Obesity and Weight Management

1. Introduction of Obesity and Weight Management

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may start impacting your health.

The right weight for an individual is determined by the parameter called Body Mass Index (popularly known as BMI). The body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. BMI is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m²).

For adults,  Body Mass Index matrix depicts as follows:

• Underweight is BMI less than or equal to 18.5
• Normal weight is BMI greater than 18.5 and less than 24.9
• Overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25
• Obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30 and less than 34.5; and
• Morbid obesity is greater than or equal to 35

2. What causes obesity and overweight?

The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. In simple terms, you are eating more than what your body needs. Body has a natural tendency to reserve the extra intake of calories in the form of fat.

The Main reasons of Energy imbalance, globally, are:

• an increased intake of energy-dense food that are high in fat; and
• a decrease in physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

3. What are common health consequences of overweight and obesity?

Raised BMI ( Overweight and Obesity) is a major risk factor for diseases such as:

• Cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012;
• Diabetes;
• Musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints);
• Some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).

The risk for these noncommunicable diseases increases, with increase in BMI.

4. Different ways of weight management

4.a. Regular Exercise

If you burn the excess calories that you are consuming through regular exercises your excess weight will come down.

Cardio vascular exercises are instrumental in weight reduction where as weight training and stretching exercises helps in body toning and strengthening the muscles.

Exercises also increase the metabolism of the body.

4.a.1 Points to take care.

1. The exercise should be sufficient enough to counter the calorie intakes to see the results.
2. Excessive exercise will put the stress on joints and muscles. The exercise regimen should be followed by muscle relaxing exercises.
3. Postures of the exercises and patterns need to be followed accurately for the right results and to avoid injuries.
4. The exercise regime should be the right mix of cardio vascular, weight training, muscle strengthening and muscle Stretching exercises.
5. Try to get tailor made exercise regimen for your body with trained doctors/ physiotherapists. Everybody is different and has weak and strong points. The tailor made regimen will help you to avoid any stress on joints and muscles  and also to avoid any injuries.
6. Start slowly and then gain momentum. Don’t expect miracles in days or weeks.
7. Patients of hypertension, Heart diseases, Joints problems, Ligament tears, should adopt this route with proper guidance of doctor

4.a.2 Drawbacks

1. There is absolutely no drawback of the exercise if you are doing it correctly with right guidance and monitoring. However, with respect to weight management – its very important to have discipline and regularity in the exercises.
2. If you are irregular – the results will not come or will not come as per your expectations.
3. As soon as you drop your exercise regimen, you will have weight gain once again.
4. The results or the pace of results will depend upon the quantum of your exercise regimen and your food intakes.

4.b. Balanced Diet

Improper diet is actually the reason for the weight gain and for the fat deposits on specific parts of body. Body has natural tendency to reserve the excess nutrition for unforeseen circumstances in terms of fats. Body uses fat as energy source as last resort.

With proper diet management , you could reverse the weight gain process. The calorie intake has to be less than the need of the body.

A balanced diet should not at all starve you rather a balance diet involves eating right things at right time. With the principle of reducing your calorie intake and creating a deficit that is what you eat vs what body needs, you will start burning the accumulated fat ( reserves that body created for deficits).

Low Carbohydrate, Low Fat, Low Sugar, High Protein and High Fibre diet will help you to reach your weight loss goals.  This combination will keep you full and at the same time will be able to create calorie deficit.

Again, Diet has to be tailor made and should depend upon factors such as your body type, your body needs, your activity level, prevailing illness etc. If the diet is not sufficient you will start feeling weakness and fatigue and if the diet is more than your body requirement,  weight will not reduce.

4.b.1 Points to take care

1. Follow the tailor made diet plan which is prepared by a certified doctor or a dietician, depending upon your body type and activity level.
2. Body has tendency to reduce the metabolism and reduce the natural needs of the body as soon as the energy/calorie input is reduced.
3. Don’t starve. Rather you should have frequent meals in small quantities. Starving would one – reduce your metabolism and two – you will end up in overeating whenever you will eat.
4. If you are having prevailing illnesses such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac problems , any specific food allergies please do share with the doctor /dietician who is preparing your diet plans to avoid any adverse effect of diet on your body.
5. Don’t expect miraculous results in days and weeks.
6. Avoid packed food and junk food.
7. Avoid Sweet and high fat food ( Oily snacks). Both are having capability to disturb your calorie intake even on small quantities.
8. Crash diets reduces the weight suddenly with often decrease in energy levels and increasing the weakness and fatigue levels. Moreover whenever you will leave the diet , your weight will bounce back and you will end up in gaining few Kilograms/pounds from where you started.

4.b.2 Drawbacks

1. The discipline is very important in balanced diet. Frequent cheats would make the process either ineffective or very slow.
2. As soon as you leave the diet the weight will bounce back.
3. If the diet is not proper your energy levels will decrease, weakness and fatigue levels will increase.
4. If you are a foodie, then it is difficult path to travel.

4.c. Supplements.

Detox Supplements – Detox supplements reduce the toxin levels of the body and help the critical body parts to work on their full efficiency.

These Detox supplements reduces the weight by toxin loss and by increasing the metabolism. However Supplements acts more as a catalyst in your weight loss process rather than reducing the weight themselves. Supplements alone would be able to reduce weight upto some extent but often may not be sufficient to meet your targets.

Fat Burner Supplements – Supplements like Garcinia Combogia, Cinamon etc reduce the inherent resistance of the fat to burn and also reduce the weight upto some extent but are hardly able to take you up to the target. If your calories intake is still excessive and more than what your body needs then weight loss will eventually not happen. Supplements are best effective if they are used as catalyst in weight loss process.

If your body is having tendency of water retention then the supplements can help you to reduce that. However this alone may not be sufficient.

4.c.1 Points to be taken care

1. Take the natural supplements and that too with the guidance of naturopaths/ Ayurvedic Doctors.
2. Your supplement needs might be different from the others.
3. Supplements alone will show some immediate effect but will create platue and your weight will become stagnant.
4. If you are taking metabolism increase supplements, the increase in metabolism will remain till the point you are taking the supplements.
5. Avoid over abuse of the supplements.
6. Don’t look supplement as shortcut but see them as catalyst.

4.c.2 Drawbacks

1. Over abuse of Supplement may be harmful for your body in long term.
2. Weight loss based on just supplements is not sustainable. As soon as you come out from the supplements weight will bounce back.

5. Recommendation for Holistic, reasonably quick and sustainable weight loss results

1. Detoxify your body with supplements and make your body adaptive to weight loss regime. Metabolism boosters initially will help you to increase in body needs.
2. Complement the weight loss by moderate exercises. This will further increase the metabolism and reduce the fats.
3. Complement both of the above with right diet so that your energy levels are maintained and your intake is also controlled.
4. Once you start approaching to the target, start coming out from supplements slowly.
5. Once you reach the target, you will start understanding the factors that results in weight gain and how to nullify them with different means. Keep monitoring the weight and take swift actions whenever required take appropriate actions which might be the subset of above three steps.

6. Conclusion

In a nutshell, you should adopt a three dimensional way – combination of moderate exercise, moderate and balanced diet and a moderate quantity of good quality supplements – to get desired results in time bound manner and to sustain the results as well.

We at MedicoExperts Naturals, have helped hundreds of satisfied clients in India and other countries to achieve their weight loss targets.

MedicoExperts Naturals emerged as the renowned name for their ayurvedic based Weight Loss program. We have many clients who have benefited from our holistic and sustainable approach to weight loss.

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