According to WHO, it refers to the abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. In simple terms, it means that your body weight is too much for your height. Medically, obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) >30.

Causes of Obesity

• Genetics/Family: It runs in the blood. It can be transmitted from parents to their children.
• Lifestyle: The increase in the number of obese persons can be attributed to the rise in the number of sugary drinks and high-fat snacks, as well as time spent watching television, and inversely with hours spent on exercises & other physical activities.
• Drugs: several medications can cause obesity. Examples of these drugs are antidepressants, antidiabetics, and β-blockers.

Complications of obesity (What Obesity can cause)

The list of things that can result in being overweight is endless. They include:

• Diabetes: reduction of body weight and increase in physical exercise reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Hypertension: Obese individuals have a higher risk of developing hypertension than non-obese.
• Liver disease: It increases the risk of developing liver diseases like Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or Cirrhosis
• Cancer: Obese individuals have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, for example; Breast cancer, esophageal, endometrial, pancreatic, colorectal, kidney, thyroid, gallbladder, and liver cancer.
• Sleep disturbances
• Osteoarthritis
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Aesthetic: Obese individuals are not usually appealing.

It has been known that Obesity can reduce your life expectancy by 13 years especially if you are a smoker in addition. So why wouldn’t you start losing those weights?

What is BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the ratio of a person’s weight to the person’s height. There are acceptable weights allowed for different heights, above which the person would become overweight.

How do I calculate my BMI?

The Body Mass Index (BMI) has always been used as the standard measurement to describe obesity. The BMI is calculated as follows;
BMI = weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared (kg/m2
Interpretation.

• Normal 18.5–25.
• Overweight 25–30.
• Obese >30.

The risk of complications rises steeply to very severe if BMI >40.

Management of Obesity (How to Lose Weight).

The only solution to Obesity is to lose weight. Height is constant and cannot change in adults after puberty. The health risks of obesity are reversible if there can be an appropriate weight loss (e.g. loss of 10% of body weight). This can be done by;

Lifestyle modification: such as; Increasing physical activity as part of your daily routine (e.g. it’s better you choose to walk to school/work instead of driving or entering cabs or shuttles. It is hard I know, but it is doable. Change your eating style, (including the size of your food, avoid snacks)
Weight loss diets: Know that this does not mean starvation. Some diets are recommended for weight loss. You would need to see a nutritionist/dietician for this.

Drugs: Drugs are usually only meant for obese people with a very high risk of complications. Know that people who continue to take anti-obesity drugs will regain weight with time. Orlistat is the only drug currently licensed for long-term use.
Surgery: If all methods above fail, ‘Bariatric’ surgery to reduce the size of the stomach is the most effective long-term treatment for obesity.

Remember that Obesity is no longer attractive, and it’s time for you to lose that weight now. Regular exercises of at least 30 minutes per day are the key.
You can find some good weight loss apps on the Google Play Store to help you in losing weight.

It has the potential for disastrous consequences for our health.