How to Battle Obesity

One of the growing epidemics that affect the children and adult community alike is obesity. It occurs when there is a high percentage of body fat. A person falls under the obese category if his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) is above thirty. Obesity can have a tremendous negative impact on the health and longevity of an individual. 

Some of the dangerous consequences of obesity are:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease / Coronary heart disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Gallbladder ailments
• Respiratory issues
• Various types of cancers
• Stroke attacks
• Sleeping disorders like sleep apnea

Hence, the medical community is constantly looking at ways to handle this.Fortunately, problems related to overweight and obesity and related non-communicable diseases can be avoided. Prevention is the most feasible option to bring the problem under control. That can be done by achieving an optimal energy balance that can be maintained throughout the lifespan of an individual to avoid obesity.

Obesity Causes

• Unhealthy diet with more carbohydrates and fats
• Overeating
• Sedentary lifestyle with minimal physical activities
• Heredity
• Psychological conditions
• Hormonal imbalance
• Prevailing health conditions like hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and polycystic ovary syndrome
• Side effects of certain medications

Obesity Treatment
Several options are available for treating obesity. It includes:

• Making Lifestyle Changes – Changing the daily routine to have a better lifestyle with healthy foods and physical activities is the crux of this approach.This may be achieved by:
• Dietary Changes – When a person consumes more calories than those that are used,it is stored as fat leading to obesity.Thus, making healthy dietary changes plays a crucial role in treating this disorder.By and large, processed foods, refined edibles and instant ready-to-eat mixes contain high sugar and fat content.These foods must be consciously avoided. Instead,meals containing plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits and high-fibrous foods may be eaten for better satiety.
• Exercises - Being physically active helps individuals to burn more calories than those when they are sleeping or sitting. So exercising is a good option. There are several options like brisk walking, swimming, gardening, aerobics and climbing stairs for doing exercises. It is ideal to do atleast half-an-hour of moderately intense activities daily for getting the best healthcare outcomes. However, an incremental approach must be adopted to achieve a healthy weight rather than a drastic workout.
• Behavioural modifications - A behavioural change approach may be adopted to overcome individual concerns of weight loss as each person has varying needs and health issues. The services of mental health professionals for counselling may be availed for this purpose. Counselling helps in tackling the emotional and behavioural aspects of eating and in devising balanced meal plans to achieve the weight loss goals. Enrolment in support groups is another good choice as patients can get a support system to interact and learn from others with similar challenges.
• Medication - If the combination of diet and exercise is not working, it is recommended to seek an appointment for obesity doctor consultation. Based on the health condition of the patient, the doctors may prescribe weight loss medications especially if the weight poses significant risks to their overall health and well-being. It must be noted that though some of these medicines are beneficial in controlling body weight and must be taken under strict monitoring, lifestyle modifications cannot be ignored.
• Surgical intervention - In chronic cases, the surgical approach may be advised. Weight loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) involves reducing the size of the stomach or bypassing a part of the digestive system (specifically the small intestine) to decrease the food intake. The bariatric surgeon does this by using a gastric sleeve or band or doing a gastric bypass. Of late,laparoscopic surgery for obesity and key-hole procedures are increasingly gaining popularity as they enable quick recovery of the patient with minimal pain and discomfort.

A judicious combination of a balanced diet and physical activity can help in battling obesity. For more information on obesity treatment and surgery, please contact us.