Obese in simple terms means an excess of fat, usually in the absence of underlying disease, except in a few cases where hormonal disturbance can be held responsible for it. Life insurance companies have defined obesity in terms of risk to life from the available data of height and weight. There are various methods to assess the amount of fat in the body which ascertains the degree of obesity. Skin fold thickness measured by calipers, body mass index, waist/hip ratios, in fact there are standard tables available but body mass index and waist hip ratios are mostly considered. The ratio of weight in kilograms divided by square of height in meters is usually taken into consideration as a quick method of calculation and this ascertains the body mass index and thereby relative risk involved. A BMI of 25 is taken as the upper limit of normal, 25-30-low, 30-35 moderate, 35-40 high and above 40 is very high risk zone.
Obesity could also be a metabolic defect as a calorie intake of 4700 to 8500 calories in different individuals can lead to a gain of 1 kg weight. Various studies show that ATP-ase activity may be low in obese people and lead to a condition where energy consumption is lower and added to surplus calories results in the deposit of adipose tissue. Eating disorders, wherein hunger and satiety levels do not match, binge eating on emotional highs or lows, genetic predisposition, or endocrine obesity where hypoactivty of the thyroid gland may lead to abnormal weight gain. Not a very healthy solution is the use of medicines which suppress appetite.
The consequences of obesity can be medical problems such as early occurrence of cardiovascular diseases where fat deposition in the blood vessels leads to atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disorders, gall bladder stones and sometimes musculo-skeletal problems especially osteoarthritis of the knees. Hypoventilation in obese people may even result in sudden deaths during sleep. Obesity can be managed by diet counseling, behavior therapy and regulated exercise and in some cases with drugs which suppress appetite by attacking the hypothalamus in the brain. However, the drawback is a quickly following rebound after withdrawing the drug. In cases of morbid obesity procedures like liposuction and surgery like jejuno-ilear bypass are not free from risk and the latter is only resorted to save life which has its own complications.
A healthy lifestyle with regular exercise from childhood onwards can lead to similar adult behavior. Skipping breakfast can affect your concentration at work or school and by mid-morning you tend to substitute it with less nutritious morning snacks. You are what you eat so try to follow the golden rules from the beginning of life.
Obesity doesn't only mean being overweight and having excess fat, there is more to that meaning. If you dig deeper, it would spell out as high risk factor, susceptibility to diseases and motionless lifestyle. No one likes that, but still, many fall into its pits and perils. It's something that would greatly require attention. There are any number of reasons that individuals become grossly overweight. When we are not positive on how to present ourselves, we will view life as freedom to do as we please. You are free to sleep, free to eat, free to drink, but if you do them in the wrong way that's a different thing altogether. When you are overweight, you need to watch what you consume and how you consume it. With an obese person moderation is not a word that is known when eating, its usually along the lines of all or nothing. We tend to end up in a poor diet that is high in caloric contents like the processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods. Two of the major causes of obesity are sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. Toxins in the body, thyroid problems and heredity may be other factors as well as stress. People who are obese are more prone to developing diseases compared to those with normal weight. Health risks that are associated with obesity are high blood pressure, cancer, shorter life expectancy, diabetes, heart problems, stroke, sleep disorders, and liver diseases. All of these are due to the fact that obesity can put too much stress on the organs of our body. Researchers have conducted clinical studies to come up with solutions to decrease the growing obesity problem. Treatment for obesity usually aims at changing the causes of obesity such as poor diet and inactivity. Here are some of the options available. One the best ways in losing extra pounds are low calorie diets integrated with active lifestyle. In a weight loss diet, it is recommended that women should take about 1,200-1,500 calories in a day, while 1,500-1,800 for men. A large part of a a great diet is eating regular and healthy meals. Jogging, walking, swimming, or any form of physical activites help burn down calories. Walking for at least 10,000-20,000 steps in a day is enough to shed down those extra fats. At least 30 minutes workout in a day for five consecutive days for the whole week is recommended. Weight loss cannot be achieved overnight, but a sustained effort will produce good results. Also, you must understand that stress can contribute to obesity. So you have to calm yourself down and think what triggered the stress. Many people think that losing weight is only about vanity, but actually, it's simply a matter of life and death, and one thing that should be considered seriously.
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