Today’s life has given rise to many lifestyle disorders and obesity is one of them. Obesity, in common words, can be explained as a condition where excessive amount of fat is accumulated on one’s body.
Medically, obesity is measured in terms of BMI (Body Mass Index) which is calculated by dividing weight by square of height. One can be obese if his/her BMI is 30. A layman’s test is to deduct 100 from one’s height. If somebody’s height is 160 cm then that person’s ideal weight should be around 60 kg.
The reason behind obesity may vary from stress, lack of sleep, bad diet to no physical exercise. Genetic and hormonal factors are also reasons in several cases. Apart from these, there are several other factors that contribute to this problem like sleeping disorders and past medical conditions. Pregnancy too contributes to obesity, as many women fail to lose weight post delivery. Further various medicines like antidepressants; diabetes medications cause weight gain. Besides a person with low metabolism and hypo thyroid are also at high risk of developing this disorder.
Obesity in itself is a disease but with it come a host of other diseases which are sure to reduce the expected lifespan of a person. Diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis and depression are seen commonly among obese persons. Not just this, an obese person also goes through social isolation and develops low self esteem.
The question arises, can obesity not be checked? Yes, of course, it can be. But for that to happen one has to start leading a disciplined life. Some people in their mistaken belief that diet alone is responsible for obesity go on a crash diet. It is dangerous and causes more harm than good. What is required is a balanced mix of diet and exercise and remember only one in absence of other will not work.
Regarding diet it is important to be careful about what one eats rather than how much one eats. The healthiest way to reduce weight is by having small proportioned meal five times a day, which helps in increasing our metabolism rate thus better digestion. This should be followed by a light workout or a walk to burn the calories.
Many pills are also available in the market today which claim to reduce weight. Though, these pills might help you but remember they have their own side effects. So it is better to avoid them.
Now the methods talked so far works work well in the case of people who are just obese, but there are sections of people who are morbidly obese (medically speaking person with BMI of more than 35). Such people face difficulties in performing regular tasks due to weight problem. In such cases, neither diet nor exercises are very helpful in reducing weight. This is the situation when one should immediately seek medical intervention. Mostly, in cases with morbid obesity, patients need to go for bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery involves altering body’s food digestion and absorption which helps in losing the extra amount of fat on one’s body. Depending on the needs and condition of the patient, doctor can suggest various bariatric procedures ranging from sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass to gastric banding. The results of the surgery are dramatic, life altering and person loses lot of excess weight.
With the excess fat gone, person comes to live a normal life. The risks associated with excess weight like hypertension, diabetes are also contained to large extent. One just needs to lead a healthy life post the bariatric surgery. Several celebrities have undergone this surgery, some declare and some don’t. But this becomes a need once one crosses a threshold limit.
What one can say is just follow a healthy lifestyle to keep obesity at bay. Remember, the key to being healthy is following the mantra of “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. Have small and frequent meals which not only help in weight reduction but also in proper digestion and prevent hyperacidity. Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. Indulge in a regular exercise regime like yoga, aerobics or a walk. Remember as always “Prevention is better than cure”.
