Being obese or overweight is a real health problem to be taken care of with a serious concern. It is not considered as an ailment, but obesity is a critical health condition and a fatal one if left or not attended over a period of time. Obesity in normal cases is related to age, food habits and lifestyle. An aged person can take the problem in a lighter vein, but young people should take immediate corrective measures. Obesity is estimated through the visible appearance of the person, but the body mass index level (BMI level, obesity is fixed if the level is above 29 index points) or simply by the height-weight proportion. People should first try to prevent by regular exercises and a strict diet regime. This is the ideal method. Analyzing the reason for the weight increase, if it is a sudden one, is to be done with the help experts. Weight gain is also associated with the medicine being taken for the ailments suffered by the person. Some medical conditions like lack of sufficient blood in the body, thyroid deficiency, etc. can also lead to obesity. Doctor’s help is then needed, lest that illness would continue and pose immediate threat to the health than the obesity. Long term measures are always advisable for the obesity associated with the age and food habits.
Top prevention strategies:
1. Obesity due excessive eating:
Over eating regularly causes excessive calories in the body. Some people are compulsive eaters and they fail to control their habits. This resulted in obesity and this simple obesity could be controlled with a strict diet control. People who do manual labor and hard work also take a lot of food but the intake is necessary for their body’s metabolism. Manual work burns the calories and keeps them fit for the rigorous work. Hence, diet control and physical exercises are must for reducing the weight in simple obesity cases. Consulting a dietitian may help, as the body should get the necessary amount of calories and any drastic cut might lead to some other medical complication, like anemia.
2. Body constitution:
Some people are found to be overweight, by birth due to hereditary reasons. All the members on the father/mother side could be found with obese conditions. This obesity is to be tackled through a proper diet and help from the dietitian or a doctor. Some people have high muscle mass and high bone density and they look overweight. But they may not be considered obese on the medical grounds. However, these people (especially women, who normally do not exert more work), should be always cautious and go for regular exercises to keep the health in good condition and undertake frequent medical checkups.
3. Secondary obesity:
In this category, people have obesity due to some or the other hormone deficiencies in the body. Imbalances in the hormone caused obesity and hence medical advice is necessary to correct that. Cushing’s syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome also result in the obesity. Thyroid problems also cause such imbalances. So, active medical advice is necessary to correct the ailments and maintain the proper health condition.
4. Children with born disorders:
Parents of kids born with problems like autism and down syndrome are unable to control the food habits of their wards. Many of these kids become obese because of their excessive eating and unhealthy lifestyles. Proper corrective measures could not be taken by their parents, as the mental growth is found to be insufficient. And the doctors treating them also need proper brief about the individual deficiencies in the kids to diagnose the treatment to tackle the medical condition first and then the physical obese problem.
5. Mental disturbances:
People suffering from some or the other mental agony tend to take impulsive decisions and suffer the repercussions. They become victims of the mood disorders and unhealthy lifestyles. They resort to excessive eating, mostly the instant food like pasta, pizza, etc., and become obese. They are not about the risks that the increase in blood cholesterol level lead to heart diseases and other complications. So, they are to be given proper medical advice and treatment. A careless lifestyle and overeating might even lead to muscle degeneration.
6. Effects of medications:
Some medicines have side effects. Hence the doctors always advise their patients about the limit and dosage to be taken. For a speedy recovery or excess benefits, some take more than the prescribed limit and get those adverse side effects. It is found that the intake of birth control pills resulted in weight gain. Steroids used for pain killing or other problems lead to increase ones appetite and so overeating may lead to obesity.
7. Medicines for obesity:
Medicines also help to prevent obese condition. But, doctors generally advise that taking medicines in itself would not be enough and the patient has to control his diet strictly and do exercises to burn the extra calories. Changing to a simple and normal lifestyle is also felt essential to reduce the quantum of medicine. Consulting a good dietitian is a must, besides maintaining a food journal to measure the intake of calories of food prescribed.
8. Healthy diet:
Eating healthy food is a good way to ease obese problems. Vegetables and fruits form the main part of a good diet. Low calorie snacks and sweets will also help the youngsters, as they are good eaters. Sports and energy drinks and soda should be avoided. Youngsters must be advised not to skip the breakfast, as it leads to oversleeping and then going for a heavy lunch. This may lead to a bad lifestyle and obesity. Home food should always be encouraged as it is prepared suiting to the taste and contains less spices and calories than the one which one gets from the hotels.
9. Bariatric surgeries:
Two types of surgeries, gastric bypass surgery and the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery help to correct the obesity problems. These surgeries need to be undergone as a last resort since they lead to adverse side effects, like metabolic bone disease or development of gallstones or the kidneys getting affected.