Obesity has become a resource-intensive health problem.
In Romania it is also a national health problem, prompting authorities to focus on nutrition counseling programs in schools.
Almost two-thirds of adults are overweight. Children and teenagers are becoming increasingly obese, with obesity leading to hormonal disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and reduced life expectancy.
The classic way to see if you fit within the weight standards is to calculate your body mass index (BMI) (KG/M2).
- BMI between 18.9 and 24.9 - considered normal
- BMI between 25-19.9 - overweight
- BMI over 30 - obese.
The higher your BMI, the higher your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes.
The disadvantage of categorizing obese or overweight by calculating BMI derives from the fact that BMI does not give any clues about body fat composition. Men with >25% body fat and women with >30% are considered to be at risk for health problems.
Another useful and handy method to see if we are at risk for cardiovascular disease is to measure abdominal circumference.
- People with an "apple-shaped" - androgynous - abdominal circumference of more than 102 cm in men and 90 cm in women - are at risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Estrogenic fat distribution - on the thighs and hips - in the shape of a "pear" confers a lower risk for cardiovascular events.
Remember not to aim for "all or nothing" - if I don't fall into the ideal category, it's not worth the hassle - studies have shown that even small weight loss with lifestyle improvements have an effect on disease risk.
- Most common - overeating and/or high calorie eating. (>95% of cases)
People who eat a lot and people who do not eat quantitatively very much, but eat foods with high caloric content.
A lot of studies have been done lately on the amount of food we eat, its caloric content and the motivation for eating, covering the psychological aspects of obesity.
In short, those who are bored, unhappy, lonely, unloved, disconnected from their families, socially and financially troubled tend to overeat-to regulate their emotional comfort.
- Genetic determination - metabolic rate is also genetically conditioned.
- Hormonal disorders (increased levels of insulin - anabolic hormone that favors, among many other alleles, fat deposits, decreased levels of thyroid hormones, testosterone, DHEA or growth hormone - catabolizing hormones - the deficiency leading to decreased metabolism).
- Lack of physical activity.
- Lack of sleep (lack of sleep produces ghrelin - which increases appetite; decreases the level of growth hormones -catabolizing hormone)
- Slow metabolic rate
- Medications (antidepressants, hormones, vitamin supplements)
- Stress (causes hormonal disturbances that increase appetite and decrease metabolic rate)
In principle, a healthy adult with average/low physical activity should consume on average 2500 cal/day for men and 2000 cal/day for women.
It's obvious that the first steps we should take are lifestyle-related: the evidence points to two - eat less and consume more.
It sounds simple, but lifestyle changes are difficult to make and maintaining them in the long term requires help.
1. Accept the problem and calculate your risk - BMI and abdominal circumference
2. Try to identify the problem for overeating (stress, depression, exhaustion)
3. Ask for help - family, friends, colleagues to provide the comfort you seek in food.
4. Get active every day - walking, swimming, cycling, weight training, stretching - at least 30 minutes every day - exercise increases your metabolic rate, so increases burns; increases endorphin levels - will change your mood for the better - you will stop eating for comfort; will give you better sleep, thus helping to maintain your weight.
5. Bring other rewards into your life - every day a reward - other than food - enjoy music, reading, an exhibition, meeting a friend, a play, shopping, etc.
6. Decrease stress - stress is linked to an increase in cortisone which favors abdominal obesity - a positive risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
7. Diet:
- Eat ONLY when you are hungry;
- DO NOT eat when you are very tired, angry, angry;
- Arrange your table nicely, and the food on your plate. Enjoy every bite and savor;
- Concentrate on what you are swallowing, try not to think about anything else, and, above all, avoid thinking about/discussing unpleasant situations during the meal.
- Stir each bite until it becomes liquid and practically swallows itself.
Following just these rules for several months will help you lose weight significantly.
- avoided diets restrictive (lots of protein, little carbohydrates, etc.) - cause deficiencies in an already overloaded body. In addition, nutrient deficiencies have been positively linked to the risk of depression, creating a vicious circle.
- Choose a diet based on fiber, grains, vegetables and fruit - with little meat, no highly processed foods, no sugar, no animal fats and no alcohol.
- Counseling - you can enroll in different support groups after an initial psychological assessment.
- So is homeopathy, herbal medicine cat si acupuncture are extremely useful in the treatment of obesity, acting both on the cause of the problem - emotional imbalance, and on the derived symptoms: increased appetite, low metabolism, water retention, etc.
- Treatment will be prescribed after consultation with a specialist.
Obesity has various etiologies. It can be caused by thyroid hypofunction, in which case patients can go to the seaside resorts on the seaside, for the coastal climate: Techirghiol, Mangalia, Constanta.
People with obesity caused by menopause, which is associated with circulatory and nervous disorders, cope well with the forest climate and salty lakes, the resorts are recommended: Sovata, Ocna Sugatag, Ocna Sibiului.
For circulatory disorders can be indicated baths with carbonated mineral water in the resorts Baile Tusnad, Geoagiu, or hypothermic thermal baths - Moneasa.
In the form of crenotherapy (ingestion of mineral water) we recommend sodium and magnesium sulphate waters, alkaline chloride waters that increase peristalsis and evacuation, decrease intestinal resorption.
Recommended resorts: Sangeorz Bai, Calimanesti-Caciulata, Olanesti
May also be recommended: dietotherapy, kidrokinetotherapy, kinetotherapy
Dr. Cristina Maria Hanganu- Medical practice offering integrated natural therapeutic options: acupuncture, homeopathy, gemmotherapy, dietotherapy
Address: Str Carol Davila nr 33, ap 2, sector 5, Bucuresti
email: perfectmedch@marianioana
Dr. Gabriela Dogaru
Primary Doctor Recovery, physical medicine and balneology - Clinical Hospital for Recovery Cluj Napoca
First Vice-President of the Romanian Association of Balneology
Website: www. perfectmed.wordpress.com
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