Obesity is not all about a disease
Ø What Obesity Is All About?
Many people consider obesity as an overweight. But this is not true. Obesity is a medical term and they are used by Doctors and Professionals to under line the unnecessary fatty tissues present in our body. Whereas, Overweight includes the mass of fats, muscles and bones. This is why the (Body Mass Index) BMI of athletics and body builders are often counted wrong because BMI fails in distinguishing fats and the muscles mass.
Obesity is not a disease in itself but the unwanted fats presence in our body due to poor physical exercise, high calorie contained diets and wrong schedules that we follow.
According to National Institutes of health (NIH), an increase of 20% and more mass then compared to the normal body weight is obesity and it is dangerous to an individual’s health and life.
Ø What Makes You Obese?
The simple reason of obesity is the consumption of additional calories then they are disbursed. We get these calories from our food and diets. So, Professionals suggest for a healthy physical exercise with a balanced diet so that the needless calories are easily burn out by the body in a natural way.
· Your Daily Diet And Groceries:
Obesity is likely to be seen among those people who tend to eat more meats, fats and chocolates because these groceries contains high calories and fats which is the one absolute reason for obesity. Obesity reduces our immune capacity and is the source of many fatal diseases which definitely reduces our life expectancy. Food with high calories should be avoided if you are obese.
· Physical Drills:
It is not just a physical disorder that we are dealing with but a fatal and critical problem in numerous aspects. Obesity is seen in every age group. Lack of proper physical drills will help these fats to grow rapidly within our body. So the Doctors and Professionals recommend physical exercise for those who are obese.
· Your Every Day Schedule:
This is one of the important factors which are underestimated by many people. Your schedule is your health because everything you include in your schedule has a direct relation in your life. People wake up late; they sleep at the day time, they enjoy eating even if they are not hungry. These things make you stationary and the body looses its proper function. This sooner or later leads to obese.
· Slow metabolism:
It’s natural that women have less muscle compared to men. Muscle is an important factor to carry on the metabolism which is the better and the faster way of burning the fats and calories from our body. Therefore, the natural process of metabolism is slower in women then men. So, the weight decreasement in women is slower. Similarly, as we grow up we tend to loose muscles which are natural and this is the reason why we see obese more in adults.
Ø You Are Overweighed But Are You Obese?
Obesity doesn’t mean over weight because over weight includes muscles, bones and fats but obesity includes only those enormous quantity of unwanted fats in our body which is harmful to our health.
How Will You Know?
There are several ways of measuring your obese.
· Body Mass Index (BMI):
We have a tool to solve your query. Body Mass Index which is also broadly known as BMI. Obesity is measured with the help of BMI. This is a widely used mathematical tool to measure the obesity of an individual. It is a ratio between your weight and height. A result of 30 or more in BMI calculation places you in the category of obese.
· Waist Circumference (WC):
This is a simple measure to determine abdominal fat content. Men are at increased risk if they have a waist measurement greater than 40 inches. Women are at increased risk if they have a waist measurement greater than 35 inches. This is just a straightforward way of measurement which is least scientific.
· Waist To Hip Ratio (WHR):
This is the ratio of one’s waist circumference divided by one’s hip circumference. This ratio also reflects the hypothesis that carrying weight around the mid-section is particularly detrimental for people with a given BMI. A WHR that is greater than 1.0 is considered risky. For women, a WHR of 0.80 or less is considered safe, whereas a WHR of 0.90 for men is considered safe.
Ø Does Obesity Greet Diseases?
Yes, Obesity leads to physical as well as psychological sickness. Many people consider obesity as a disease but I think it is not a disease in itself rather masses of fatty tissues that boost in our body which is natural when we lack proper exercise and balanced diet. Obesity is the major cause of several diseases no matter they are physical or emotional. But the bottom line is that they all are hazardous.
· Diabetes: Obese people are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes because their body function lacks proper blood sugar control. This is the only major reason for different fatal diseases like: heart disease, kidney disease and blindness. If you are suffering from type 2diabetes then you should engage yourself in more physical exercise and pay proper attention to your daily diet for your better health.
· Heart Disease: Heart disease includes major heart problems like: heart attack, heart failure, angina by which hundreds and thousands of people loose their life in America.
· Cancers: This is a fatal disease and incurable in many cases. Obesity leads to cancer of gallbladder, breast, uterus, and cervix. Obese men and women have high risk of developing cancers and life loss.
· High Blood Pressure: It is a major risk factor for heart failure and stroke. High blood pressure is generally seen in adults but if you are suffering from obesity then you have a probability to suffer from high blood pressure and heart attack.
· Psychological Impact: Obesity also affect in psychology prospect. Feelings of insecure, depression, low self esteem are the signs caused by obesity. It can be seen in both adult and child because people who are obese they face social discrimination while they are in school, at work or in any public places
· Gout: It is a joint pain due to excess amount of uric acid in our blood. Gout is a commonly seen disease in our obese people. We suggest you to visit your doctor before starting any physical exercises or trying new diets for weight loss because extra physical exercise and change in your diet may lead to gout attack.
· Irregular Menstrual Cycle: Abdominal obesity may result infertility in women because it is linked with polycystic ovary syndrome.
· Breathing Problems: Sleep apnea is a serious problem seen in obesity people. In this people stop breathing for short period of time and starts to snores heavily. This may cause heart failure. The risk of sleep apnea increases with higher body weights.
Ø What Surgery Can Do For You?
Undergoing surgery to remove obesity from the body is done only when the case is found critical. Doctors and professionals do not suggest surgery easily because they have long term as well as short term side effects over us. Obesity patient are found to suffer from anemia. Obesity can be decreased by applying some natural exercises and with balanced diets.
Surgeries are for those people who has BMI 40 or above. If not then it is suggested to those who has BMI more then 35 and has critical conditions like: sleep apnea. Surgeries are found effective and are helpful to control abnormal blood sugar and high blood pressures.
The obesity surgery is also known as bariatric surgery. The courses are divided into three major parts:
· Restrictive Procedures:
During these procedures, the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch, which limits the amount of the food patients can eat. The smaller stomach pouch fills quickly, which helps patients feel satisfied with less food.
· Malabsorptive Procedures:
During these procedures, the surgeon reroutes the small intestine so that food skips a portion of it. The small intestine absorbs calories and nutrients from food, and avoiding part of it means that some calories and nutrients are not absorbed.
· Combination Procedures:
Certain procedures such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery use a combination of restriction and malabsorption. During this procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch.
The surgeon then attaches a Y-shaped section of the small intestine directly to the stomach pouch. This allows food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine, which absorbs calories and nutrients. The smaller stomach pouch causes patients to feel fuller sooner and eat less food; bypassing a portion of the small intestine means the patient’s body absorbs fewer calories.
Surgeons rarely perform strictly malabsorptive procedures. Most procedures that use malabsorption also use restriction.
Prescription Weight-Loss Medications
|
Generic Name |
Trade Name(s) |
|
Dexfenfluramine |
Redux (withdrawn) |
|
Diethylpropion |
Tenuate, Tenuate dospan |
|
Fenfluramine |
Pondimin (withdrawn) |
|
Mazindol |
Sanorex, Mazanor |
|
Orlistat |
Xenical |
|
Phendimetrazine |
Bontril, Plegine, Prelu-2, X-Trozine |
|
Phentermine |
Adipex-P, Fastin, Ionamin, Oby-trim |
|
Sibutramine |
Meridia |
Ø Herbal Fen/ Phen is an Impact:
Herbal fen/ phen are considered as a safe and the alternative way of reducing obesity. Some of the main ingredients of herbal fen/ phen are ephedrine and St. John’s wort.
Ephedrine acts like amphetamines in stimulating the central nervous system and the heart. Ephedrine promotes weight loss in part by an increase the body’s temperature, and when this happens, the body burns more calories. Ephedrine use has been associated with high blood pressure, heart rhythm irregularities, strokes, insomnia, seizures tremors, and nervousness. There have been reports of deaths in young individuals taking ephedrine. St. John’s wort has been used in Europe to treat mild depression, but not obesity. The action, effectiveness, and side effects of St. John’s wort either alone or in combination with other agents have not been adequately studied.
Hence, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that “herbal fen/phen” has not been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for obesity and may contain ingredients that have been associated with injuries
Ø Are Medications Effective?
Medications are effective and they are of great use. With a successful medication program one can easily reduce 5 pounds of your weight within a month of his treatment. Loss of 10 to 15 percent of in the total weight is seen approximately in every individual who undergo medication.
But, medication has also its limits. Great loss of weight can only be expected when they are taken as directed by doctors. Mean while physical exercise and balanced diet are also recommended because as the medication is discontinued abnormal gain of weight and fatty tissues are observe.
Medications are only suggested to those people whose BMI is greater then 30 or of those people having BMI more then 27 who have other medical problems like: diabetes, high blood pressure etc.
Generally, there are two methods of using medications on obesity.
· Single Drug Treatment:
These medications are modestly effective, leading to an average weight loss of 5 to 22 pounds above that expected with non-drug obesity treatments. People respond differently to appetite suppressant medications, and some people experience more weight loss than others. Some obese patients using medication lose more than 10 percent of their starting body weight–an amount of weight loss that may reduce risk factors for obesity-related diseases, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Maximum weight loss usually occurs within 6 months of starting medication treatment. Weight then tends to level off or increase during the remainder of treatment. Studies suggest that if a patient does not lose at least 4 pounds over 4 weeks on a particular medication, then that medication is unlikely to help the patient achieve significant weight loss. Few studies have looked at how safe or effective these medications are when taken for more than 1 year.
· Combined Drug Treatment:
Combined drug treatment using fenfluramine and phentermine (“fen/phen”) is no longer available due to the withdrawal of fenfluramine from the market. Little information is available about the safety or effectiveness of other drug combinations for weight loss, including fluoxetine/phentermine, phendimetrazine/phentermine, herbal combinations, or others. Until more information on their safety or effectiveness is available, using combinations of medications for weight loss is not recommended except as part of a research study.
Medications are also not free from side effects and injuries. While most side effects of prescription medications for obesity are mild, serious complications have been reported. Valvular heart disease has recently been reported to occur in association with the use of certain appetite suppressant medications. As a result of these reports, the manufacturer has voluntarily withdrawn two medications, fenfluramine (Pondimin) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) from the market.
Ø 8 Easy Steps Only For Committed People:
If you are obese then don’t be bleak or hopeless because we are here to help you fight with your extra fats. Just promise us to be determined and we promise you to give you a model slim body.
Do you know loosing just 10% of your entire weight makes you healthy and disease free? Well, it’s not that hard and should not be when it comes to your life.
· Make yourself mentally strong and determined because 90% of your job are done psychologically.
· Aim to loose 2 pounds a week. Put some physical exercise in your daily routine but not the hard one because you are not Bruce Lee yet but you will be soon.
· Munch some balanced diet as directed by your doctors because they know the best. Stick with your routine and your directed diets.
· Sleep well because your body needs rest. Don’t sleep at day time and don’t sleep more then 8 hours.
· Serve yourself with fruits, vegetables and grains. Meats, chocolates or other stuffs which contains fats and high calories just quit them. Live a vegetarian life if you can and of course reduce your unnecessary eating habits.
· Take a regular walk and engage yourself in different activities like: swimming, aerobic, yoga, jogging etc.
· Increase your exercise a bit and give more time to your body. Keep in mind that you must be physically and psychologically strong so make your self strong and don’t feel hectic.
References and sources:
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/933126683.html
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/artic/prescription_medications_for_the_treatment_of_obesity_niddk.htm
http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/causes-of-obesity-faq.htm
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/artic/do_you_know_the_health_risks_of_being_overweight_niddk.htm
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/obesity/whatis.html
http://www.phmc.org/chdb/obesitygraphs.htm
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