One in every 4 adults in the UK are currently obese. One in five children aged between ten and eleven are also overweight. This means that they have too much body fat. When a person becomes overweight, they can be at risk of developing health conditions.
What are the risks of being overweight or obese?
If you suspect that you are obese then you should try and change your lifestyle to try and reduce your weight. There are many health risks which can develop from being overweight.
Obesity can reduce the quality of your life and restrict you from some activities. You may also develop psychological problems including low self-esteem or depression.
Being overweight can increase your chances of developing other serious conditions which can become life-threatening include:
- Coronary heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stroke
- Breast cancer
- Bowel cancer
Causes of obesity
Too many calories:
All food has an energy value. This is measured in calories. If we eat more calories than the amount of energy that we use, the calories get stored as body fat.
You can use this tool to calculate how many calories are included in the food that you eat.
Bad eating habits:
Over time, bad eating habits can result in you becoming overweight or obese. Poor diet combined with bad lifestyle choices are the main causes of weight gain.
It is common for bad eating habits to develop within the family. Many people continue to eat a poor diet into adult life that they learned from their parents.
Therefore, it is important to check the types of food that you are eating on a regular basis and evaluate the health benefits of them.
If you have children, you should try to develop good balanced diet from an early age. These eating habits can then be transferred into adulthood.
Not enough physical activity:
If you are not active on a regular basis, your body will not use up the calories that you have consumed in your food. As a result, the calories will be stored as body fat.
Many people become overweight due to a lack of exercise. In today’s world there are a number of reasons why the average person does not get enough physical activity:
Many people choose passive leisure activities such as watching TV rather than sports.
An increasing number of people have jobs which sit them behind a desk which requires little physical activity.
People use their cars as a convenience when they could walk or cycle instead.
It is recommended that the average person gets at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This is equal to 30 minutes each day for five days a week. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity includes cycling or fast walking.
Read more about including enough exercise in your weekly routine.
Inherited traits:
Many people claim that they are overweight due to family inheritance of particular genes. There are some rare genetic conditions such as Prader-Willi syndrome that can pass on obesity but it is still possible to lose weight.
Most inherited weight problems are as a result of learned habits from the parents rather than genetic problems. Some characteristics such as an increased appetite may be genetically inherited, but it does not make it inevitable that you gain weight.
Medical conditions:
There are some medical conditions which can result in weight gain. Conditions such as an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) or Cushing’s syndrome are examples of this.
If you suspect that you have a medical condition that is causing weight gain, consult your GP for a diagnosis. Treatment of the condition can help you to lose weight without these conditions holding you back.
How much should I weigh?
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Introduction.aspx
A healthy weight can be calculated using the body mass index (BMI) method. The BMI calculation compares your body weight to your height. This gives a score of how healthy you are for your weight and height.
Use the calculator below to measure your BMI.
The following results will apply to most adults:
- A healthy weight is between 18.5 and 24.9 BMI.
- A overweight person will score between 25 and 29.9 BMI.
- A obese person will score between 30 and 39.9 BMI.
- If you score above 40 BMI then you are severely obese.
How can nutrition help reduce weight gain?
Obesity can lead to life threatening conditions developing. It is therefore essential that you reduce the risk of developing serious conditions such as coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes. The best way to lose weight is by improving your diet and taking regular exercise.
Eat a good breakfast
Eating well in the morning can help you complete your daily tasks with enough energy. You will be less likely to become hungry and snack on unhealthy foods.
Foods to avoid
Obesity is generally caused by eating foods which are high in calories by people who do not do enough exercise to burn them off.
The process of becoming obese is a slow continuous diet of unhealthy foods over a long period of time. To avoid becoming overweight, it is important to eat a healthy balanced diet. Try to avoid foods that are high in sugar, calories or saturated fats.
You should try to avoid the following bad eating habits:
- Processed or fast food
- Too much alcohol
- Eating out too often
- Choosing large portions
- Sugary drinks
- Comfort eating
Foods that you should eat
The easiest way to adapt a healthy lifestyle is to replace an unhealthy diet with a healthy one. This can be achieved by replacing one food at a time.
Always read the nutritional information on packets of food that you buy. Many packaging can be misleading and you may think that you are eating healthy but are not. Always check the amount of fat, salt, calories and sugar included.
Cooking your own meals from scratch is one of the best ways of ensuring that no additives are included in your meals.
For breakfast:
- Replace a cereal which has added sugar with a wholegrain cereal such as a wheat or porridge
- Add fruit to your cereal instead of sugar
- Choose semi skimmed or skimmed milk over whole milk
- Use low-fat yoghurt instead of full fat
For lunch:
- Eat wholegrain breads instead of white breads
- Make salad and tuna sandwiches without mayo
- Replace cheese and butter toppings on a baked potatoes for reduced fat spreads
- Eat baked beans with reduced salt and sugar
For Dinner:
- Replace fatty cuts of meat for leaner cuts
- Cook meat in the grill instead of the frying pan
- Create mash potato with low fat milk and low fat spread
- Replace cheese or cream pasta sauces for vegetable or tomato sauces
Read this page about replacing your unhealthy snacks for low calorie alternatives: