Friends, it is always better to have a BROAD MIND than to have a BROAD-IN-THE-BEAM BODY. The reason is simple: Longer the waistline shorter the lifeline. Obesity may not be a disease by itself, but it is a vicious forerunner of many diseases–Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart Problems, Arthritis - to list only a few of its detested offspring.

WHO ARE ITS VICTIMS?
The first category of its victims includes those who don’t believe in the input-output relationship that exists between food they take and the mass they gather. They may give all manner of excuses for their fatness but in almost every case the only reason is that they are eating more than they really need.

The second category consists of the people who have very low self-esteem. OBESITY and SELF-ESTEEM are inversely co-related–More the fat, Less the self-esteem. A ROLY-POLY may invoke laughter among his viewers but not the respect or envy for his/her figure.

In the third category come the people who lead a sluggish or sedentary life either by choice or by compulsion.

Hey! Are You Pregnant  
Ha! Ha! Ha!   

In the fourth category come the people who due to some reason had to stop their active life but did not correspondingly reduce their calorie intake.

The fifth category usually consists of housewives who use their stomach as a dust bin to throw the left-overs.

There is a sixth category that accounts for a very small percentage of obese people who have some problem with their metabolic system caused by a medical illness like hypothyroidism.

In nutshell
Obesity remains
the art of digging one’s
own grave by one’s own tongue

The Danger
Sometimes figures speak louder than words. The table given below speaks and speaks very loudly about the danger of being obese

Your Ideal Weight
What is your ideal weight? That depends on your height, sex, age and the type of your body build. There are different standards for men and women and for people with large, medium, or small frames. However to have a rough idea, compare your weight against the Body Mass Index which is:

EXAMPLE: 
Your weight =79 kgs. 
Your Height =162 cms. or 1.62 meter 
Height in meters squared = 1.62 x 1.62 = 2.62 meters 
BMI = 79/ 2.62 = 30

As per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, a BMI of 25-29.9 is classified as "overweight" while a BMI of 30 0r greater is classified as "obese". However, considerable amount of data has shown that in Asians, morbidity and mortality occur at a lower BMI and smaller waist circumferences as compared to the Asian population. Hence the recent Asia Pacific guidelines have proposed that the cut off points for "overweight" and "obesity should be lower in Indians as compared to the Western population.

Classification of Overweight and Obesity by Body Mass Index (BMI)

Life Insurance and other epidemiological studies suggest that the lowest morbidity and mortality for both sexes occurs in persons with a BMI of 22-25 kg/m² .   As per these studies mortality rate begin to increase substantially at weights 20% greater than the BMI i.e. 27 kg/m² .

It is not just a slice
You may be surprised to know what just a few extra calories a day more than what is required will do to a fine youthful body. For instance, if you take just one extra slice of bread a day above your actual needs and continue it for five years, you will add about 20 kgs. to your beautiful body. All this extra fat puts a strain on your heart, kidneys, liver, and also on the large weight bearing joints, such as the hips, knees, and ankles. This means that your body is wearing out more rapidly, carrying around this extra weight.

Obesity
An Excellent Nurse of
Many Deadly Ailments

An obese body nurses many diseases. It is the foster mother of:

Diabetes: Even moderate obesity, particularly the abdominal obesity increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ten fold.

Cardiovascular diseases: In long duration studies, such as the Framingham Study, an increased risk of cardiovascular is noted with increasing level of obesity independent of other risk factors. It is estimated that in men, for each 10% increase in the body weight:

• There is approximately a 20% increase in the incidence of coronary artery disease.

• Systolic blood pressure increases by 6.5 mm/Hg, Plasma cholesterol by 12 mg/dl and fasting blood glucose by 2 mg/dl

Colorectal and prostate cancer: Overweight men have a significantly higher mortality rate for colorectal and prostate cancer.

Endocrine Abnormalities.  Obese women, especially with upper body obesity, show more irregularity in menstrual cycles as well as greater frequency of other menstrual abnormalities.  They also have more problems during pregnancy with an increased frequency of toxemia and hypertension.  In obese girls, the onset of menarche occurs at younger age than in girls with normal weight.

Gall Bladder Diseases: Obese women in the 20-30 year age range have a six-fold increased risk of developing gall bladder diseases.

Pulmonary Abnormalities: There are several abnormalities in pulmonary function in obese persons such as Pickwickian or the obesity-hypoventilation syndrome which is characterized by somnolence–a hysterical state of automatism in which acts are performed that are not remembered afterwards. 

Arthritic Diseases: Obesity may not be a cause of arthritis, but it creates additional problem for the weight carrying joints.  In  middle-aged women excess body weight is a major predictor of osteoarthritis.  Obese people are also vulnerable to Gout.

Functional and Psychological Disorders: Obese people have functional impairment in the activities of daily living. This dysfunction is related to sleep, recreation, work, and social interactions.  They develop inferiority complex and an indifferent attitude toward life.

Getting Slim
Sensibly

The Challenge
Slimming is the challenge that obese face. Dieting and walking hold the answer though both are no “eureka” for the fat people. They must have tried them at least once or twice in their life. However, most of the obese, most of the times start them with a “Coca Cola” enthusiasm. They start with a fizz and end in a fisgig.

The Prerequisites
The first and the foremost prerequisite : Relationship that exists between food they take and the mass they gather. They may give all manner of excuses for their fatness but in almost every case the only reason is that they are eating more than they really need.

The second prerequisite : For reducing about half kilogram of body fat in a week, you have to cut at least 500 calories from your daily diet.

The third prerequisite: Dieting is not the art of starving or keeping yourself hungry  all the time

Are you ready to adopt all the Three?
If yes, then follow these guidelines:

It is quality not quantity that matters: It is a mistaken belief that if you are dieting, you have to eat less. On the contrary, you may eat even more. In dieting, what you eat is more important than how much you eat. For example, in terms of calories, 100 grams of vegetable cooking oil is equivalent of more than a kilogram of boiled leafy vegetables. The aim of dieting is not to eat less quantity, but to eat fewer calories. What is required is to have a well-balanced meal plan tailored to your individual needs, tastes, activity level and life style. These days, the services of a dietician are for your asking.

Make your own list of ‘free’ and ‘forbidden’ foods: The very low calorie foods like: leafy vegetables, skimmed milk, curd, butter milk, carrots, tomato, cucumber, reddish, and orange. They along with many other vegetables, and fruits, constitute the your list of free foods

Exercise : Aerobic exercises like swimming, jogging, cycling to consume calories.