Managing Excessive Body Weight

Recent research shows that the percentage of people suffering from excess body weight, sometimes referred to as Obesity, has skyrocketed. About 35% of people in USA and 25% of people in UK account for the rising figures. The trend is steadily mushrooming into other continents. So to what pleasure do we owe this increase in body weight? Are we amused by the risk of contracting diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and a range of other illnesses or are we just lazy to the extent of not being watchful enough on our weight?

Excess weight is measured by a standard method called Body Mass Index (BMI). A measurement which compares weight against height. A person with a BMI between 25kg/m2 and 30kg/m2 is considered overweight (pre-obese) and when it is greater than 30kg/m2, the person is declared obese. Apart from the aforementioned diseases, obesity reduces life expectancy. If our future generations are to survive this pandemic, then quick measures should be taken not only to avert but also help those who are already victims.

The most common causes of excess weight and obesity are; excessive calories in a diet, genetic susceptibility and lack of physical activity. A 2006 review suggests that insufficient sleep, environmental pollutants that interfere with lipid metabolism, endocrine disorders, some medications(e.g. atypical antipsychotics), genes and psychiatric illness also cause excess weight.

By looking at our newspapers, magazines and the Internet, one might think that we have an ultimate solution to excess weight. However, the prevalence is still being felt more so in children and adults. The World Health Organization termed it as one of the most serious illnesses of the 21st century. Outlined below are some of the preventive and curative ways of managing this epidemic.

Proper diet is the number one method of managing excess weight. Diet programs can produce weight loss on a short term basis but keeping this weight off is challenging and often requires making exercise and a lower calorie diet a permanent part of a person's lifestyle. Losing weight here is done by eating food with low fats, low carbohydrates and low calories.

We can manage excess weight through physical exercise. This is best done alongside dieting programs. Muscles consume energy derived from fats and glycogen so when exercising (e.g. running), body fat is reduced.

The use of anti-obesity drugs has also proved helpful because most of them reduce a person’s appetite and fat absorption. Caution should be taken however because some of the doctor-prescribed drugs have adverse side effects. The most prescribed drugs for obesity are Orlistat (Xenical) and Sibutramine (Meridia).

There is also an increased use of weight loss programs where a person connects with other people who are attempting to lose weight. In these programs, they eat specific types of food, do certain exercises and motivate one another towards achieving weight loss. An example here is the Weight Watchers.

Another form of management is use of clinical protocols. This involves publishing of clinical practical guidelines to address the rising cases of obesity. Since 2004, many countries like Canada are adopting this method.

In severe cases of obesity, surgery is recommended. This is however not the safest and most convenient way of weight management because it is very expensive and prone to some medical complications. The most common form of surgery used for weight loss is the bariatric surgery also known as the weight loss surgery.

Health experts are working around the clock each day to come up with better and efficient methods of managing excess weight. With enough support and patience, being overweight could soon be a thing of the past.

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