The terms “overweight” and “obesity” refer to a
person’s overall body weight and where the extra weight comes from. While
overweight indicates having extra body weight from muscle, bone, fat, and/or
water, obesity means having a high amount of extra body fat. The most useful
measure of overweight and obesity is the body mass index (BMI).
BMI is based on height and weight and is used for
adults, children, and teens.
Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for many
diseases
and conditions. The more body fat that you carry
around and the more you weigh, the more likely you are to develop heart
disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems,
and certain cancers.
A person’s weight is a result of many factors.
These factors include environment, family history and genetics, metabolism (the
way your body changes food and oxygen into energy), behavior or habits, and
other factors.
What causes obesity?
BMI = (Weight in Kg / Height in m²)
When you take in more calories than you burn off, you gain weight. How
and what you eat, how much and what you drink, how active you are, and other
things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight.
If your family members are obese, you may have inherited a
tendency to gain weight. And your family also helps form your eating
and lifestyle habits, which can lead to obesity.
Also, our busy lives make it harder to plan and cook healthy
meals. For many of us, it's easier to reach for pre-cooked foods, go out to eat in fast
foods, or go to the drive-through. But these foods are often high in fat, sugar
and calories. Portions are often too large. Work and other commitments also
might cut into the time we should have for physical activity.
There is no quick fix to being overweight. To lose weight, you
must burn more calories than you take in.
What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity? Being overweight
or obese isn’t only a cosmetic problem. It greatly raises
the risk in
adults for many
diseases and conditions.
How Are Overweight and Obesity Treated?
Certain things, like family history, can’t be
changed. However successful treatments for weight loss include setting goals
and making lifestyle changes such as eating fewer calories and being more
physically active. You can help prevent or treat overweight and obesity if you:
• Follow a healthful
diet, while keeping
your calorie needs in mind
• Are
physically active
• Limit
the time you spend being physically inactive Weight loss medicines and surgery
also are options for some people who need to lose weight if lifestyle changes
don’t work,
What effect does exercise have on obesity?
Exercising helps people reduce their weight,
maintain weight loss, and can help fight obesity. Be forewarned, however, that
the kilos won't
melt off magically.
It takes around
100 kilometers of walking or jogging to burn the calories in a kilo of
fat. Losing weight requires both exercise and calorie restriction. In addition,
if a person exercises but doesn't diet any actual pounds lost may be minimal
because dense and heavier muscle mass replaces fat.
If you are obese, your exercise program should be
based on low-intensity aerobic activity
where the duration
is progressively increased.
Duration and frequency is more important
than intensity.
Cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise should be the
focus of your
exercise program because it provides overall health
benefits, including fat loss, an increase in daily energy levels and reduction
of health risk.
• Perform
cardiovascular activity that places
minimal stress on the
joints and produces minimal muscle fatigue. Good choices
include walking, swimming and water exercises, as well as recumbent or
stationary bicycling
• Exercise
four to five times per week, 30-60 minutes
per session at low to moderate intensity.
• Start
slowly! The first five minutes should be your “warm up”. Then always slow down
for the last five minutes of your workout, this is your “cool down”
• Focus on
increasing duration first,
and then increasing intensity.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Overweight and Obesity?
Weight gain usually happens over time. Most people
know when they’ve gained weight. Some of the signs of overweight or obesity
include:
• Clothes
feeling tight and needing a larger size.
• The
scale showing that you’ve gained weight.
• Having
extra fat around the waist.
• A higher
than normal body mass index and waist circumference.
How Are Overweight and Obesity Diagnosed?
The most common way to find out whether you’re
overweight or obese is to figure out your body mass index (BMI). BMI is a good
gauge of your risk for diseases that occur with more body fat. The higher your
BMI, the higher your risk of disease. Although BMI can be used for most men and
women, it does have some limits:
• It may
overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build
It may underestimate body fat in older persons and
others who have lost muscle.
BMI is calculated
from your height
and weight. Use
the
following formula to get your BMI: BMI = (Weight in Kg / Height in m²)
Healthy Eating Plan
A healthy eating plan gives your body the nutrients it needs every
day. It has enough calories for good health, but not so many that you gain
weight.
A healthy eating
plan also will
lower your risk
for heart disease and other
conditions. A plan low in total, saturated, and trans fat; cholesterol; and
sodium (salt) will help to lower your risk for heart disease. Cutting down on
fats and added sugars also can help you eat fewer calories and lose weight.
Healthful foods include:
• Fat-free and low-fat
milk and milk products such as
low-fat yogurt, cheese, and milk.
• Lean meat, fish,
poultry, cooked beans, and peas.
• Whole grain
foods such as
whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and
brown rice. Other
grain foods like pasta, cereal, bagels, bread, tortillas,
couscous, and crackers.
• Fruits, which
can be canned (in juice or water), fresh, frozen, or dried.
• Vegetables, which
can be canned
(without salt), fresh, frozen, or
dried.
Canola or olive oils and soft margarines made from these oils
are heart healthy. They should be used in small amounts because
they’re high in calories. Unsalted nuts, like walnuts
and almonds, also can be built into a healthful diet as long as
you watch the amount you eat, because nuts are high in calories.
How Can Overweight and Obesity Be Prevented?
Staying at a healthy weight and preventing overweight and obesity
can be achieved through living a healthy lifestyle. Because lifetime habits
begin in childhood, it’s important for parents and families to create habits
that encourage healthy food choices and physical activity early in life.
• Follow a healthy
eating plan. Make healthful food choices, keep your and your family’s calorie
needs in mind, and focus on the balance of energy IN and energy OUT.
• Focus on portion size.
Watch the size of portions in fast food and other restaurants. The portions served are often
enough for two or three people. Children’s portion sizes should be smaller than
those for adults. Cutting back on portion size is a sure way to help keep
energy IN and energy OUT in balance.
• Be active.
Make personal and family time
active.
Find activities that everyone will enjoy. For example, go for a
brisk walk, bike or rollerblade, or train together for a walk or run.
• Reduce “screen
time”. Limit the
use of TVs, computers, DVDs, and video games,
because they crowd out time for physical activity. Health experts recommend 2
hours or less a day of screen time that’s not work- or homework-related.
• Keep track
of weight and
other measurements.
Monitor your weight, body mass index, and waist circumference on a regular basis. Also,
keep track of your children’s growth.
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