Obesity is a medical problem is abnormal accumulation of fat to the point that it presents a risk to the individual's health.Obesity is the result of eating too much and moving too little.A small percentage of obesity cases are because of genetic predisposition, or as a complication of an existing physiological disorder such as hormonal problems, or psychiatric disorders.On a societal level, the worsening obesity statistics is because of the prevalence of convenience foods, labor-saving technologies at home and at the workplace, and increased reliance on motorized transport.
Obesity can lead to a number of health issues, like cardiovascular complications, elevated cholesterol levels, insulin resistance, joint problems, and persistent low back pain.Fatty liver, sleep apnea, and some forms of cancer are also related to obesity.Among women, obesity can lead to birth defects and complications during pregnancy.As you probably see, obesity affects all major organs and these disorders can severely affect one's quality of life.
For you to get rid of the excess weight, you need to cut down on your calorie consumption and burn more through physical activity.Before starting this weight loss regimen, you have to answer this question first - how many calories should I eat a day?There is no one answer that applies to everyone though as our inherent individual differences with regards to metabolism and physical activity levels determines how many calories we have to eat. If you inquire from a nutrition expert "how many calories should I eat a day?" he or she will answer you by using the Harris-Benedict formula.There are also calculators available online made from the same formula which will show you how many calories you need to eat to achieve your fitness objective, which is in this case, losing weight.
In dieting, quality is just as important as quantity. Hence, you should steer clear of foods that are merely empty calories. These foods have high concentrations of saturated and trans fat, salt, and tend to have high glycemic index as well.Instead, you should increase your intake of negative calorie foods.They are called that way because they require more energy to be digested than it actually provides.Negative calorie foods include celery, apple, and salad greens.
In order to lose considerable weight, you need to increase your physical activity as well.You can do household chores like mowing instead of paying someone else to do it.Spending at least an hour of brisk walking five times a week can help you meet the recommended amount of aerobic activity.To help increase your metabolism and tone your body, it would be good to do resistance training on two or more days of your week as well.