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WHAT IS OBESITY :
Obesity can be best described as the most common nutritional disorder specially in the affluent group of people. It is a condition in which excessive accumulation of fat takes place in the body due to intake of food in excess of physiological
requirements. Therefore, overnutrition is as much malnutrition as undernutrition is. An excess of 50 calories per day can increase about 25 Kgs in a period of ten years.
Obesity has been classified into 3 types as follows, depending upon the excess in weight :
Above Normal Weight :
Mildly obese 10-15%
Moderately obese 10-20%
Very obese 20% and above.
Obesity is generally caused by two factors i. e. :
1.Exogenous – Overeating or intake of excessive energy.
2.Endogenous -- Due to inherent metabolic disturbance of the body.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE OBESE :
Obesity should not be taken lightly. Obesity means you are 20% or more above the recommended weight for your sex, age, height and bone structure. Extra pounds beneath the 20% mark simply mean you are over-weight.
CAUSES OF OBESITY :
Obesity can occur both in male and female at any age. However, it is more common in female.
Some of the following factors may contribute to the development of obesity :
1.It is common in those who take excess of food with little physical work or exercise.
2.Excessive eating habits is also one of the factors.
Obesity is rarely seen amongst active persons and it is more common in those with sedentary habits.
ADVERSE EFFECT OF OBESITY :
1.Obesity reduces the life expectancy.
2.Obesity produces the following physical disabilities :
a.Abdominal Hernias.
b.Varicose Veins.
c.Flat Feet.
d.Bronchitis.
e.Osteoarthritis of Knee, Hips and Lumber Spine.
3.Due to poor reflexes, liable to fall down on slippery floors.
4.High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
It leads to greater wear and tear of the entire vascular system and consequently it doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke. It may also cause damage to kidneys.
5.It also produces metabolic disorders such as :
a.Gout.
b.Cholesterol in Arteries.
c.Stone in Gall Bladder.
d.Diabetes Mellitus.
It is needless to add that ‘Excess Weight’ (Obesity) is linked to a higher risk of heart diseases and therefore it increases the overall risk of death particularly to persons with Diabetes or Cardiovascular disease.
REDUCING WEIGHT (OBESITY)
It is estimated that an active person will burn about 12-13 calories a day per pound of body weight. Therefore, a person having weight 140 pounds will need roughly 1700-1800 calories a day to maintain that weight, and less to reduce it. This can be used as a guideline for planning weight loss programme, by reducing calorie intake.
It is already stated that obesity is caused by intake of excess calorie and furthermore the lack of physical work or exercise is also one of the contributory factors. Thus, reducing weight means one has to reduce calorie intake by reducing his high-calorie diet. It may therefore be suggested to an obese adult to stick to his daily diet providing 1300 kcal (calorie) which may help in reducing about 0.5 – 1 Kg a week. The reducing diets should contain adequate amounts of Proteins, Vitamins and Minerals. Once the body weight comes to the standard level according to the height, the weight maintenance diets (adequate in Proteins, Vitamins and Minerals) should be taken to keep weight constant i. e. between 1700-1800 kcal (calories). Therefore, daily diet should contain balanced amount of cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, milk, fats and oils, sugar and jaggery, groundnut (roasted) ; meat /fish /eggs (to be excluded by vegetarian).
IMPORTANT TIPS TO REDUCE OBESITY :
1.You may not eat or drink the following :
a.Bacon, Fatty Meats, Sausages.
b.Beer, Liquor, Wines.
c.Butter, Margarines.
d.Cakes, Cookies, Crackers, Doughnuts, Pastries, Pies.
e.Candy, Chocolates, Nuts.
f.Creams – Sweet and Sour, Cream, Cheese, Non-Dairy Cream.
g.French Fried Potatoes, Potato Chips.
h.Pizza, Popcorn, Snack Foods.
i.Gelatin Desserts, Puddings (Sugar-Sweetened).
j.Gravies and Sauces.
k.Honey, Jams, Jellies, Sugar and Syrup.
l.Ice Cream, Ices, Ice Milk, Sherbets.
m.Milk Whole.
n.Muffins, Pan Cakes, Waffles.
o.Olives.
p.Soda (Sugar-Sweetened).
q.Yogurt (Fruit-Flavoured).
2.Buy a reliable scale to weight yourself and a kitchen scale to weight your food.
3.Set a long term weight loss aim.
4.Cut down on salt.
5.Eat from a small plate.
6.Do not skip meals – else being hungry you will overeat at the next meal.
7.Do not eat while you are out.
8.Weigh yourself quite often.
9.Do not be tempted by prohibited foods.
10.Do not eat while reading, watching TV, Video or games, etc.
11.Keep tempting foods out of sight.
12.Try to relax.
13.Control your urge to eat.
14.Control the amount you eat.
15.Do not finish everything on your plate.
16.Eat little at dinner.
17.Shop only after eating.
18.Eat in the same place invariably.
19.Chew your food completely, never gulp it.
20.When you are angry, drink water.
21.Do not eat between meals except raw carrots.
22.Remove skin or visible fat from meat.
23.Do not use butter or sauce on vegetables.
24.Drink 7-8 glasses of water a day.
25.Do not eat fried foods.
26.Walk after night meal.
27.Be vegetarian to lose weight.
28.Use skim milk instead of cow or buffalo milk.
29.Walk daily in the morning.
30.Avoid foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
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