A healthy lifestyle is a concept many doctors and health professionals are constantly stressing to their patients and overall communities. In a time where most of us lead chaotic and busy lives, it is easy to make the wrong choices on a daily basis. Moreover, junk food is often readily available and its low cost, when compared to high-quality food, makes it easily accessible to the majority of people.
This, along with leading a sedentary lifestyle, sitting at a desk all day at work, or playing video games instead of exercising outside can result in weight problems that can be seriously detrimental to the individual's health. In this article, we will discuss a few things you need to know about obesity.
Causes of Obesity
1. Physical inactivity
Weight gain is caused by ingesting more calories than one burn through physical exercise. If someone is eating frequently, a lack of exercise will most likely result in significant weight gain.
2. Overeating
Everyone is different, and some have metabolisms that allow them to eat as frequently as they want without gaining a concerning amount of weight. However, no one should eat more than what they need, and a healthy diet should be preferred over fast food.
3. Genetics
This plays a role in obesity – research shows that a child is likely to become obese when both parents are obese as genetics influence fat regulating hormones. This, however, could also be due to learned behavior as if both parents have unhealthy habits, they are likely to pass these on to their offspring.
4. Medications
Studies have shown that certain medications, such as antidepressants even oral contraceptives contribute to significant weight gain. This is something a doctor can explore with your doctor if you are concerned about medications you are currently taking.
5. Psychological factors
Certain processed foods are created in a way to make us feel better emotionally, such as chocolate. Emotional issues such as sadness or stress may cause an individual to develop serious unhealthy eating habits associated with obesity.
Effects of Obesity
1. Obesity Causes Serious Health Issues
Obesity is associated with serious underlying health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and even certain types of cancer. Obesity must be taken seriously, as it can eventually lead to the obese individual's death.
2. Obesity Negatively Impacts your Overall Life
When an individual experiences obesity, it has significant effects on the life you live and it will restrict you from fully enjoying yourself. You may not be able to physically move without additional support. And this may affect you in such a way that the relationships you have with loved ones are affected too. This is particularly important if you have young children who need you, as you may not be able to properly look after them.
How to treat Obesity
1. Know Your Body Mass Index
Your BMI is a number indicative of the correlation between your weight and your height, and it is a commonly used tool to diagnose obesity. This is important to know, particularly if you are unsure whether you are suffering from being overweight or obese, which are two different conditions. If your BMI is 30 or higher, you are considered obese.
2. Educate Yourself on the Condition
There are many factors associated with obesity and this is a challenging health condition to overcome. Not everyone is equal and what works for other people may not necessarily work for you. For this reason, educate yourself on this issue and, with the guidance from a health professional, explore what factors may be contributing to your obesity and the best available treatment for you.
3. Bariatric surgery
A more drastic but effective method to treat obesity is to undergo Bariatric surgery. This entails different types of operations that support you to lose weight by modifying your digestive system. Bariatric surgery may be a choice if you are suffering from extreme obesity and have tried different methods that have been unsuccessful.
Bariatric surgery also may be available to you at lower levels of obesity if you suffer from serious health problems, such as type 2 diabetes or sleep apnea, associated with obesity. If you are considering this, be aware that there may be side effects, as with any surgeries, therefore consult trusted experts beforehand so that you can make an informed decision. Bariatric surgery can help not only with weight loss but also with many of the medical conditions associated with obesity.
4. Weight-Management Programs
Overcoming obesity is a long-term process and something that will require discipline. By entering a weight-management program, you can work with trained specialists, who will offer you tailored advice and a plan for you to follow rigorously. These plans majorly focus on healthy and balanced diets, increasing your physical activity, and lead an overall healthy lifestyle. Your qualified specialist will maintain regular contact with you to ensure that you stick to the plan to treat obesity and improve the condition of your health.
Obesity is not always down to a lack of willpower. Although overeating indeed contributes to obesity, many other factors cause this condition that is out of the individual's control. Even though this is a challenging condition to overcome, with the right support and determination in place, this can be achieved.
WRITTEN BY
Daria Brown