Obesity: As a Consequence of Modern Life
Obesity also referred to as corpulence and fatness, means the excessive accumulation of body fat by taking much more calories than the body can use. When we look up the word “obesity” in the dictionary, we usually come up with this very brief definition. When reading it, most probably, we will not be able to fully understand how life can be struggling for obese people unless one of our family members or we are overweight. The experience for obese people is not easy to explain in a few words from the dictionary. Unfortunately, obesity has become a condition where people blame and shame themselves. However, it is not their fault. As a result of modern life, obesity has become an epidemic, and it does not solely result from eating a lot or not taking exercise.
Nowadays the definition of obesity is generally based on the measures of height and weight. Obesity can be quickly diagnosed by checking the person’s Body Mass Index (BMI). If a person’s BMI is between 25 to 29.9, it is called “overweight.” If it is 30 or higher, then it is called “obese.” Even though BMI is considered a very reasonable indicator of our body fat, only BMI cannot give us a correct assumption. For instance, if the person has so much muscle or s/he is a large-boned person, then BMI will be high. In this case, the weight comes from muscle, bone or even body water. Therefore, we cannot say that BMI is the only way to calculate the body fat. Measuring your waist circumference is also another way to learn if you have a risk of obesity. Women with a waist circumference of more than 80 cm and men with a waist circumference of more than 102 cm have more chances when compared to the people who have smaller waist measurements.
How Do We Become Obese?
- Having Too Many Calories: Every day we wake up very early to arrive at work on time. We take public transportation. We are always in a hurry. Most of the time, we cannot even have time to have breakfast. We get a sandwich from a supermarket or sometimes completely skip the breakfast and drink only a cup of coffee. When we get to home in the evening, again we cannot prepare our foods as our mothers and fathers did in the past. Modern life urged us to eat processed or fast foods, which are high in calories. So much intake of these dangerous foods leads to obesity.
- Sugar - The Sweetest Arsenic: Having sugar is another point. It does not matter whether you put two or three teaspoons sugar to your morning coffee or tea. If you consume so much processed and prepared food, then your body already intake so much sugar. What is more, if you drink sugar-sweetened beverages or if you make your breakfast with a bowl of cereals, then your body will give an alarm. As a result, you will start gaining weight.
- No Physical Activity: Living a sedentary lifestyle is one of the worst effects of our modern life. A person who follows this type of lifestyle has little or no physical activity. Most of the time s/he watches TV lying on the couch or play video games. The more you follow this lifestyle, the more you will gain weight. In the end, you will be lack of energy. And you will not have the energy to have sex with your partner. This will affect your relationship and makes you sad. Or you will have difficulties when playing with your children such as hide-and-seek, kite running; then you will not share the happy moments with them.
- Not Getting Enough Sleep: Stress at work, worrying so much, putting your family or friends first…These are some of the reasons why people cannot sleep well. If we aim to maintain a healthy life, we should not skip the sleeping part. According to the doctors and scientists, we should sleep at least 7 hours a day. Poor sleep may lead to eating disorders, namely obesity.
- Obesity Gene: Researches have shown that genetics play an important role in obesity. FTO is the gene that increases the person’s risk of obesity. FTO has two forms: high obesity risk and low obesity risk. We all have two copies of FTO: one from mother, the other one from father. If we inherit two high-risk FTO genes, then according to scientists, we have the high risk of obesity.
How Can Obesity Be Treated?
- See Your Doctor: First of all, if you have high BMI and waist circumference and if you know that you do not lead a healthy lifestyle, you should consult your doctor to take the necessary precautions. By doing this, you may lower your risk of being obese. Your doctor will evaluate your health thoroughly. As obesity leads to some other health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.
- Healthier Lifestyle – No More Couch Potato: “Get up, Stand up, Don’t Give up the Fight” says Bob Marley. These words should be our motto. We need to move as much as we can do. Instead of the elevator, we need to climb up the stairs. We should stop eating junk food including processed foods and sugar. Have a healthy kitchen! Fresh fruit, vegetable, and fish should be our best friends.
- Bariatric Surgery: Bariatric surgery, also referred to as weight loss surgery, includes a variety of procedures performed on obese people. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through the removal of a portion of the stomach (sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) or by re-routing the small intestine to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery).
After the bariatric surgery, the patient starts losing weight permanently. Bariatric surgery also restricts the amount of food that consumed by the patient. Please remember that after having bariatric surgery, you will lose nearly %50 of your body fat. This means you may have loose skin around your belly. With some proper exercise, this can be prevented. However, to get rid of the excess skin, you may need to undergo abdominoplasty or tummy tuck operation.