Obesity and what it can lead to?

“Am I obese?”‘Obesity can drive you away from the vitality.’

Hectic schedules, sedentary lifestyle, decreased physical activity and unhealthy eating habits have increased body fat leading to obesity. And it is certainly unwanted. And in some cases, the reason can be genetic susceptibility. It is an open door to hundreds of acute and chronic illnesses. Obesity is followed by multiple medical conditions and that too with increased frequency and intensity. Our bodies are made up of multiple organ systems and obesity alone is enough to disrupt them all.

What Obesity is?

Let me first clear one thing, being overweight does not mean you are obese. Bodyweight is made of bone mass, muscle mass, body water as well as the fat content. You are not obese if your body weight is coming from sources other than that of fat content. But if fat is the major contributor to your body weight, then you certainly are obese.

Causes of obesity:

• Diet: Consuming calories more than required for normal functioning of the body leads to obesity. What is not needed is not utilized but if provided from the outside diet, then it gets stored as a reserve. Accumulation takes place when intake is either not used up for the body’s essential functioning or burnt by the physical activity. When the body utilizes the energy from the food, it does so by the process known as metabolism. The body uses up carbohydrates as the immediate source of energy, then fats and then goes to protein metabolism. So, immediate energy requirements are met with by the carbohydrates we take in. Even fats and proteins break down into simpler molecules to yield carbohydrates which can be used up by the body for its energy requirements and normal functioning of the systems. More fats we eat, they get deposited like a reservoir which can be used up in times of shortage of carbohydrates. Consuming more and more fats without them being used up start increasing the fat depots and ultimately body mass. One of the considerations in weight loss is speeding up the metabolism. Our diets which are loaded with sugars, unhealthy fats and processed foods are far from healthy and a leading cause of obesity.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Obesity is undoubtedly a lifestyle disorder. Lack of physical activity has become part of our living. We keep on eating and eating without exercising and burning up our fat depots. We keep sitting in front of our computers or keep ourselves hunched in our smartphones without paying attention to the physical activities our body demands. Though we may not be realizing it in our youth, we will have to certainly pay for it with advancing age. With whatever diet plan we would like to proceed for weight loss, exercising is always a part of any fitness program. It also helps in increasing metabolism synergizing the effects of any weight loss diet.
• Sleep deficiency: Yes, not sleeping enough can lead to its deficiency and sleep deficiency can contribute to gaining weight. The night time cravings are generally for high-calorie foods and they will somehow add on to your weight. Not just eating more on sleepless nights, but also, not sleeping well can lead to hormonal disturbances which can distort the metabolic processes.
• Genetic predisposition: Some of the population is at a higher verge of getting obese owing to their genetic history. The way their body behaves with the fat intake or even any intake, in that case, can vary and lead to higher deposits of fat.
• Age: Metabolism is a combination of two different biochemical processes, anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is a set of biochemical reactions which are constructive and join up small molecules to form bigger and complex molecules. And catabolism, on the other hand, is a set of destructive biochemical reactions which bring about the breakdown of big complex molecules into smaller and simpler units. In childhood and the growing age, anabolism supersedes catabolism. This is because in the growing age, bones, muscle mass and other tissues are being built up and built up processes need energy and building blocks. These are derived from anabolic processes. While, with the advancing age, catabolism takes the command. The muscle mass gets decreased which brings down the metabolic rate. Slower and decreased metabolism can contribute to weight gain.
• Medical conditions: Certain medical disorders can also lead to obesity. Few of them to name are Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing syndrome, Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), hypothyroidism and osteoarthritis. Any medical condition has to be dealt with medically but a weight loss diet program can help significantly to yield positive results when used in combination with medical treatment.
• Medications: Some of the medications being prescribed to treat some medical condition may lead to obesity. This may be reversible or irreversible. Some of the major contributors to weight gain as prescribed medications are antidepressants, antiepileptics, corticosteroids and immune-suppressants.

So, if any of these are a part of your life, you should start to lose weight today without any delay.

Complications with obesity:

Nature gives us everything in a perfect ratio. Any disturbance in this ratio can lead to undesirable effects. When the ratio of body fat to muscle gets increased, every single bone and every single internal organ of the body gets strained. Regardless of age, sex or gender, obesity is always a doorway to mild to moderate to severe complications.

• Cardiovascular (CVS) complications: Obesity can lead to hypertension, i.e., increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels which can further lead to coronary artery disease. The problem does not stop here. But a complication once started further gets entangled by involving more and more tissues and organs. More fat deposits can cause hardening and blockade in the arteries leading to restricted blood flow. It can also be severe and can lead to major events like that of stroke or a cardiac arrest or coronary failure. In our body, fats are deposited as lipids and there are two types of lipids, good lipids and bad lipids. Obesity is related to an increase in bad lipids while a decrease in good lipids.
• Diabetes and associated complications: If you think that diabetes is caused only when the body is not able to synthesize enough Insulin. Then, let me bring to your kind knowledge that there is type-II diabetes which is not caused by the lack of insulin synthesis. Instead, it is caused by obesity and lifestyle. Diabetes can gradually but surely affect multiple organs like eyes and kidneys.
• Cerebrovascular disease: It has been found that the risk of cerebrovascular disorders increases with an increase in weight.
• Polycystic Ovarian Disease/Syndrome (PCOD/PCOS): It is marked by anovulation, hyperandrogenism and can cause infertility problems in females. It has been very closely linked with increased weight. It can further complicate by creating insulin insensitivity which can cause diabetes. But, mark my words; symptoms of PCOD suddenly decrease with weight loss. Weight loss can improve fertility rates by regularizing the menstrual cycle and ovulation process. With weight loss achieved, PCOD symptoms diminish.
• Osteoarthritis: In a significant number of cases, it has been found that obesity is followed by osteoarthritis (OA).
• Sleep apnea: Though it may sound weird that obesity can cause less sleep if you have seen an obese person in a sound sleep. But, indeed, obesity can also lead to sleep apnea. Sleep disturbances can be from mild to severe. And Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked to obesity. While a little disturbance in sleep can be tolerated, but what can become harsh on health is when it can lead to pulmonary complications like that of asthma.
• Gastrointestinal disturbances: Researches suggest a correlation between obesity and an increase in the symptoms of Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). And it can start with mild GERD and can go to critical stages like that of oesophagal cancer, cholelithiasis and erosive esophagitis.

Overweight and obesity in maximum cases are caused by the lifestyle we chose as our domicile. Though obesity can always be prevented, just in case it has not been prevented or you are on the verge of getting obese, it can still be treated. What has been caused by an unhealthy lifestyle can be corrected by the identification of the causes and taking corrective measures.

By bringing the obesity complications to your notice, I want to tell you the importance of a weight loss diet and why you should proceed for it. After all, it is your health and it’s your choice. Why not make it wise? And as the well-known proverb says, “Prevention is better than cure”, do you need anything more?

If you’re considering yourself as an eligible candidate for weight loss diet, it is equally important to understand do you need to do it and why will you be doing it. And a simple answer is fitness. Healthy living and a better quality of life can never be achieved with an extra pile of fat.

You need to prepare mentally for the road ahead, which is unknown. But, who would not love to go on an adventurous trip across unknown places but the known and the beautiful destination. Start the expedition with complete mental preparation and I will give you the direction with least physical exertion to reach the landing place.

Finding a problem is just the beginning, but also the most important. If you can recognize a problem and see the potential threat, it is only this feeling that won’t let you rest until you find its solution. And once you have recognized the problem of obesity, get alarmed, get awakened and get all set for an enthusiastic journey. Getting ready is more than just setting in a sports suit and tightening your sports shoes. The road ahead is big but not bigger than the destination. Let no negative thoughts be roadblocks. The journey may be unknown, but you have to keep walking on. With my guidelines, I’ll not let you get lost. Just dive in with full commitment towards achieving your goal and let the motive behind taking up the diet plan keep you on the track.

Now you know that you have to lose weight, but where to get started must be fringing your mind. When Why to lose has been answered, let’s move to How to reach the destination.