• Obesity Definition

Obesity is a chronic condition characterized by excess body fat. Women with more than 25% body fat are considered obese. Body weight represents the outcome of the balance between your caloric intake and energy expenditure, necessary fat is burned (metabolized) by your body, any excess calories in your dietary intake is stored in the form of fat, if you eat less than your body metabolizes then you will lose weight.

Our basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions and it is hereditary.

• Cause of obesity

*Overeating, especially if your diet is high in fat or simple carbohydrates (which lead to rapid insulin secretion and more frequent sensation of hunger) and sugar.
*Physical inactivity.
*Genetics. People who have obese parents are more exposed to obesity, because hormones are affected by genetics, leptin hormone that is produced by fat cells signals the brain to stop eating, leptin deficiency is hereditary and therefore your body is not controlled by the amount of fat cells.
*Slow metabolism (burn on calories), muscles have high metabolism while fat cells have low metabolic rate, that is why women tend to have lower metabolism and put on more fat. Muscle tissue is lost by aging, so we tend to have lower metabolic rate and gain weight if we do not reduce our caloric intake.
*Medications used in depression, diabetes, oral contraceptives and some drugs used in hypertension and corticosteroids (cortisone).

*Diseases as hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome and Polycystic ovarian syndrome also contribute to obesity.
*Psychological factors, some people react to stress and sadness by overeating.

*Hormones, Women tend to gain weight during certain events like pregnancy, menopause and contraceptive pills.
*Childhood overweight.

• are you obese?

The most objective way to measure your body fat is BMI or body mass index, it simply equals a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m) squared. It is used to determine individuals high-weight proportion and whether he/she has healthy weight or not.
The World Health Organization uses a classification system using the BMI to define overweight and obesity.
A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is defined as a “Pre-obese.”
A BMI of 30 to 34.99 is defined as “Obese class I.”
A BMI of 35 to 39.99 is defined as “Obese class II.”
A BMI of or greater than 40.00 is defined as “Obese class III.”
Body fat percentage: Women struggle with their weights regardless of their fat percentage. Measuring your fat, not your weight not only helps you determine an ideal weight, but also it can guide you in your weight loss efforts.

There are several ways to measure your body fat percentage, including calipers, home body fat scales and an immersion method.

• complications of obesity

Obesity leads to many health complications like Insulin resistance, which leads to type II diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension) specially people with central obesity that have an apple shaped body due to distribution of fat in the waist area, high cholesterol, stroke, many heart diseases and even heart attack, Arthritis, sleep apnea, and gout.

Apple-shaped people whose fat is concentrated mostly in the abdomens (mostly men) are more likely to develop many of the health complications associated with obesity than pear-shaped people whose fat is concentrated in hips and thighs (mostly women).

• How to lose weight?

The most safe & effective way of weight loss is to increase your physical activity; accordingly you will enhance your metabolic rate and burn more calories and modifying your health habits by cutting back your caloric intake directing your goal towards slow, safe but steady weight loss.
Starvation leads to rapid weight loss that is impossible to maintain. When your daily caloric intake is below 1200 your body adapts to poor nutrition by lowering your metabolic rate, therefore starving yourself will eventually cause more weight gain when you stop dieting.

Avoid processed food, substitute white bread by whole grains and sugar by artificial sweeteners. Avoid food with high fat percentage.
Allow yourself a treat every while but do not overeat & add more to your exercise.

• weight loss and diet tips

*Boost your metabolic rate by:
Regular exercise and building up muscles. Each pound of muscle burns 6 calories a day jus to sustain itself, compared to only 2 calories burnt by a pound of fat. Exercise increases the activity of the muscles, and accordingly leads to :

• expending more calories.
• Drinking more water. Dehydrated body has lower metabolic rate. Drinking 8 or more glasses of water processes more fate.

Eating more often. Frequent meals (of small portions & low caloric value) trains your body to elevate your metabolism & vice versa.
Eating spicy food & proteins. Spicy food increase your metabolic rate y 23% and healthy proteins like lean meat, yogurt, cheese or beans in your meals and snacks burn twice as many calories in digestions compared to fat or carbohydrates.
Drink Black coffee & green tea.

*Exercise on a regular basis.
20-30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 to 7 days a week. Types of exercise include walking, stationary bicycling, walking or jogging on a treadmill, stair climbing machines, jogging & swimming.

Gradually increase the duration & intensity of exercise to avoid muscles injury, excessive soreness & fatigue.
Do not exercise vigorously if your have lung or heart disease or hypertension, arthritis or osteoporosis or if you develop chest pain with exertion.

Avoid popular diet mistakes including skipping breakfast, loading up on low-fat snacks or not snacking at all and omitting dairy foods.

Getting enough calcium causes your body to burn more fat.

Weighing yourself everyday is also a common mistake, weight fluctuates throughout the day whereas weekly weigh-ins will give more objective results that would motivate you without daily confusion.

• Obesity Medication

Medication is only used in patients who have obesity-related health risks including people who have BMI 30 or higher, and people with BMI 27 with health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension.

First category of medication includes Subutramine (Meridia) and Phentermine: They work by causing stress symptoms and giving decrease appetite and & sensation of fullness. Side effects: high blood pressure.

The second category includes Orlisat (Xenical): they work by changing the fat metabolism by inhibiting the fat absorption of the body by 30% without affecting
brain chemistry unlike the first category. Patients who take Orlistat are given vitamins (A, D, E & K) supplementation if they are likely to use it for a long period of time. Side effects: The second category has minimal side effects like changing bowel habits and irregularities with the menstrual cycle during the first weeks of its use.

• Obesity Surgery

Weight loss operations are indicated for patients with BMI 40 or higher, or 35 with health serious medical problems.
Gastric bypass: it is an operation that makes the stomach smaller, resulting on reduced absorption of fat.

Risks: complications of infection, thrombosis in the lower extremities or lungs. Vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia.

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