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Written by Tania
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Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in the Western world
and is as prevalent in Britain as anywhere else. Doctors consider you
to be obese if you are 30 per cent heavier than the normal acceptable
weight for your height, sex and age. Health experts have drawn up
standard tables that illustrate the acceptable range.
There is no magic cure for obesity, but you can achieve a lower,
healthier weight by reducing your intake of calories - particularly
those that are derived from fat - and increasing your level of physical
activity.
Obesity can have devastating consequences for health and
happiness. On an emotional level it can lead to a lack of
self-esteem and depression because you cannot enjoy a normal, active
life. Physical symptoms may include shortness of breath, aching legs
and swollen ankles. The excess weight may damage joints, causing
osteoarthritis, particularly of the knees and hips.
Seriously overweight people have an above-average chance of developing
high blood pressure, diabetes, gall bladder problems and gout. They are
likely to suffer more severe symptoms of disorders such as angina and
arthritis, which will persist and worsen with age unless steps are
taken to lose weight. Obesity has also been linked to atherosclerosis,
heart disorders and certain types of cancer.
What makes people obese?
Obesity is normally caused by a combination of overeating and a lack of
exercise. If you eat more calories than you burn off during normal
daily activity, the surplus calories are stored as fat. This does not
necessarily mean that you eat a great deal more in volume than most
other people.
However, if your diet contains high calorie foods such as biscuits,
cakes, crisps and pies, which may be packed with fat and sugar, even
small portions can provide your body with more energy than it needs.
This is likely to result in weight gain - unless you step up your level
of physical activity to offset your calorie intake.
Why Fat is the issue
Medical research has established that the fat to carbohydrate ratio of
a diet is highly significant in controlling weight. People who consume
the same number of calories are more likely to become obese if their
diet is high in fat rather than carbohydrates, which is why weight is
lost more readily on a low fat rather than low carbohydrate diet. It is
recommended that around 50 per cent of our energy should come from
carbohydrate foods and a maximum of only 35 per cent from fats.
Many obese people blame their weight on a slow metabolism, a hormone
imbalance or on an inherited tendency to put weight on easily. But
these are rarely the real reasons. Sometimes obesity seems to run in
families simply because each generation is passing on bad, unhealthy
eating habits. Often, people put on weight as they grow older because
they continue with the eating habits of earlier, more active years when
their energy output was higher. Others respond to emotional problems by
excessive eating.
Women are more prone to obesity than men because their bodies are more
efficient at storing fat. Ideally, women should have 25 per cent of
body weight as fat, and men should have 15 per cent.
The only sensible way to lose weight is by combining a low fat diet
with some form of regular physical activity.
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