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Obesity is a now a major health concern in this country and being overweight is practically the norm. The implications for health when you are obese are very serious and many people die prematurely every year from obesity related conditions.
Experts who worked on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines say 40,000 of the 150,000 annual deaths are "eminently preventable". One study has estimated that obesity costs the NHS around £1 billion a year - and the wider economy around £7bn a year in lost productivity. For the first time in history, the number of obese people now outweighs the number of malnourished people and by 2050 it's predicted that 60 per cent of the UK population could be obese!
What Is Obesity?
Obesity is a condition in which excess fat leads to impairments in health. It's usually defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m² where excess weight is gained due to energy intake exceeding energy expenditure. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.
Body Mass Index
Calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared
Normal: 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight: 25 - 29.9
Obese: Above 30
People with BMI’s between 19 and 22 live longest and death rates are noticeably higher for people with indexes 25 and above. More recently a new category has been recognised – those with a BMI of over 40 are considered morbidly obese.
However, the BMI is not infallible. It is possible for a healthy, muscular athlete with very low body fat to be classified obese using the BMI formula. A different way of assessing obesity is by measuring girth. It’s recognised that the central fat held in the abdomen is more dangerous than peripheral fat.
The Risk Factors Involved In Being Obese
Why Are So Many People Obese?
Well, it doesn’t take much to work out that many people are eating too much and invariably the wrong things ie. junk food that is high in calories but low on the valuable nutrients needed to stay healthy. There is too much fat and sugar in many convenience and mass-produced foods and 'super-sized' portions are now commonplace in fast food restaurants.
Many people argue they just don’t have the time to cook from scratch, or are confused by the information from the media and advertising about what’s healthy and what isn’t, but if you want to avoid going down the obesity path, it’s essential to address these issues, whether on your own or with the help of a Nutritional Therapist.
However, another very significant factor is that modern life is more sedentary than ever before. A recent study showed that housewives in the 1950s actually ate more calories than their modern counterparts - but they were significantly slimmer because their daily lives involved far more physical activity.
How To Tackle Obesity
Again, it’s not rocket science! A combination of a healthy, balanced diet, and regular exercise should be enough in most instances. Obesity can be managed and a reduction in weight means a lower risk of associated diseases.
The Department of Health believe that reducing salt and saturated fats, as well as banning trans-fats, would save the NHS more than £1bn. They found evidence from Poland, the Czech Republic and Cuba that changes in diet can lead to fairly rapid results with improved health within two to three years.
Obesity isn't just an issue of personal health, bearing in mind the huge cost to the NHS and to the wider economy - because of treating associated conditions and the time taken off work.
The Government strategy to halt the rise in obesity in the UK recognises that it can be hard for people to choose the healthy option in a world where the default is often the unhealthy choice. They have committed millions of pounds to initiatives, such as Change 4 Life, to try to provide greater support to people trying to control their weight.
The strategy covers five key areas:
Is Surgey An Option?
This is usually only recommended for the most extreme cases, as the surgery itself can be risky, and the patients require lifelong monitoring for potential complications. There are now a variety of surgical techniques, including an adjustable band around the top of the stomach. The gastric band, like other surgeries, reduces the amount of food that can be ingested and increases the speed at which a person feels full, thereby limiting the amount of food they eat but such drastic measures should really only ever be considered as a last resort.
What To Do To Ensure You Don't Become Obese
Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. It's the result of a long-term imbalance between the amount of energy eaten and the amount of energy used by the body. So firstly, increase the amount of calories you burn by doing 20 to 30 minutes of moderate activity every day.
Secondly, it takes about 3,500 calories to add about 1lb weight so if you are consistently putting on weight, then try to stabilise this before it develops into a more serious problem. Reduce the amount of calories you consume by going for smaller portions and bear in mind that while too much fat, protein, carbohydrate or alcohol can all lead to fat gain and weight gain, the main culprit is actually sugar and refined carbohydrates, not fat.
Looking at fat alone, as far as your body is concerned there is a big difference between 100 calories of saturated fat from meat and 100 calories of essential fat from seeds or fish. Saturated fat can only be burned for energy or stored as body fat. But essential fats are used by the brain, the nerves, the arteries and the skin, and balance your hormones and boost immunity.
Avoid Low Fat Diets
Low-fat diets rose out of the belief that fat is the prime culprit in weight gain. But, like high-protein diets, there are problems with this approach. Firstly, most low-fat diets are high in carbohydrates, so sugar and refined foods replace fatty foods. This encourages a blood sugar problem that, in turn, makes it harder to control weight. For this reason, very low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets can often cause fatigue, mood swings and sugar cravings and do not lead to you keeping the weight off long term. However, the worst aspect of a low-fat diet is that it cuts out those important essential fats.
If you are obese, or in danger of becoming so, then healthy and steady weight loss will reduce your chances of developing those chronic conditions associated with obesity. The latest studies show that by losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds you can dramatically improve your overall health status, whilst significantly diminishing your risk of disease. So if you need help, get some and remember that what you lose in weight, you will gain in health.
Article by Vanessa May, Nutritional Therapist BSc, CNHC, NTC and BANT reg.
www.wellbeingandnutrition.co.uk
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