Donald Saunders asked:


For many people putting on weight seems to be just a normal part of life and is not something they worry about until either other people start to pass comment or it begins to affect their ability to go about their normal day to day life. By the time this happens however a surprisingly high percentage of people have passed through the stages of being overweight and obese and have reached the point of morbid obesity.

Morbid obesity is generally measured in terms of your Body Mass Index (BMI) which is calculated by taking your weight in kilograms and dividing it by the square of your height in meters. If the result of this calculation is greater than 40 then you are said to be suffering from morbid obesity. As a very general guide a man would be classed as morbidly obese if he were about 100 lbs overweight and a woman would reach this point when carrying approximately 80 lbs of excess weight.

So, having reached the point of morbid obesity where do you turn for help?

For a growing number of people the obvious solution would seem to be weight loss surgery however, as far as your doctor is concerned, this is not your first port of call but is very much the option of last resort. So where else can you look for a solution?

Your starting point has to be the traditional route of diet and exercise. Indeed, to qualify as a candidate for weight loss surgery, should this turn out to be your only workable option, you will need to satisfy your surgeon that you have tried everything else, including dieting, without success.

Despite the craze for diet and exercise that has been sweeping much of the Western world in recent years the sad fact is that the vast majority of people simple don’t lose weight through dieting. They may well lose weight while they are on a diet but as soon as they come off it their weight bounces back up again and, in most cases, ends up above the weight at which they started the diet.

For people who are greatly overweight, and certainly for those who have reached the point of morbid obesity, there is also the added complication that their high weight is being sustained by a lifestyle and a pattern of eating which may be extremely difficult to break.

At this point you need professional help. A do-it-yourself diet or membership of your local slimming club or an organization like Weight Watchers is simply not going to work so don’t waste your time even trying it. Sit down and talk to your doctor and get yourself onto a long-term (at least six months) medically supervised weight loss program under the care of your own or a specialist doctor and with the support of trained dietitians and counselors.

A medically supervised diet conducted over a reasonably long period of time with professional help and assistance to not only lose weight but to make the necessary changes to your lifestyle and eating habits stands a reasonable chance of success and, if it doesn’t work, then you are at least part of the way down the road to qualifying for weight loss surgery.

Morbid obesity is, as its name suggests, a life-threatening condition and, having reached this point, you need to take positive action to reverse you weight gain before you start to run into one or more of the many complications that being morbidly obese will inevitably bring in its wake. This is not however a condition for which a simple “self-help” remedy will do the trick and you should not hesitate to seek professional medical advice and assistance right from the start.



Tiffany

Rene Graeber asked:


Obesity affects almost 60 million of the population of the United States. The incidence is greater in women than in men. Because of the increasing number of pre-packaged food and people engaging in less activities, there have been an increasing number of obese people in America.

Dealing with obesity is not as easy as counting one to three. A lot of factors such as ethnicity, genetics, lifestyle, and personal habits should be considered in the management of obesity. Obesity, if not properly managed, can lead to a lot of health problems that may later evolve into life threatening diseases.

The management of obesity mostly focuses on lifestyle changes. Reaching your healthy weight involves proper management of your diet and exercise. The obese person may seek the help of a dietitian and/or a personal trainer.

Diet Management

There are a lot of diets that have gained popularity. However, it is best that you consult your dietitian on what is best for you. Furthermore, your dietitian would consider your food preferences.

If you are a little low in the budget, take into consideration the current dietary recommendations that were based on the food pyramid. This is researchable in the internet. You can use this as a guide on how much you are supposed to eat.

It is important to follow your meal plan religiously when you have one. Remember that the meal plan was made to help you and not torture you.

Exercise Management

Exercise has a lot of benefits. It burns those extra calories and prevents different health problems from occurring. Thus, exercise is vital if you wish to lose weight.

People are often too lazy to engage in exercise. However, there are numerous alternatives to the usual exercise routine. These include kickboxing, belly dancing, taebo, and many more. If you want things to be plain, walking or biking is a good exercise. Engaging in a cardiovascular exercise plan that raises the heart rate for at least half hour can be very beneficial if done regularly.

It is important that you stick to your exercise plan so that you would achieve your desired results. However, you must set realistic goals so as not to be disappointed.

Behavioral Changes

Behavioral changes are vital to conquering obesity. Those who engage in crash diets are mostly unsuccessful in weight management because they do not have any behavioral change.

Sedentary lifestyle contributes to weight gain. Perhaps adding physical activity to your schedule would help in weight management. Physical activity could be as simple as dancing around the house or just plain strolling along the mall.

Analyze your eating habits. Try to determine the reasons why you overeat, if you do. This could help you think of ways on how to fight your overeating tendencies.

Managing obesity involves the whole lifestyle change. This would include diet management, exercise management, and behavioral changes. Of course for some, medication and surgery are advised. Medications do not have a central role in the management. They merely reinforce the lifestyle changes that have been done. Surgery, on the other hand, is only advised to those with very severe obesity issues.

The ultimate goal in these management techniques is not the perfect body type. It is to attain the weight where your health is no longer at risk. When successful, the techniques should not be stopped. Sustaining the healthy weight needs the same amount of determination as losing the weight.



Ida