What is Obesity – Morbidly overweight?
So what is morbidly overweight aka obesity you would wonder? Morbidly overweight is measured by two key metrics in the health industry – Body Mass Index, aka BMI, and waist circumference. In a society becoming increasingly obsessed with size 0 models, many people worry about their weight from an aesthetic angle. But being morbidly overweight has far more worrying implications and what people should be concerned and aware about is the impact weight can have on personal health both physically and psychologically. From joint problems to diabetes and heart disease, weight issues can also affect breathing, sleep patterns, state of mind and energy levels.
It is a worrying fact that more people are overweight than ever before leading to the very conclusion by most medical professionals that we have entered an age of obesity epidemic, and the task is such that the demand of gastric band and gastric balloon are increasing rapidly in recent times.
The terms ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ are unfortunately becoming more commonplace as doctors use them to describe patients at risk of developing weight-related health problems. Not only can being overweight result in a whole host of health ailments, but it can also have a detrimental effect on quality of life. So far from worrying about how you look, these are the very real reason for keeping your weight under control.
Know your BMI
BMI refers to your ‘body mass index’ which enables you to identify whether you are overweight or underweight. Calculating BMI is much easier than reducing it, simply divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared – weight/height2. The result you get is then classified into the groups indicating how healthy your BMI is.
Whilst different factors need to be taken into consideration – athletes will have more muscle, pregnant women carry more weight and some inherent medical conditions affect BMI – it is an approximate means of assessing body fat and its risks to your health and gives you some idea of the health implications of being a certain weight in relation to your height. However, you can’t simply consider BMI in isolation. Waist circumference is often considered a more accurate measure of a future health risk than BMI alone.
If you carry too much fat around your middle you have an increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Too much fat in this area is also associated with a greater risk of high cholesterol levels which, in turn, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Waist circumference used as a metric, when larger than 32in for female and 37in for male, the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke – and diabetes are increased accordingly.
Gastric bands and Gastric Balloons
With many fad diets and conflicting advice around, it is not always the easiest undertaking to lose weight. You don’t have to become a fitness fanatic overnight, although it is advisable to do at least thirty minutes of exercise a few times a week.
People are busy and some don’t adapt to fitness regimes as easily as others, but remember, the most simple lifestyle changes such as cutting down on portion sizes, using the stairs instead of the lift and getting off the bus a stop early to walk the rest of the way home can all have a positive impact. For those who find that despite all their best efforts, the weight is still not shifting, surgical options are available and patients can try a gastric band or gastric balloon to deal with weight problems. It should be noted that surgery should never be undertaken lightly and is only advised in the most extreme cases as neither a gastric band or gastric balloon is a quick-fix.
