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Overweight & Obesity
What is overweight & obesity?
There are many definitions and descriptions of the phenomenon
of overweight and obesity, but the low-down of it is simply a condition where we
carry too much body fat.
The difference between being overweight or obese is to be
found in the degree of severity of the condition – in other words: how much we are
overweight. In order to determine the degree of severity of an overweight condition,
we must use some standard or measurement system to define where overweight begins,
and at which point it can be regarded as obesity.
How do we measure overweight & obesity?
Several measurement systems for overweight
and obesity have been developed through the years, all of which have as goal some
standard which can be universally applied to measure weight status of all individuals
with the same result.
The most accurate of these is direct measurement of body fat
percentage, which has become a viable option due to technology progress in the last
number of years.
However, the calculation of the Body Mass Index or BMI, is still
widely used as a measurement standard, despite certain shortcomings. BMI is quoted
in many public health reports and discussion forums as a measurement standard to
define overweight and obesity.
How do we calculate Body Mass Index?
Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight, in kilograms, by the square of your
height, in meters.
For instance, the BMI of a person with a weight of 100kg and height
of 2 meters would be 100 divided by 2 times 2, which is 100 divided by 4, resulting
in a BMI of 25. You can do the same calculation using the Imperial units of pounds
for weight and inches for height, but it requires a little extra arithmetic which
involves multiplication by 704.5 to get the same result.
The higher the BMI, the higher
the degree of overweight, and vice versa. One of the obvious shortcomings of BMI
is clearly demonstrated by the example of a muscle-building athlete who, despite
carrying very little body fat, may have a high BMI. In this case muscle mass accounts
for the high weight-to-height ratio of the athlete, and BMI in this case is not a
suitable gauge. In an extreme case such as this, direct body fat measurement is the
only viable indicator, but for the majority of the general population worldwide,
BMI is a pretty good reference, explaining why it is still popular.
How do we classify
overweight & obesity?
According to the BMI measurement system, overweight is defined
to start at a BMI beyond 25. A person is regarded as technically obese beyond a BMI
of 30, and is regarded as very obese beyond a BMI of 40.
Direct measurement of body
fat percentage is considered a more accurate yardstick. However, the definition of
acceptable body fat percentage is a little less straightforward. It is higher in
women than in men, and also increases with age for both sexes. A typical body fat
upper limit for men in their mid-30’s is in the vicinity of 24%, and for women about
32%. Anywhere over these limits will technically be considered an overweight condition.
What
are the causes of overweight & obesity?
Even though there may be a few medical or
otherwise uncontrollable conditions that cause overweight and obesity in extreme
cases, general consensus among the health and nutrition professional communities
boils the matter down to a simple equation of energy.
If you consume more energy
than you expend, you will gain weight. If you expend more energy than you consume,
you will lose weight. Weight in this sense may imply both fat and muscle tissue.
There
are, of course, factors in certain diet and exercise programs which may influence
fat loss as opposed to muscle mass loss, but the basic equation remains. One of the
clearest examples of life not being fair, can be found in the very real phenomenon
of some people who are prodigious eaters and never seem to put on weight, versus
the rest who can barely look at food without sending the bathroom scale quivering.
All of this relates to how each of us utilize our energy intake. A genetic predisposition
towards overweight and obesity is today recognized as a factor to be considered,
but it need not have the final say in our body weight situation.
Overweight & obesity
statistics
The information contained in the next 2 paragraphs originate from the American
Obesity Association (AOA) web site Fact Sheets ( www.obesity.org ).
According to
the AOA, obesity has become a global epidemic, fuelled by environmental and behavioral
changes brought about by economic development, modernization, and urbanization. Studies
have shown that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide
at an alarming rate in children and adults, in both developing and developed countries.
Obesity is cited as being the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
According
to current statistics, approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight,
60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese. Moreover, in adults, the incidence
of overweight and obesity is increasing. Currently, 64.5 percent of U.S. adults,
age 20 years and older, are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese. Severe obesity
prevalence in the U.S. is now estimated at 4.7 percent, up from 2.9 percent previously
reported.
The picture in the rest of the world shows a similar pattern. A news report
published on 13 June 2004 in the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted a multi-volume parliamentary
report in Britain, which stated that the proportion of obese people in Britain had
grown from about 7 percent to about 24 percent in the last 25 years, which amounts
to two-thirds of the British population now being overweight or obese. That is almost
the same level as the United States.
In the rest of Europe, most countries are not
far behind, with a third to half of the adults counted as overweight. According to
the report, obesity will soon pass smoking as the leading cause of death in Britain,
and if the current trend continues, the incidence of diabetes and heart disease is
set to soar. Statistics from other parts of the world such as Australia and South
Africa reveal starkly similar tendencies.
The impact of overweight & obesity
Apart from the known health risks associated with
overweight and obesity such as heart disease and diabetes which have very obvious
impacts on both quality of life and life expectancy, being overweight represents
a huge nuisance factor to most affected individuals. Regular clothes don’t fit, the
most menial of physical activities become tiresome if not impossible, and ridicule
from the leaner population is prevalent even in this enlightened age. All of these
factors contribute to eroding self-esteem and undermining the sense of self-worth.
Unfair? Of course. But nevertheless a reality for millions of people.
The overwhelming
body of research and surveys show that the vast majority of overweight people would
prefer to be lean. Emerging from the grip of obesity opens up a new world to the
individual. Increased energy levels, a general sense of well-being and increased
self-confidence are but a few of the known and documented benefits of weight loss.
This is not only true for individuals who are very overweight or obese, but also
for those wanting to lose just those few extra pounds.
Overweight & obesity treatment
options
A common belief among the general public is that all people who lose weight
are irrevocably destined to gain it all back sooner or later, and will end up even
more overweight than when they first started out.
For many this may be true, but certainly
not for everybody. There are a variety of proven effective treatment options to manage
your weight. These options include:
- Dietary therapy
- Physical activity
- Behaviour therapy
- Drug therapy
- And even surgery.
Effective treatment usually involves a combination of two or more of the treatment
options, depending on the severity of the case. In general, most success stories
are based on a combination of dietary and behaviour therapy together with an increase
in physical activity.
What does all this information mean to the individual who needs
to lose weight? There is only one bottom-line answer: A change in lifestyle. It sounds
simple enough, but many who have been through the process will testify to the fact
that it can be more difficult than we think. We are creatures of habit, and changing
habits especially when they provide a great deal of pleasure, comfort and consolation,
is no simple matter. We need all the knowledge, encouragement and support to undertake
a lifestyle change because to successfully sustain it is not easy. But the reward
upon success is well worth it.
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