Obesity is an imbalance between energy output and energy intake. In other words, it is an imbalance between how much we eat and how much we exercise.
We consume energy in the form of food eaten and beverages taken. We also use or utilize energy by spending it. When more energy is stored in the body, it is stored in the form of fat in certain fatty areas of the body. We all know where the flab appears; in the thighs, arms, the belly and, of course, those awful tires at the back.
The amount of fat stored depends upon the number and size that fat cells in the body. Once those fat cells increase and enlarge in size, it is very difficult to shrink them. That is the reason that an overweight person finds it very difficult to lose weight. It is better to prevent overweight rather than try to lose it. The age old proverb’ an ounce of prevention is better a pound of cure’ is the most apt statement for obesity than any other condition.
Obesity is result of:
Decreased output – increased intake
Sedentary life style –overeating
No exercise tolerance- up right– faulty food habits
No inclination to exercise- down left – excessive sweets
Not being bothered about – excessive fats
Appearance – compulsive eating stress
These groups of factors work both ways and form a viscous circle.
Hazards of obesity
Poor physical appearance
Loss of self –esteem and inferiority complex due to peer remarks
Low exercise tolerance
Wearing out of bones and joint (osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints)
Increase in harmful lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) in the body
Thickening of blood vessels
Heart attacks
Diabetes
Strokes
Varicose veins and swelling in the feet
Cancer of various organs
Premature death
All these hazards occur about 15 to 20 years earlier in an obese patient than in his/her normal-weight counter part. The more obese the person the more hazardous is the consequences.