Obesity

 

Obesity,........ the final frontier of medicine that doctors have been kicking on in order to adequately treat their patients. It makes it more difficult to control disease conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, post surgical wound healing etc. 

 

What is it? 

Obesity, is a condition that is characterised by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body.

Overweight and obesity have reached alarming levels worldwide, with at least 2.8 million people dying due to overweight or obesity related diseases. No longer restricted to developed countries alone, and cuts across age, sex and ethnicity.

In 2014, the WHO found that 1.9 billion adults , 18 years and over were overweight. Of  these, over 600 million were obese. Children are not exempted, 42 million under the age of 5 years were  overweight or obese in 2013. the majority occurring in developing nations.

In some cultures, being overweight or obese is seen as "a sign of good living" or "wealth". Please don't be deceived, you are only predisposing yourself to complications in your health.

 

Am I Overweight or Obese?

An easy way to know is if your clothes are getting too tight or your clothes size has been steadily increasing, belt size changed and you generally feel overweight.

 

 

 

Another method of gauging overweight and obesity is by the BMI (Body Mass Index) calculation: weight  ( in Kg) divided by [(height x height) in meters].

BMI = weight (kg)/ [height x height] (m)

BMI <18.0                                        Underweight
BMI  18.5 - 24.9                               Normal range
BMI  > 25                                         Overweight
BMI  25.0 - 29.9                               Pre obese
BMI 30.0 - 34.9                                Obese class I
BMI 35.0 - 39.0                                Obese class II
BMI > 40.0                                       Obese class III

How did I get fat?

You know that extra serving spoon of rice, extra wrap of swallow, that extra slice of cake, and the fast food as well as those sugary drinks and sweets combined with increased inactivity at work and home.....need I say more?
Adding the extra kilograms/pounds is due to the energy imbalance between the consumed and the expended calories.

 The addition of the spare tyre around your abdomen is due to the increased intake of energy dense foods which are high in fats , coupled with a lifestyle on increased inactivity around you. Technology and a poor choice of diet (especially fast food) hasn't made things any easier for you either.
The food you eat is a source of energy just as petrol is a source of energy for a car. The norm is that the energy taken in is used for the normal functioning of the body each day. When an excess of this is taken or even when minimal amounts is taken with reduced physical activity to use up the energy, the body stores it in the form of fats for anticipated future use.

What is the health implication of my weight?

Being overweight or obese will put you at risk of developing hypertension, heart disease, type  2 diabetes, (if already hypertensive or diabetic, can make controlling these conditions difficult), stroke, Osteoarthritis, (causing excruciating pains at the knees), endometrial cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, sleep apnoea, COPD, etc.

How can I prevent/reduce my weight?

This can be prevented by the right choices we make as regards healthier choices of foods we eat and regular physical activity, which will also reduce the chances of developing the disease conditions associated with being overweight/obese.
Your weight can be reduced with the right motivation with an adequate healthy nutrition and regular physical activity. We at PALs, (Positively Affecting Lives) associates, can advise according to their weight gain and health challenges, on how to safely lose those extra kg and live a healthier and happier life, because the benefits of weight loss is immense and you'd thank us later.