With increasing focus on the ‘body beautiful’ and the media attention over the ‘size zero’ debate, weight loss has inevitably become a concern for a huge proportion of the population. Of course such superficial influences are not the only motivators, but let’s be honest they play their part. With regular celebrity ‘who’s wearing what, and who’s gained and who’s lost’ features, it is understandably easy to become disheartened with your own body shape. However, you may have noticed that the media has turned the tide and have begun to focus their attention of the celebs that are dangerously underweight, showing there are two ends to the scale and perhaps highlighting the contradictory and fickle nature of the tabloid.
The achievement of a desired level of weight loss is the common goal shared by a majority of population at any given time. Taking surgery and medication out of the equation, obesity and excess weight can frequently be rectified with basic lifestyle adjustments. For example, a balanced, wholesome diet, in conjunction with regular physical activity can help to prevent any number of weight related conditions from progressing. Anybody who regularly exceeds their recommended calorie intake without taking regular exercise will be prone to obesity and excess body weight.
However we are fully aware that such advice can be naive and at times patronising, thus a number of additional measures are of course required.
There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity, some of which are controllable, some of which are uncontrollable. For example:
- Exceeding your recommended calorie intake is a certain way to gain weight.
- Lifestyle choices – for example a lack of exercise and a generally sedentary lifestyle will serve to increase your chances of becoming obese. Consuming excessive levels of alcohol will also suffice to increase your over all BMI (body mass index). Furthermore, a generally un-healthy diet, lacking fresh fruit and whole meal breads etc, will work in the same way. Children are perhaps more susceptible and if lifestyle changes are not made from an early age, the problem can be carried through to adulthood. It has in fact become a growing problem.
- Lack of physical exercise – Without adequate exercise, calories are not burned off, so in essence the weight will accumulate. Unfortunately in this day and age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to lead completely active lifestyles with jobs requiring people to sit at desks for the majority of the day. Perhaps subsuming this is a clear rise in ‘fast food’ culture amongst younger generations, and less of an inclination to partake in sports due to a rise in hobbies like computer gaming and internet based communications.
- Medical causes - Although infrequent, there are a number of medical factors that contribute to obesity. Conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome (the over production of steroid hormones), and under active thyroid glands. Particular medicines like anti-depressants, can lead to weight gain.
Is there actually a clear cut cure for weight-loss?
Whether there is in fact a clear cut, 100% effective cure for obesity and weight related conditions is still to be proven. If you are to follow the advice of experts (which you will do well to do), exercise and a healthy, well monitored diet will at least stand you in good stead. Furthermore, the launch of innovative ranges of progressive diet pills like Xenical and Reductil, both of which delivered positive results during trials, have provided a ray of hope.
What is the best course of prevention for obesity?
Arguably, the best ‘cure’ for obesity is prevention, and of course prevention requires healthier lifestyles or in the very least, habitual changes are needed.
It can be quite daunting when trawling through various websites, health guides and advice forums in a desperate bid to obtain some information and advice on shedding those pounds. Often, medical experts can appear patronizing. However it is certainly true that a healthier lifestyle with basic changes is your course of prevention. In addition the avoidance of alcohol abuse and smoking will lessen your risk of becoming obese.
If you are suffering from obesity and think that it is the end of life, then you are absolutely wrong. There are weight loss pills now available in the market but they should be strictly taken under the guidance of doctor. Certain people conclude that they are obese just by looking at themselves in mirror but in reality there exists definite formula for deciding the same. If the Body Mass Index of a person is more than or equal to 30kg/m2 then only he is treated as obese and can be prescribed with weight loss pills like Xenical or Reductil.
Out of all the medicines, Xenical is the only medicine which works by blocking the fats from getting absorbed in the body. Hence it is known as fat inhibitor. It blocks about 1/3rd of the fats consumed by a person in his meal. Xenical is thus considered to be the safe medicine as other weight loss drugs work on the nervous system or stimulate the brain and thus suppress your appetite.
One important thing to be noted is that Xenical cannot be described as a wonder drug. Along with the regular dose of Xenical, it is essential that you take a low fat diet and do exercise regularly. A dietician would help in deciding a diet depending on the health of a person. Low fat diet would also reduce the chances of experiencing the side effects of the medicine.
Along with weight loss, Xenical can also help to improve problems like high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. These problems arise as a result of obesity and should be dealt with early in its initial stage.
Obesity is a red alert for the people to realize their health conditions and to work on it before it’s too late. There goes a saying “a stitch in time saves nine”, you people must be wondering where it is applicable here. I want to stress on the point that people should take their obesity issues seriously and find remedy for it as soon as possible before the case worsens. To avoid further complications regarding your health like heart diseases, strokes, cancers and the starting stage of diabetes consult with your doctor about your weight and find a quick treatment for it.
BMI - What is it?
BMI (Body Mass Index) is a scale used to detect whether a person is overweight or obese is. It is like a calculator which equals weight in kilogram divided by height in meter square (kg/m2). BMI ranges which are sometimes shown in a chart do not indicate healthy and unhealthy weight it is just used as a guideline to detect obesity. A person having a BMI 25 to 29.9 indicates overweight and a person having BMI more than or equal to 30 is considered as obese.
Available treatments for Obesity
Though there are numerous causes for obesity, but there are also ways to reduce weight successfully with the appropriate choice of the treatment. You should choose the right treatment according to the severity of obesity. Following are some of the options to get rid of obesity:
- Oral Medication
- Physical activities
- Diet Programs
- Anti-obesity surgery
- Herbal products
Reductil: Assured oral medication for quick weight loss
Reductil, a product of the pharmaceutical company Abbott contains the active ingredient Sibutramin. Reductil is an appetite suppressant and therefore works by affecting the neurotransmitters in the brain. Reductil reduces the hunger even after eating less. Thus we are able to reduce weight as our desire for eating is lessened. Reductil is a prescribed medicine and thus even if you buy it online or over the counter you need a prescription for it. Also study the side effects before consuming reductil.
Glossary of few terms that relate to weight loss:
- Body mass index: A key index for relating a person’s body weight to their height. The body mass index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m) squared.
- Obesity: The state of being above one’s normal weight. BMI greater than 30 results in obesity.
- Overweight: Body weight that falls above the range associated with minimum mortality that is, has more body fat than is required for the normal functioning of the body.BMI greater than 25 and lesser than 30.
- Cellulite: Describes a condition that occurs in men and women (although much more common in women) where the skin of the lower limbs, abdomen, and pelvic region becomes dimpled after puberty.
- Liposuction: It is a procedure involving chemical surgery where excess fat is removed from specific parts of the body through a suctioning process using special instrument called a canula.
- Saturated Fat: A type of fat most often found in animal food products including milk, eggs, meat and butter. Saturated fat is also found in vegetable products such as coconut and palm oil. Studies show that too much saturated fat in a person’s diet increases heart disease risk.
- Unsaturated Fats: Unsaturated fatty acids are found in foods from both plant and animal sources
- Weight Loss: Decrease in total body weight
- Calories: Units of measurement to determine the amount of energy the body is able to get from food.