Obesity Chronic but Self Controllable and Treatable
Vijayan Sankar (Author) Published Date : Jul 02, 2019 12:00 ISTHealth News
More than 1000 million people across the world are obese and not fit. As per Darwin's rule of survival of the fittest, it is now pertinent to stay fit without obesity.
But even as per WHO standards, obesity is like an epidemic being the centre of most of the life-threatening diseases. It causes not only diabetes, renal and cardio problems but the reason for millions of deaths. Hence it is time to know about obesity and the sooner, the better.
Obesity chronic but self controllable and treatable: Even though obesity is chronic and can last for a lifetime even if it is short, the good thing is it is self-manageable and treatable. The only necessity is self-discipline to save lives and their responsibilities to their families.
As per an old saying, "no one can stop with one peanut," it is uncontrollable for many to stop eating. It is a proven record of increasing in multiples of obese eating in all parts of the world. Hence self-discipline and controlled eating is the basic necessity of staying fit without obesity.
Who is obese? Any person with a BMI or body mass index of more than 25 is obese. It is a simple calculation with weight and height. It is calculated by the formula BMI = m\h square. As per the estimate, if the BMI is above 25, it is time to control obesity.
Another apparent sign of obesity is the increase in hip size. It is the most dangerous sign that everyone should be aware of our physical changes. If a person is continuously increasing the hip size, it is an indication that he or she is soon to visit ICU. In this modern world, there is more possibility of being obese rather than staying fit.
Why has obesity become the core reason for all diseases in the last few decades? Technology made the world a better place, but for its population, it has become more of a curse. Since human effort in doing things for themselves and others is reduced to the minimum in the last few decades, obesity is on the rise. Since there is less personal work now, the burning of calories has come to rock bottom.
The unburned calories add to the hip and increase obesity. Obesity does not only make living difficult but also could be life-threatening and not able to do the responsibilities. It has made many families suffer both financially and socially. It now becomes a curse for many families around the world. People who run after money for need or pride forget it is the health which needs more care. Once they spoil their health, whatever they have earned is a waste and of no use. Maybe it could help in paying the hospital bills.
What is the best way to avoid obesity? As per an adage, it is better for prevention than cure. But more than 100 million children are affected by obesity worldwide. Hence to know the time of prevention and treatment are difficult nowadays. So it is time to know some fundamental facts about obesity to avoid and treat it.
Ten fundamental facts of obesity:
- Obesity is a complex disorder of excess body fat.
- It is not only a cosmetic concern anymore but a life-threatening issue nowadays.
- Though the genetic cause is common for obesity, excess intake of calories and fewer ways of burning it is the root cause of obesity now.
- Several researchers have found socio-economic issues are related to obesity.
- Millions of families are losing their livelihood because of lives lost due to obesity.
- Diet and lifestyle changes are the best remedies for preventing obesity.
- Avoiding unhealthy food and increasing intake of healthy eating is the highly recommended way to prevent obesity.
- Exercise and manual work will help not only burning calories and avoid obesity but could bring in an active and fit life.
- For obese children, it is an arduous task for both the child and their parents to control it. Hence double the care should be taken to have an active life for both of them.
- Obesity though chronic can be under control with self-discipline and awareness of its ill effects on the future.
What are the ways to reduce obesity and staying fit? It is a million-dollar question around the world now. Since reducing obesity and staying fit is a continuous process for all of life, it is persisting for most of the people. Millions try to be healthy and away from obesity for a certain period and lose concentration and interest after a while.
Maybe due to various reasons, but once stopped, obesity comes back in no time. It is the time of more issues with more obesity. And it is back to square one or even worse. Hence obesity is becoming a recurring problem for many around the world. The following are the five ways to reduce obesity and stay fit:
Five ways to reduce obesity and to stay fit:
1. Decrease calorie intake by one third: Decrease the food intake or calories by one third within three months with the advice of doctors. It has to be done slowly step by step, and within 3 to 6 months, the calorie intake should be reduced to one-third of what is taken now. It is possible with a proper diet plan which is healthy and also reduces calories.
- An appropriate diet plan for the whole day.
- Morning start with a cup of hot water (Wash out the toxins).
- Then after the morning duties a cup of green tea (an excellent antioxidant).
- After exercising, it is better to take some fruits and nuts (Rich in protein, vitamins & minerals).
- Morning breakfast could be oats meal or ragi items and other nutritious items (Rich in fibre to last long to digest).
- Afternoon lunch must comprise one-third of rice, one-third of greens and one-third of vegetables ( A mix of carbohydrates to complete days work and also iron, minerals, and protein)
- In the evening along with tea, it is better to have cereals like sundal and others (rich in protein)
- Eating dinner 2 hours before sleep is the best way, and it should be as light as possible like boiled vegetables like cabbage, carrots, radish, beans, peas, onions, tomatoes, and whatever fresh and organic vegetable as per the liking (Easily digested and gives enough energy for next day)
- Before sleep drinking, cow milk boiled with garlic will help for a night of sound sleep and increase of metabolism
2. Increase burning calories tenfold: Increase the exercise by three to 10 times of what is done now. Most people do only the basic necessity of walking across homes and offices. For those people, it is necessary to increase the physical activity to ten times within a period of 3 to 6 months. The exercises should be gradually increased and not force within a short period.
The best exercise plan is as follows:
- Second-week brisk walking.
- The third week you are walking till the body sweats for half an hour.
- The fourth week slow jogging and walking.
- The fifth week slow jogging
- The sixth week after jogging some simple aerobic exercises
- The seventh week 20 minutes of jogging and 20 minutes of aerobics
- Then the seventh-week schedule should be continued lifelong at least 4 to 5 days a week.
3. Eat less of carbohydrates: Excess carbohydrates are the real culprits for obesity. Carbohydrates are an essential ingredient for physical activity. But for people without much physical activity and excess carbohydrates is like poison nowadays. Since they produce more calories without much effort to burn them, they add to the excess fat. To eat less of carbohydrates, the following foods should be avoided in a phased manner.
- All oil items like Chips, Fries, Bajjis, Vadas, and any oil fried food.
- Less carbohydrate foods like potatoes, rice, wheat, maida, and others.
- Better to avoid any outside food as much as possible and mainly non-vegetarian food.
4. Eat protein, fibre, vitamin, and mineral-rich food: In place of carbohydrates, it is better to eat more protein, fibre, vitamin, and mineral-rich food. Stock the refrigerators with such kind of natural and organic food to feed them more than the high-calorie foods. The above diet plan will help in selecting this food.
5. Awareness is better than suffering: In this modern world, when a person is above 30 years of age, it is time to be aware of the food and lifestyle. If not, it will be only a few years or months to suffer in hospital beds. Nowadays, it has become more common for people, even in their thirties to be affected by heart ailments and other diseases. Hence it is time to be aware of what we eat and what we do to fulfil our responsibilities in this world. The following are the awareness ways to avoid the suffering of illness:
- Check weight in a particular weight machine at least once a week
- Check body mass index once a month
- Check blood sugar levels and pressure once in three months
- Have a master checkup once in a year
- Consulting doctor whenever there is uneasiness in breathing or doing the routine
- Self-discipline is the need of the hour to not being obese and staying fit for a happy and prosperous life