When excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected the person is said to be suffering from obesity. There are scientific guidelines which classify obesity. This classification helps to choose the various modalities of treatment available. The commonest parameter is body mass index. It is the ratio of weight in kilograms to square of height in meters. Now how do you calculate this? Suppose John’s weight is 80 Kilograms and his height is 1.6 meters. Then multiply 1.6 by 1.6 (this will give square of height in meters), we get 2.56. Now divide 80 by 2.56 (This is the ratio of weight in kilograms to square of height in meters). The answer is 31.25. So John’s BMI (body mass index) is 31.25. There is a difference between being overweight and obese.

It is agreed upon that a combination of excessive calorie consumption and lack of exercise causes obesity but in a minority of cases genetic, medical, or psychiatric illness can be the cause. The easy availability of palatable diet, mechanization in industry and availability of transportation are attributed to rise of its prevalence. A person is said to be overweight when his body mass index is over 25 while he or she is called obese if it is 30 or more.

Obesity invites certain physical and medical debilities like joint pains, particularly in the knees; breathing problems during sleep; diabetes; heart disease; venous thrombosis; liver disease; gall bladder stones; infertility; erectile problems; certain cancers; depression; paralysis; hernia and social stigmatization.

Prevention of obesity is the frontrunner to erode the social epidemic of obesity. Regular timings as well as quantity and quality of food; regular walking or stopping the car in a parking a little away from your office; avoiding the elevators and taking the steps may prove effective. Depression may lead to obesity as one tends to become less active and eat more. Prevent or treat depression. If one is having a body mass index near 25 it is recommended that he or she focuses on weight loss and its techniques. The habit of being weight conscious is to be encouraged.

Diet and exercise is recommended as a treatment to the less obese. While both yield result but they are difficult to practice, slow to get results, temporary in outcome and have variable response. Thus medication is also recommended to patients not desirably responding to diet and exercise. Medicines broadly either reduce absorption of fat from the intestines or act on the brain to reduce appetite. Weight loss is usually modest with medicines but the side effects which vary with drugs include cramps, intestinal discomfort, diarrhea, increase in blood pressure, palpitation, sleeplessness mood changes, drug tolerance and drug abuse.

As a broad guideline surgery is reserved for patients who are obese to the extent that their body mass index is over 40. Now it is known that this treatment, called Bariatric Surgery. is not a bed of roses. It has a wide variety of complications which are too frequent to ignore. These start from as small as wound infection or nausea and vomiting; but may also lead to gall bladder stones; leaks or narrowing from site of intestinal suturing; hernia; breathlessness from lung embolization and even death. A higher suicide rate is reported in some studies amongst patients who have undergone surgery.

Thus treatment modalities include diet, exercise, medication and surgery. Behavioral interventions are also advised so as to control affinity to overeating. Unfortunately none is convenient for the patient. Prevention is better than cure but if the disease has set in all efforts are required to get rid of it.

Here are seven weight loss tips to get you started on getting the body of your dreams!

#1.During your workouts do exercise that incorporate compound movements rather than simple ones. This will not only help in burning more calories, but will also tone more muscle at once! A few good compound movement exercises include: squats, dead lifts, bent over rows, and lunges.

#2. Set fitness goals for yourself. Be sure to write your goals down and post them where you will see them everyday. Your goal may be to lose 5 pounds, to lose 5 inches off your waist. Make sure that you are very specific with your goals, vague goals will get you nowhere. A qualified personal trainer can help you set your goals and guide you to them.

#3. Pump some iron! Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns 30-50 calories per day, while 1 lb of fat only burns about 9 calories per day? The more muscle your body contains the more calories you burn each day. Resistance training has been called the fountain of youth  and it really is!

#4. A great way to burn off excess fat is to walk or jog for as little as 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning. Performing a calorie burning activity right when you wake up is more effective since your body is depleted of calories, and is forced to pull energy from fat stores. A personal trainer can help you identify your ideal target heart rate for maximum fat burn.

#5. Make a habit of weighing and measuring yourself monthly and tracking your gains and losses. I know this sounds tedious but it is a great way to help you prevent gradual weight gain from creeping up when you least expect it.

#6. When lifting weights, try slowing down the speed at which you lower the weight. Lowering weight in a controlled manner will add strength and tone to your muscles and decrease the chance of an injury.

#7. Losing patience with exercise? The key to weight loss and fitness gains is to consistently give your body new challenges. Mix up your workouts every few weeks, and don’t be afraid to try something new! Make your body constantly adapt to new challenges and stimulus. Hire a personal trainer who can help you add new excitement to your fitness program.

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.