Dr. Robert
23rd september 2006
Obesity is a term that means having a lot of body fat. Some people confuse it with being overweight or weighing too much, whereas it is a different thing altogether. Obesity is the accumulation of body fats in a human being to some extent which has adverse effects on his health. Under the worst circumstances, it also reduces life expectancy and is also the cause of many heart diseases. It is normally said that if a person's body weight is 20 % higher than normal, he/she is obese. Gauge for measuring obesity is body mass index (BMI) which is merely a ratio between weight and height.
BMI = weight in kilograms/ square of height in meters
Or
BMI = Kg/m2
The range of BMI and its classification according to Wikipedia is as under:
BMI Classification
Less than 18.5 Underweight
18.5 – 24.9 Normal weight
25.0 – 29.9 Overweight
30.0 – 34.9 Class I obesity
35.0 – 39.9 Class II obesity
40.0 and more Class III obesity
What causes obesity?
It occurs when one consumes more calories than he/she can burn. In other words, he/she might be eating too much and working out too little. There are other factors, however, that lead to obesity. Sedentary living, sleep deprivation, medicines, genes and gender are some out of them.
With the advent of modern technology and arrival of computerized machinery, people have started leading an extremely sedentary lifestyle. Presence of cars has reduced distances as well as changed people's walking habits. Tendency towards sports and games have also reduced quite a lot, and the result is less of physical movement and increase in obesity. According to the latest research carried out at the University of Warwick, tendency of obesity is more in people who sleep less or have disturbed sleep. Some patients can gain weight when subjected to medication for longer duration of time or by the use of steroids. Obesity sometimes runs in one's genes. If the biological parents are obese, there is a likely hood that children also follow the same trend. Females tend to put on more weight than men. This phenomenon occurs especially after marriage either due to hormonal change or due to pregnancy.
How to reduce obesity?
Obesity can be reduced by controlling the diet, regular workout, taking medication only when necessary and by weight loss surgery.
Change your diet. Switch to low fat healthy food. Obese people may consume a low calorie liquid diet.
The thumb rule to follow in regular work out is that one should burn more than what he/she consumes. Walk and jog, regularly. Indulge in outdoor sports and visit the gym more often. Medication for weight loss should be taken only when necessary i.e.; If BMI is more than 30 or when advised by a physician.
Surgery such as liposuction is to be avoided as much as possible. The utmost endeavor must be made to reduce undesirable fats by workout and control in diet. It has to be resorted to in extreme circumstances.
