How fat deposited
Obesity is the result of overeating and physical inactivity. The unutilized calories are converted into fat and deposited in the fat depots of the body located in the abdomen and under the skin. The result of this is bulging abdomen and bloated body. Being ready sources of energy, fats and sugar are quickly converted into body fat in the event of their non-utilization.
Principles of dieting
While it is important to lower the total calorie intake, most of this reduction should be from the sugar and fats, i.e. sweets, sweet dishes, ice creams, ghee, butter and edible oils, as well as red meat and egg yolk. All fried food and junk food are therefore prohibited.
If you take non-vegetarian diet, change over to partial vegetarianism, so that you are taking animal food no more than l/3rd of plant food. Changeover should be gradual, because too much fiber too soon may produce abdominal discomfort. Increase the consumption of high fiber foods such as grains and beans gradually, especially in the evenings.
Do not skip meals; 'No fast and No feast' is the best policy.
Ensure variety of foods. It keeps the diet well balanced.
Remain physically active and exercise regularly.
Exercise burns calories by stimulating metabolism and the effect continues for many hours after exercise. It builds muscles too and will compensate for any muscle loss that may occur as a result of dieting.
Aim to reduce 1-2 kg per month. Do not take crash diets or hasten the process of weight reduction; it is unhealthy.
Weight once lost should not be regained. Going down the weighing scale and then up leads to more fat accumulation at the expense of muscle.
Achieve Satiety without Overeating
*No dieting is possible on a hungry stomach; you have to fill the stomach in such a way that you eat fewer calories.
*Eat plenty of raw vegetables, salads and fruit; they provide bulk, vitamins and minerals but they are low in calories.
*Drink plenty of water or diluted unsweetened buttermilk (lassi) before and during meals.
Change the style of eating:
Eat slowly and chew well; it takes 20 minutes to achieve
satiety; if you eat fast, you will eat more. Take low-fat snacks between meals, such as fresh fruits, popcorn, chana, unsweetened biscuits, etc.; they prevent overeating at regular meals. Do not fast if it leads to overeating next day.
Do not deny yourself your favorite food completely, because they are fattening; occasionally indulge yourself. This will help you to stick to your dieting routine better.
Steps to be taken at childhood to prevent obesity:
It is now known that giving children cow's (or formula) milk in the first year of life increases the size and number of fat cells in the body. This results in obesity in adult life which becomes difficult to shed. Children should be given breast milk in the first year, adding fresh vegetables and fruits, but minimum of sugar, sweets and fat, at the appropriate time.
This article is also published in India Study Channel
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Obesity and its effect on health
Obesity, overweight or fattiness is a disease of affluence, caused by overeating and lack of physical activity. It is linked to so many serious conditions like hypertension, diabetes and heart attacks, that it becomes necessary to prevent it or cure it if it is present.
Normal Body Weight
A simplified formula is to consider maximum normal weight at a height of 5 feet as 55 kg for men and 52 kg for women, and add 2 kg per inch of extra height. Thus for a man of 5 feet 8 inches, his maximum weight should be 55 + (8 x 2) = 71 kg.
Indicators of Obesity
The best indicator of obesity and need for weight reduction is the girth of the abdomen because it is the abdominal collection of fat which is the most harmful. All you need is a measuring tape; measure at the level of the navel.
All men who have a girth of 94 cm (37 inches) and
women 80 cm (32 inches) should not add weight. At 102 cm (40 inches) for men and 88 cm (35 inches) for women adverse effects of obesity start appearing.
Corresponding figures for bodyweight are 10 per cent above maximum desirable weight. At this level weight reduction becomes mandatory.
Effects of obesity on Health
Effect of obesity on joints and ligaments:
Obesity is a vicious cycle of physical inactivity causing obesity and obesity leading to more inactivity. It perpetuates itself with the following ill effects on the body. The extra weight puts an extra load on your heart and lungs, making you breathless on exertion. Under the heavy weight of the body, the weight-bearing joints of the lower back, hips and knees start creaking and develop degenerative changes and osteoarthritis. The ligaments and muscles around the joints ache.
Obesity may lead to diabetes:
The extra fat makes your body insensitive to the action of insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance leads to poor utilization of sugar, raising blood sugar levels and diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for almost 95 per cent cases of diabetes in India, depends to a large extent on obesity for its appearance and perpetuation.
Obesity and the heart diseases:
Obesity elevates and aggravates blood pressure. The lipid profile of the obese is usually disturbed, leading to rise of blood cholesterol; this brings about early degeneration and fatty obstructions in the arteries of the heart and brain. Through its links with hypertension, diabetes and lipid abnormalities, obesity is an important risk factor for heart attacks.
The above mentioned conditions are just the tip of the iceberg. Innumerable diseases including psychiatric illness and cancers are either directly or, indirectly to obesity.
Even a 5 to 10 kg reduction in body weight has a marked beneficial effect on health. Calorie Reduction Required to lose Weight. Each gram of fat is equal to 9 calories. To lose one kg of fat, you have to forego 9000 calories, i.e., 300 calories per day for one month. If you are a sedentary person but physically active, you need about 25 calories per kg of ideal (not actual) body weight to maintain yourself. If you consume 20 calories per kg of body weight and remain physically active, you will lose weight at the rate of about 1 – 1 ½ kg per month. Do not lower the intake below 1200 calories; the body metabolism will be slowed down and it will be counterproductive.
This article is also published in India Study Channel
Normal Body Weight
A simplified formula is to consider maximum normal weight at a height of 5 feet as 55 kg for men and 52 kg for women, and add 2 kg per inch of extra height. Thus for a man of 5 feet 8 inches, his maximum weight should be 55 + (8 x 2) = 71 kg.
Indicators of Obesity
The best indicator of obesity and need for weight reduction is the girth of the abdomen because it is the abdominal collection of fat which is the most harmful. All you need is a measuring tape; measure at the level of the navel.
All men who have a girth of 94 cm (37 inches) and
women 80 cm (32 inches) should not add weight. At 102 cm (40 inches) for men and 88 cm (35 inches) for women adverse effects of obesity start appearing.
Corresponding figures for bodyweight are 10 per cent above maximum desirable weight. At this level weight reduction becomes mandatory.
Effects of obesity on Health
Effect of obesity on joints and ligaments:
Obesity is a vicious cycle of physical inactivity causing obesity and obesity leading to more inactivity. It perpetuates itself with the following ill effects on the body. The extra weight puts an extra load on your heart and lungs, making you breathless on exertion. Under the heavy weight of the body, the weight-bearing joints of the lower back, hips and knees start creaking and develop degenerative changes and osteoarthritis. The ligaments and muscles around the joints ache.
Obesity may lead to diabetes:
The extra fat makes your body insensitive to the action of insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance leads to poor utilization of sugar, raising blood sugar levels and diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for almost 95 per cent cases of diabetes in India, depends to a large extent on obesity for its appearance and perpetuation.
Obesity and the heart diseases:
Obesity elevates and aggravates blood pressure. The lipid profile of the obese is usually disturbed, leading to rise of blood cholesterol; this brings about early degeneration and fatty obstructions in the arteries of the heart and brain. Through its links with hypertension, diabetes and lipid abnormalities, obesity is an important risk factor for heart attacks.
The above mentioned conditions are just the tip of the iceberg. Innumerable diseases including psychiatric illness and cancers are either directly or, indirectly to obesity.
Even a 5 to 10 kg reduction in body weight has a marked beneficial effect on health. Calorie Reduction Required to lose Weight. Each gram of fat is equal to 9 calories. To lose one kg of fat, you have to forego 9000 calories, i.e., 300 calories per day for one month. If you are a sedentary person but physically active, you need about 25 calories per kg of ideal (not actual) body weight to maintain yourself. If you consume 20 calories per kg of body weight and remain physically active, you will lose weight at the rate of about 1 – 1 ½ kg per month. Do not lower the intake below 1200 calories; the body metabolism will be slowed down and it will be counterproductive.
This article is also published in India Study Channel
Friday, November 28, 2008
Clues to control obesity
Obesity is an epidemic disease worldwide. These two term disease and epidemic was never related to obesity earlier. WHO formally accepted the fact in 1997. 11 years passed but the uptrend is continuing.
Health Risks Of Obesity:
The list is really long. Obesity affects every aspects of the body and is one of the major cause of premature death. Here is the list of few conditions related to obesity:
Health Risks Of Obesity:
The list is really long. Obesity affects every aspects of the body and is one of the major cause of premature death. Here is the list of few conditions related to obesity:
- Low self esteem
- Depression
- Diabetes and its consequences
- Hyperlipidimia (Raised cholesterol and triglycerides) with their complications.
- Hypertension and related consequences.
- Gall stones.
- Cancers particularly breast, endometrium, colon
- Poly cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD)
- Infertility
- Low back pain
- Sleep apnoea
- Skin problems
let us consider What is weight?
Our body is made up of bones, muscles, fat and water. The lean body mass is the weight of us without the fat and it should be constitute 80 to 85% of our total weight. That means if we want to shed weight we have to shed fat and not the lean body mass.
The two areas where fat tend to accumulate initially are abdomen ( pot belly) in men and around hip, buttocks and thighs of women. The abdominal fat increases the risk of diabetes and hypertension significantly. men can lose weight easily than women; on the other hand they are at greater trouble due to the location of the fat!
How to obtain healthy weight?
Please don't go for any advertised gimmicks - the logic is simple! If your earning is more than you spend your bank balance will grow! so is your fat. There are no other way to obtain healthy weight except healthy diet and regular exercise.
Here are some clues:
Our body is made up of bones, muscles, fat and water. The lean body mass is the weight of us without the fat and it should be constitute 80 to 85% of our total weight. That means if we want to shed weight we have to shed fat and not the lean body mass.
The two areas where fat tend to accumulate initially are abdomen ( pot belly) in men and around hip, buttocks and thighs of women. The abdominal fat increases the risk of diabetes and hypertension significantly. men can lose weight easily than women; on the other hand they are at greater trouble due to the location of the fat!
How to obtain healthy weight?
Please don't go for any advertised gimmicks - the logic is simple! If your earning is more than you spend your bank balance will grow! so is your fat. There are no other way to obtain healthy weight except healthy diet and regular exercise.
Here are some clues:
- Eat consciously and know what you are eating. Always take food which has some nutritional value in addition to the energy you need. For example avoid simple carbohydrates and rely on the complex one.
- Plan low calorie diet ( 1000 - 1500 Kcal) and the diet should be high in proteins, fibres and low in fat.
- Have regularity in food intake. regular meals keep your blood sugar steady. So you will feel less hungry and less craved for food.
- Please don't skip your meals. Your next meal will tend to store as fat if you do so. Never skip breakfast, which I have seen most of the people do! Eat accordingly as you are spending energy. We spend most of our work before lunch, so breakfast must be heavy and with ample protein. Dinner should be lighter on the other hand. Mostly people do the reverse!
- Try eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. They will provide you minerals, fibres, vitamins and phytonutrients.
- Protein should be adequate in your daily food. The requirement of protein for normal individual is 1 gm/ Kg of body weight. In pregnancy, lactation and in children it is 1.5 gm / Kg. Animal source contain on an average 20 - 25% protein of their weight. For example from 100 gm of fish you will get 20 - 25 gm of protein. Give preference to fish over other source while choosing animal source. Soya and grains are excellent source. Soya is the richest source of vegetable protein. I will write about soya in a separate post.
- While choosing dairy products , choose low fat varieties like skimmed milk, yogurt.
- Choose snacks carefully, while you feel hungry between meals. Rely on dry fruits, nuts, salads than chips, burgers, and pastries.
- Reduce the intake of stimulating foods and drinks like chocolate, tea, coffee and alcohol. They stimulate insulin secretion and insulin deposit fat.
- Alcohol in moderation is healthy. Please stress on the word moderation. Red wine is best. Excess alcohol intake on the other hand is one of the major cause of obesity.
- Aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week is essential. Walk briskly, jog, run, swim do whatever you prefer but do it regularly. Lifting weight and gym will help you to increase the muscle mass and thereby your lean body mass will increase.
- Take a multivitamin daily, the cheapest health insurance.
Lastly, one must realize that, there is no shortcut in the process of losing weight. It has to be done gradually. Crash dieting should never be tried, as it may cause other grave complications.
The factors, which will help you to reduce your fat / weight are motivation, perseverance, commitment. You have to control your mind first to control your body.
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