Monthly Archives: July 2013

Some of the Health Risks Associated with Obesity

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Doctors have recently announced that obesity in the UK is reaching epidemic proportions and are extremely concerned it is doing so. In fact the number of people in the UK that are considered obese has trebled over the past 25 years.

What classifies a person as obese?

There are a number of classification parameters for anybody to be informed they are obese. Being obese basically means that a large portion of your body mass is fat and that you are considered overweight for your height and body type. A person is considered obese if they are very overweight with a high degree of body fat. Two common routes to the assessment of obesity are skinfold thickness and the use of body mass index (BMI).

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    The main causes of obesity.

    There has been large consensus on the factors that are driving the increasing percentage of obese people throughout the UK.

    1. Aggressively marketed, cheap, fast food that is often high in energy is readily accessible.
    2. Sedentary lifestyle approaches as people are much less active than they were in the past. Hobbies and leisure pursuits as well as jobs are now usually done sat down.
    3. Higher dependence on cars and public transport to move from A to B rather than walking.

    Worse for the country than smoking?

    There has been a lot of disagreement about the overall impact of obesity on the country with many experts believing obesity is more responsible for general ill health that the effects of smoking. Even if this is not the case being overweight is certainly linked to a plethora of health issues such as:

    • Diabetes
    • Heart disease
    • High blood pressure
    • Arthritis
    • Indigestion
    • Gallstones
    • Some cancers (eg, breast and prostate cancers)
    • Snoring and sleep apnoea
    • Stress, anxiety, and depression
    • Infertility
    • BMI – A common formula

    The Body Mass Index which is commonly known as BMI is used by most weight loss specialists to check for obesity levels. BMI is basically calculated by dividing your weight in kilos by your height in metres squared. Whilst this method is not foolproof and doesn’t apply correctly to bodybuilders who have large muscle mass instead of fat a BMI of above 25 classifies you as overweight with a BMI of 30-40 putting you in the obese category.

    From Wikipedia

    “The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a measure for human body shape based on an individual’s weight and height. It was devised between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing “social physics”.” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

    BMI Formula.

    [responsive]Adult BMI Formula[/responsive]

    There has been a proposal for updating the way BMI is calculated which takes into account more height extremes.

    Alternative obesity measurement.

    There is also another commonly used measurement of obesity which is to take a waist measurement of the patient. This is because fat deposits collecting around the wait area are much more linked to evenly distributed fat around the rest of the body.

    This helps take into account people who are just bigger all round and not necessarily obese. Women who have a waist measurement of 80cm or more along with men who have a waist of 94cm or more are considered more likely to develop the health problems related to obesity.

    Stats on the obesity impact in the UK.

    • 2011 data from England shows 24.8% of adults plus 16.3% of children are obese
    • 2010 data from Scotland shows 27.4% of adults plus 14% of children are obese
    • Recent Government report claimed obesity will cost the NHS £6.4bn per year by 2015

    (adult = ages 16+) (children = ages 2 -15)

    Five Simple, Useful Health & Weight Loss Tips

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    During the course of the year most our good intentioned weight loss resolutions will have drifted away into the darkness of past hope never to be seen or heard from ever again. At least that’s true for a lot of people, people who buy the very nature of being a person start something and never finish it off. It’s not a crime and it happens all the time, other things take our time or we are not motivated enough to get it done.

    So, that’s the negativity out of the way, I’m just trying to help I promise. The truth is, statistically the scales are not in your favour (pardon the pun). Many diets are simply put together to be temporary when what you really need is a long term weight loss plan that you can stick to for years to come.

    [responsive]yo-yo-dieting[/responsive]

    These weight loss tips and diets only work when you are ‘on a diet’ which of course implies that one day you will be off it. That’s when old habits kick in and we go back to eating much of the same food we ate before the ‘diet’….and so the cycle continues!

    Dictionary reference for diet.

    di·et 1 [dahy-it], verb, di·et·ed, di·et·ing, adjective noun

    • food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet.
    • a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person’s physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar.
    • such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I’m on a diet.
    • the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit.
    • food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.
    • anything that is habitually provided or partaken of: Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas. – http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diet?s=t

    Start Your Weight Loss Journey Today!

    Get in touch today for a free consultation with a weight loss specialist.

    Quick contact form

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      Full name: (required)

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      As you can see, ‘diet’ actually means something that is consistent or habitual not something you do for a short time and then change. So clearly whatever you eat habitually will in part determine what your weight and health will be. With that in mind it’s even clearer that you should just ditch the short term ‘diet’ cycle if you are looking to stay consistently healthy and of a regular weight and put more emphasis on being healthy.

      Here are our five health and weight loss tips:

      1. Eat real food – You need to eat proper, whole foods that aren’t processed or prepared for you. All the simple stuff such as fruit & vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds & whole grains.
      2. Eat less animals – It’s a good idea to cut right back on cheap animal products. Less really is more and you should focus more on high quality or organic meats. Cutting back on meat will improve your health and the environment.
      3. Drink more water – People just don’t drink enough water with 2 litres a day being recommended. Get yourself a refillable water bottle and drink from it all day.
      4. Exercise regularly – Get that body moving! No excuses…up the stairs, in the park, round the track, in the gym. You need to move about!
      5. Get regular sleep – Regular, natural sleep will help your body keep healthy. There has been research that shows loss of sleep can result in weight gain too.

      Health foods, healthy mind, healthy body, healthy you!

      Breaking yourself away from the fat, sugary diet sold to us every day as the height of luxury is not easy. However, as you continually eat healthy, natural foods your body will start to crave them the same way it craves a burger or ice-cream.

      Don’t try and change the whole situation in one go, that’s where most people really falter. You set the bar too high for yourself where it’s all too easy to fail so take it one step at a time, a little here and there. Gradual changes towards your new weight and lifestyle goals will make it easier and before you know it you’ll be running to work with your organic chicken salad in your backpack after a perfect night’s sleep.