Obesity

Kill the Silent Killer

Obesity

Kill the silent Killer

From crash diets that promise you a figure slimmer than the slimmest super model, and fat burning pills that promise to improve your life, combating Obesity has become every nations pastime. But are we truly educated about Obesity or are we just using it as a clever, topical facade to mask the latest commercial fad to hit the market?

Beat the Fat

A simple keyword search will yield millions of pages that discuss obesity, how to identify and treat it. The onus however rests fully on you. If you recognise that your eating patterns are unhealthy and a sedentary lifestyle is pushing you towards obesity, it is time for you to be proactive and prevent it. Losing an extra ten kilos is going to be far easier than losing 50. The next time you opt for an auto rickshaw to hop to the next street or ask for extra double cheese on your pizza, think about that!

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What is obesity?

Kill the silent Killer

besity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat whereas overweight is defined as an excess amount of body weight, compared to set standards. This excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are considered obese. Obesity is now viewed as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. It is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children. In India, 5% of population suffers from obesity. While that may seem like a negligible amount, but with our population, that is 60 million people in our country who suffer from a high risk life style disorder. In India the situation is quite alarming. According to doctors, a sedentary lifestyle combined with an increase in the consumption of fatty food and alcohol is to blame for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc. As modernity became associated with less chores and lesser walking, the food consumption did not directly correlate to the reduced activity. In fact, it became comically inverse. The more we ate, the lesser we walked and the lesser we walked, the more we ate! Thus, one day, we woke up in the early 21st century and suddenly realised we were obese!

Obesity

Kill the silent Killer

What are the Symptoms?

Here are some of the symptoms of obesity: Excess body fat Difficulty while sleeping Heavy sweating Pain in the joints Varicose veins Inability to deal with physical activity Extremely large waistline Snoring Lack of energy Rashes Type 2 diabetes Feeling very much tired all the time

What are RISKs?

Obesity-related health risks include: Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome High blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke Obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders Certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer Gall bladder disorders Joint Problems Arthritis, Gout Endocrine system abnormalities Psychological disturbances poor self-image, depression Extreme obesity can lead to a gradual decrease in the level of oxygen in your blood, a condition called hypoxemia. In extreme cases, especially when left untreated, this can lead to right-sided heart failure and ultimately death.

Obesity
So, aRe you Obese?

Kill the silent Killer

Y
normal Weight

ou ARE if your BMI is above 25.

What is this BMI? Body Mass Index or BMI is the most widely used clinical measure today to classify overweight and obesity in adults. The BMI is a mathematical formula that takes into account both a persons weight and height in calculating the degree of obesity.
Over Weight Obese Morbidly Obese

BMI is calculated by dividing the weight (in kilograms) of a person by his height (in meters) squared. BMI = Weight (kg) / height (m2)

As per Indian Standards in adults, a person with a body mass index of 23 is considered overweight and those with BMI of 25 and above are termed obese. Those with BMI of over 30 are termed morbidly obese and will require bariatric surgery to eliminate excess flab. If you are uncertain how to calculate your BMI to check if you are obese, you can visit a general physician. Your doctor will perform a physical examination and ask questions about your medical history, eating habits, exercise routine, smoking and alcohol use. Your physician may also order a blood test to check glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and also look for thyroid or endocrine problems, to determine whether any obesity-related conditions are present.

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What are the causes?
here are many causes for being obese. A sedentary lifestyle and the chronic ingestion of excess calories are the principal factors for many individuals to be overweight and, eventually, become obese. But research shows that there is also evidence of strong genetic, metabolic, and environmental influences in the development of obesity. For example, hypothyroidism can also cause obesity.

Kill the silent Killer

Over eating is a possible root cause. Diets high in fats and simple carbohydrates, junk food, too much cheese, ghee, sugar, alcohol and soda, eating without hunger, and consuming excess milk products may cause obesity. Certain emotional conditions can also fuel obesity. Negative emotions like boredom, sadness or anger may influence eating habits. When people are stressed out they tend to eat in abundance. Hence, it is very important to live a stress free lifestyle as much as you can. People with little knowledge towards spending their energy are more likely to have obesity. Nowadays people are less active they spend their time watching TV or playing video games or surfing the Net. Moreover, they prefer to use automobiles to go anywhere rather than the walk even for short distances.

Obesity

Kill the silent Killer

What are the Solutions?

he right way to combat obesity is the honest way. But dont lose heart. It may seem like a mountainous challenge to lose 10-20 kilos, but with a combination of eating right, increased physical activity and a few lifestyle changes, it is actually possible. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are crucial when it comes to controlling your weight. Although there are many programs advertised to help you lose weight, the only method proven safe over the long-term is to burn more calories than you consume. Exercising and eating right must become as much a part of your routine as bathing and brushing your teeth. Unless you are convinced of the benefits, you will not succeed. Moreover, sticking to a weight reduction program is not easy. You will need a lot of support from family and friends.

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assess Yourself
Body Mass Index Calculate your BMI as explained earlier. Your BMI scores means the following: Underweight Normal Overweight Obesity Obesity Chart < 18.5 18.5 22.9 23.0 24.9 > 25.0

Kill the silent Killer

Find your height in the Height column and look in the Obesity Point column to see when you are obese. For example if you are 5 ft 6 inches tall, you are obese when you reach 70 kgs.
Height (inches) 4.10 4.11 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 6.0 Obesity Point (kgs) 55.0 57.0 58.5 60.0 62.5 65.0 67.0 68.5 70.0 72.5 75.0 77.5 80.0 82.5 85.0
Your weight in kilos

40 50

60

70

80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

66 65 64 63 62 61 60 511 510 59 58 57 56

UnderWeight

OK

OverWeight

Fat

verY Fat

Your height in feet and inches

55 54 53 52 51 50 411 410

Obesity
Waist Circumference

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To measure your waist, stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hipbones. Measure your waist just after you breathe out. If the waist size is greater than 80 cm for women or greater than 90 cm for men then the risk goes up. Moreover, you are at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, if most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips.

Risk Factors
The following conditions along with being obese will put you at greater risk for heart disease and other conditions:
1 2 3 4 5 6 High blood pressure Cholesterol High blood glucose Family history of heart disease Physical inactivity Cigarette smoking Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No

If you are overweight or obese and have two or more risk factors, it is recommended that you lose weight.

Stress Factors
Stress is another buzzword that is thrown about every day. A recent study shows that even simple household chores can increase stress levels and blood pressure. Answer this simple questionnaire to gauge if work and home life are stressing you.

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at Work
1 Do you have a pleasant working environment? 2 Does your work allow you to pace yourself?

Kill the silent Killer

Yes No Yes No

3 Do you have any say in the work load and Yes No deadlines you receive? 4 Does your work satisfy you? Yes No 5 Does your organisation value you? Yes No

If you answered NO to all of the above or more than 3 of the above questions, then you have a work life that is stressing you.

at home
1 2 3 4 5 Do you feel overwhelmed by the expectations of your family? Do you feel worthless at times? Do you think you could be a lot happier if you changed your life a little? Do frequent disagreements, arguments and fights occur in the house? Do you hate going home after work? Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No

If you answered YES to all of the above or more than 3 of the above questions, then it is safe to assume that your home life is also stressing you.

Reducing stress lies wholly in your own hands. take these steps to modify your stress levels:
You can find a job that motivates you Communicate with your family if you are unhappy Cultivate a hobby and meet new people Choose to spend more time offline and away from the TV Take holidays at least once a year and get away from it all

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activity Levels

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There are no shortcuts to good health. Regular physical activity is essential to maintain good health.
Activity Inactive - little or no exercise Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/ week) Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week) Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training)

eating habits
Some people resort to eating to alleviate stress. As a way to combat stress, do you indulge in the following eating habits?
1 2 3 4 5 Do you eat very fast and feel sated only until you are very full? Do you often eat fast food, oily food and snack on sweets and chocolates? Do you shop or cook or order for more food than necessary? Do you drink packaged fruit juices, canned drinks, aerated drinks rather than water? Do you eat the food that is left over rather than waste it? Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No

If you answered YES to all of the above or even 3 of the above questions, then you have bad eating habits, that needs to be corrected. The key to beating obesity is to not beat yourself up but to have a can do attitude and a positive frame of mind.

Obesity
Set your target

Kill the silent Killer

t has been suitably established that stress, eating habits and inactivity plays a major role in obesity. If you have checked your BMI and you find yourself Obese or even Overweight, it is time for you to take action. To find what is the ideal weight for you based on your height, age and gender, consult a ApolloMunich consultant. Lets say you are 57 tall and weigh 80 kgs. According to the BMI calculator, your BMI is 28, which falls under the obese category. So, you have to lose 15 kgs to be at a healthier < 23 BMI.

Goal: Lose 15 kgs in 10 months. (1.5 2.5 kgs a month is ideally what you can lose) What you will need to do:
Lose .5 kgs a week by burning 3500 calories. Eat 350 - 500 fewer calories a day you will lose 0.5 to 1 kg a week. Create a menu chart try and stay below 1500 to 2000 calories a day Exercise for 30 minutes everyday you will lose approximately 300 calories.
If you find you are not losing weight as quickly as you thought change your goal weight or the length of time to reach it.

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Plan your Diet

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he nutritional requirement differs from individual to individual. It is preferable to seek the advice of ApolloMunich consultant, who can make a personalized diet chart considering your age, sex, physical activity, etc.
A daily calorie intake of 2000 calories per day for women and 2500 for men is suggested for a healthy person. In order to lose weight you need to eat less calories per day than your body needs. Eat small frequent meals. Chew and eat slowly. Drink lot of water. Switch off TV when eating. AVOID tea and coffee, biscuits, pastries, sweets, fried food, pizzas, noodles, ice-cream, aerated drinks, alcohol, processed food

a generalised diet for weight loss

6 am Any fruit 8 am Idli/Dosa/ Upma/Rotis/ Omelette with bread 11 am Sprouts/ Nuts/ Buttermilk/ Museli 1 pm Soup with Brown rice or 3 rotis with sabzi and dal or chicken 3 pm Salad/ Nuts/ Protein Bars 5 pm Sandwich / Dosa / Upma 7 pm 3 rotis with sabzi or chicken or fish 9 pm Skimmed milk

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Diet Chart
Food Group Cereals Pulses Meat Vegetables Fruits Milk products Sugar Fats Quantity 300 g 60 g 30 g 300 g (min) 100 g (min) 300 g 20 g 20 g

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Sources Wheat, Rice, Millets Sprouts/ Fermented Egg / Chicken / Fish Peas, Carrot, Pumpkin, Beans, Greens Orange, Apple, Papaya, Guava, Mango Cheese, Curd etc Confectionary Oil/ Butter/ Ghee

Calorie Chart
Name NUTS Apricots Dates/ currants Figs Walnuts Raisins SWEETS Barfi, Gulab Jamun Halwa Jalebi Mysore Pak Milk Sweets NON-VEG Fish & Mutton (boiled) Chicken Tandoori Chicken Fish Fingers Sheekh Kababs Crab Shrimps(fried&rolled) Egg BREAD & ROTIS Bread Chapati Phulka Qty 15 gms 15 gms 20 gms 15 gms 20 gms 1 pc 1 pc 1 pc 1 pc 40 gms 1 cup 1 cup 2 pcs 3 pcs 2 pcs 2 cups 1.5 cup 1 1 slice 1 slice 1 slice Cal 306 317 55 102 315 100 570 200 357 250 100 220 450 162 300 67 19 100 60 100 75 SNACKS Pakoda Samosa Potato chips Tapioca Chips Dahi wada Muruku Papad (fried) Bhel Puri Pani Puri DRINKS Coffee without Sugar Tea without Sugar Coconut Water Orange Juice Tomato Juice Coke MILK PRODUCTS Milk Condensed Milk Skimmed Milk Curds Khoa Butter Ice cream Cheese Cottage Cheese 1 1 10pcs 100 gms 1 2 pcs 1 One cup 1 plate 1 cup 1 cup 1 glass 1 glass 1 glass 1 bottle 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup cup 1 tbsp 1 scoop cup 1 tsp 200 256 110 570 364 583 43 280 125 25 22 50 95 45 95 100 320 45 60 206 120 114 82 16

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Start your exercise

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he major goal for treating obesity is to reduce the weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you eat. And exercise is a key way to do this.

Walking: Walking can be a good exercise to start with. Walk

everyday for 30 minutes.

Swimming: Thrice a week for an hour helps in burning calories

faster and also build stamina.

Stretching: 10 mins everyday, helps to improve flexibility. Weights: 30 mins - thrice a week, helps to
strengthen the muscles.

Yoga: Pranayama - 10 mins, Asanas - 20 mins.

helps to keep the body and mind in control. Find other ways to increase your activity level every day. Add a second activity like aerobics or dancing. Walk instead of driving. If you have to drive, park away from your destination. Climb stairs instead of using an elevator or escalator. Try to do maximum of your household tasks standing. Do other house activities, such as gardening and cleaning. At work, every hour, take a break and head out for a walk for ten minutes.

Obesity

Kill the silent Killer

While sitting at your desk, with the help of your trainer, you can do many exercises. While shopping, take a cloth bag with you and carry your vegetables and groceries to your car consider it home-style strength training. Find whatever interests you and join those classes be it Bollywood dance or African jazz. Having fun while you work out can motivate you and also push you to work out more.

Monitoring

uring the weeks that you are committed to fighting obesity, here are a few things you can do to monitor progress. Weigh and measure yourself every day. Write what you eat. Maintain a progress card. Get yourself a Gift once youve achieved your target!