Obesity-III

TREATMENT OF OBESITY
The main focus and emphasis of treatment of obesity is on weight loss and improvement in the quality of lifestyle both in terms of physical as well as psychological life which will result in increase in mobility of the person and improvement in one’s self-esteem or self worth. Reduction in the intake of calories and increase in the exercises is the best way of treating obesity.
Controlling Calories: One can cut up to 500 calories per day by using food diary technique. Maintaining a diary will provide information on occasions one tends to overeats and information on liking of certain type of foods etc. which can be useful revelation in helping cutting down on calories. Look for other activities like magazine reading instead of snacking. Do not buy such food items which are very tempting as the phrase Out of Sight –Out of Mind is very much relevant in this context. One should look for moderation by restraining oneself on one side and similarly avoiding any excesses while eating food. One should avoid special diets and make sure that there is a long term change for developing the habit of eating a balanced and a healthy diet. Three meals a day with special emphasis on breakfast is generally advised as skipping a meal will make one more hungry increasing the likelihood of overeating in subsequent meals.
Increase in the quantum of Exercises: Always seek the advice of the doctor before starting any exercise programme as the amount of exercise depends upon one person to another. Normally a 30 minute of moderately intense exercise for 5 or more than 5 days a week should be aimed which should be done at a stretch and if this is not possible, it can be broken down into different sessions of at least 10 minute per session. When planning to choose an exercise, consideration should be given to those activities which one would enjoy doing it which could be gardening, swimming or aerobic and make sure that the heart rate increases to such an extent where one gets into a light sweat mode and finally discuss this plan with your doctor for safety.
Controlled Weight Loss: Another important factor to be taken care of is that weight loss should not be very fast as this could result in loss of muscle instead of fat, therefore 1-2 lbs (1/2 to 1 kg) per week of weight loss must be aimed which could translate into reduction in 500 to 1000 calories. This will result in a weigh loss of about 6 to 12 kg in a period of three months. Similarly it is also equally important that the aim should not only be to lose weight but also to keep it off which can be done by maintaining a long term commitment and any small increase in weight during the tenure of weight loss process should not be a cause of worry as an overall improvement of health is more important. Also decrease the intake of alcohol if taking a calorie control diet.