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Author:
Bridget Mwape

What is Obesity?

Obesity means an excessively high proportion of body fat. Overweight refers to an excess of body weight, but not necessarily body fat. Health professionals use a measurement called body mass index (BMI) to classify an adult's weight as healthy, overweight, or obese. BMI describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults. Generally, the higher your BMI, the higher your health risk, and the risk increases even further if your waist size is greater than 40 inches for men or 35 inches for women.

People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, and joint pain caused by excess uric acid (gout). Excess weight can also cause interrupted breathing during sleep and wearing away of the joints (osteoarthritis). Carrying extra weight means carrying an extra risk for certain types of cancer, including endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

Losing Weight

Most overweight people should lose weight gradually. Sometimes, people with serious health problems associated with obesity may have legitimate reasons for losing weight rapidly. If so, a physician's supervision is required. Experts recommend that people who are overweight or obese should concentrate on engaging in regular physical activity and maintaining healthy eating habits.

See your doctor for advice about your overall health risk and the weight loss options that are best for you. Together, decide whether you should go on a moderate diet or whether other options might be appropriate. Check with your doctor and make sure that your health status allows lowering your caloric intake and increasing your physical activity.

Successful weight loss and healthy weight management depend on sensible goals and expectations. Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity. Follow a calorie-reduced balanced diet that provides for 1-2 pounds of weight loss a week. Be sure to include at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean meat and low fat dairy products. Make time in your day for some form of physical activity. Walking is an excellent form of physical activity that almost everyone can do. In addition to helping to control weight, physical activity decreases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and reduces the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers.

About the author:

Copyright © 2005. Bridget Mwape writes for the Nutritional Supplements Website at: http://www.nutritional-supplements.org.uk and she's also a regular contributor to the Outdoor Gear Website at http://www.outdoor-gear.org.uk/

| Article Keywords: Healthy Diets

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Healthy Diets... The potential of cholesterol lowering diets Efforts to decrease the levels of cholesterol through cholesterol lowering diets have had only modest effects so far. In an attempt to increase the efficacy of cholesterol lowering diets in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, the Adult Treatment Panel of the National Cholesterol Education Program has recommended adding plant sterols and viscous fibers to the diet. Soy proteins and nuts may have additional health benefits. Potential of already existing cholesterol lowering diets was measured by professionals at the institute. Trying to improve the efficiency of cholesterol lowering diets, an experiment was also conducted. Forty-six healthy adults with hyperlipidemia completed the four-week study. All participants followed their own diet that was low in saturated fat for one month before the start of the study. They were then randomized into one of the following groups: a cholesterol lowering diet containing mostly low-saturated-fat diet without a statin; the same cholesterol lowering diet with a statin; or a similar cholesterol lowering diet with added viscous fibers, plant sterols, soy foods, and almonds. Weight, blood pressure, and menu checklists were reviewed at regular intervals. All cholesterol lowering diets were vegetarian, and the intervention diet containing soy foods, viscous fiber, plant sterols, and almonds also included eggs and butter to balance the saturated fat and dietary cholesterol content of the control (non-statin) diet. Compliance with the prescribed cholesterol lowering diets was at least 93 percent in all three groups, and all participants reported adequate satiety. After four weeks, the control group lowered their LDL-C by 8 percent, increased the LDL-C to HDL-C ratio by 3 percent, and ...