Gaining too much weight is not only a serious threat to your health, it can also limit your physical abilities and make you susceptible to serious illnesses. If you still have not made the transition to a healthy diet, it is time to consider changing your eating habits.
What is obesity?
Obesity can be defined as the excessive and abnormal accumulation of body fat. If a man or woman’s bodyweight is respectively 20% and 30% higher than it should be, he or she isconsidered obese. Adipose (fat) tissue excretes hormones and chemicals that affect the entire system. Some of these excretions increase appetite, elevate limits of feeling full and cause obesity to progress. For the effective diagnosis and treatment of obesity, firstly it is quite important to know where fat accumulates in the body. Obesity can generally be separated into two categories – apple and pear shaped. In apple type obesity, fat accumulates in the belly. Whereas in per shaped obesity, fat accumulates around the hips. Studies have shown that, compared to the hips, fat in the belly area is more likely to increase risk of developing dangerous health problems, especially cardiac disease. Men with a waistline of more than 94 cm are considered to have increased risk, while waistlinesin excess of 102 cm are seen as high risk. In women, waistlines greater than 80 cm is increased risk and 88 cm is high risk.
How is obesity measured?
The World Health Organisation’s obesity scale is universally used to determine obesity. The figure is usually measured in Body Mass Index (BMI) value. To calculate BMI, divide your weight in kilograms (kg) by your height in metres (m) then divide the answer by your height again. Morbid obesity obesity is the condition when BMI is greater than 40 kg/m2
Classification according to the Body Mass Index
Value Interval Result
BMI lower than 18.5 kg/m²Underweight
BMI between 18.5 – 24.9 kg/m² Normal (healthy weight)
BMI between 25 – 29.9 kg/m² Overweight
BMI between 30 – 39.9 kg/m²Obese (fat)
BMI over 40 kg/m²Morbid (severely) obese
Besides BMI, waist length is also used to determine the risk level of obesity. We now also know that adipose tissue is not merely a simple storage place. It also secretes hormones and chemicals that affect the entire body system. These excretions intensify obesity by increasing appetite and elevating limits of feeling full. Another important factor is where fat is building up in the body. Fat in the belly area is known to pose more risk than fat in the hip area. That is why apple type overweight patients have increased risk, especially in cardiac disease, compared to pear type patients. In other words, men with a waistline circumference of more than 94 cm are considered to have an increased risk, while waist inexcess of 102 cm are seen as high risk. In women, waist length greater than 80 cm is increased risk and 88 cm is high risk.
Besides the initial measurements mentioned above, metabolic rate and detailed body analyses provide more comprehensive information about the individual’s obesity problem.
