Living with obesity

Obesity is a medical condition that increases your risk of health problems like high blood sugar, heart disease, high blood sugar, kidney problems and joint problems. Obesity can lead to various complications when it is not controlled, and It can even become life-threatening.

A simple way to determine whether you are, underweight, overweight or obese is to use the body mass index (BMI). You can calculate this by dividing your weight (in kilogram) by your height squared (in meters): BMI = kg/m².  If your BMI is over 30 you are obese, and if your BMI is over 40 your obesity is severe.

Your body stores up energy from food and drink that it does not need as fat. When your body requires extra energy, the fat is turned back into energy sources that your body can use. When you are obese, your body has stored up too much unused fat.

When you are diagnosed with obesity you may feel insecure and become very defensive when someone makes a remark about your weight or stares at you. If your obesity is not controlled, you may continue to feel this way for a long time. However, obesity is a condition that can be treated with proper diet, exercise and support. Work towards proper management to feel better and to to avoid complications.

Obesity may  make you less productive than your colleagues. You may also have problems interacting with employers or clients. You should work to overcome this:

• Try not to live an inactive lifestyle. Exercise and work on your body weight, so you can become fit for tasks. This helps to increase your productivity.
• Do not shy away from informing your employers when a particular task is challenging due to your obesity.
• Master a skill required by your profession and make this to your advantage.

Your healthcare provider will recommend a diet that you can adopt. Apart from this, you can:

• Eat more nutritious foods like vegetables and take more fruits especially oranges. Avoid fried foods. Eat light at 8 am, eat a heavy meal at noon and eat only fruits or vegetables at 6 pm. Do not eat a meal or snacks after 6 pm. This way, your body is forced to make use of the stored up fats.
• Pay attention to what you eat. For example, milk is a good source of protein but can cause you to gain weight. Drink milk with a lower fat content (skimmed milk) instead.
• Quit drinking alcohol because alcoholic drinks contain a lot of calories. In addition, avoid carbonated drinks or soft drinks. Drink less fruit juices. Drink water instead.

• One of the major causes of obesity is living an inactive life. Therefore, regularly engaging in exercises can correct this.
• Enroll at a gym near your home or work and do not miss your sessions. Otherwise, you may jog on your streets for 15 minutes every morning.
• You can engage in home exercises such as jumping jacks, skipping, sit-ups, press-ups that will help build your muscles. Remember to start small and be consistent.
• Do not take a bike or tricycle for a walkable distance.
• Download mobile phone applications for home exercises and start small.
• If you mostly sit during working hours, get up and walk around for 10 minutes every hour.

If you are overwhelmed by remarks or stares, talk to someone you trust in your family. Communicate how you feel and how you would like to be treated. In turn, they can help you keep tabs on your exercises, diet and weight loss program.

Living healthier may not cost you much more than you spend already. Fruits, vegetables, lean meat and skimmed milk do not have to be more expensive than fried and fatty foods. You can exercise for free. Unless you develop complications from untreated obesity, you may not spend more money on living more healthily.

Living with obesity causes more harm than good. It shifts a person's focus from their environment to worrying a lot about their outlook. It is worse if obesity is caused by genetics. This implies that no matter how you work on weight loss, it just won't go away. Nonetheless, engage in physical activities, watchful eating, and pay less attention to the stigma. The most important thing is to live with a reduced risk of health-related problems.