Is fat holding you back?

BENGALURU: The word ‘obese’ describes a person who is overweight, with a lot of body fat. While it is a common problem in the developed nations, it is a rising concern in India and is majorly due to unhealthy lifestyle and westernization; obesity affects more than 5 per cent of the country’s population.

With easy access to processed food in the country due to global integration of food market, there is an increase in consumption of high sugar and low nutrition diets. With changing lifestyle, people are more stressed than before. Irregular sleep cycles and anxiety disorders is one of the main reasons of being obese.
Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. Unhealthy eating habits tend to run in families. It develops gradually over time, as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices, such as:
Eating large amounts of processed or fast food and – that is high in fat and sugar
Drinking too much alcohol – alcohol contains a lot of calories, and people who drink heavily are often overweight
Eating junk food and eating larger portions than actually needed –The amount of food that we take in a restaurant as a starter or dessert is high in fat and sugar. Drinking too many sugary drinks such as soft drinks and fresh juices also adds to obesity
Comfort eating –People suffering from low self-esteem or depressed eat a lot to feel better Sedentary lifestyle of people is yet another factor related to obesity. Many people have jobs that involve sitting at a desk for most of the day. If you are not active enough, does not use the energy provided by the food we eat, the extra energy we consume is stored by the body as fat and this leads to obesity.

Symptoms of Obesity
Obesity can cause a number of problems, including difficulties with daily activities and serious health conditions. Day-to- day problems related to obesity include
Breathlessness, increased sweating, snoring, difficulty in doing physical activity, feeling very tired, joint and back pain and feeling isolated, low esteem and depression.
Being obese can also increase the risk of developing many potentially serious health conditions, like
High cholesterol, asthma  and atherosclerosis (where fat deposits narrow the arteries), which can lead to coronary heart disease and stroke
Metabolic Syndrome and several types of cancer  – a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) – where stomach acid leaks out of the stomach and into the oesophagus (gullet)
Gallstones – small stones, usually made of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder
Sleep Apnoea – a condition that causes interrupted breathing during sleep, which can lead to daytime sleepiness with an increased risk of road traffic accidents, as well as a greater risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and osteoarthritis a condition involving pain and stiffness in joints
Pregnancy complications, such as Gestational Diabetes or Pre-Eclampsia (when a woman experiences a potentially dangerous rise in blood pressure during pregnancy).

(Dr Satish N is Senior Consultant (General & Bariatric Surgery) and Pavithra N Raj is Executive (Diet & Nutrition) at Columbia Asia Referral Hospital in Yeshwanthpur)

Know your weight
It is significant to know your weight and one of the most widely used method is body mass index
(BMI). BMI is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height. Here is an indication of what your BMI means
For most adults, a BMI of:
18.5 to 22.9 = healthy weight
23 to 27.5 = overweight
27.5 to 32.5 = Class I obesity
32.6 to 37.5 = Class II Obesity
37.6 or above = Morbid or Class III obesity
More than 50 = Super obese

India’s Fat Count
Studies show that in India, nearly 15% to 20% of children are overweight and 30% are in the risk of falling in this category. It is these statistics that ring major alarm bells; and as per recent reports as high as 60% to 70% may continue to be overweight or obese in adulth

Alert – Avoid Quick Fix Diets to Reduce Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is important for preventing cardio vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions. There are quite a few short term diets that are doing the rounds and people should be aware that sustaining these diets can have long term implications on their health. For example, being on a ketogenic diet for long may have some nutrition deficiency and other effects on health including heart palpitations, constipation, muscle cramps and sleep issues.

Management of Obesity
Management of obesity is a multi disciplinary approach. It includes dietician, physiotherapist, physician, endocrinologist, pulmonologist, cardiologist and psychiatrist. Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric or metabolic surgery, is sometimes used as a treatment for people who are excessively obese. It can lead to significant weight loss and help improve many obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.