Obesity Can Be Prevented

Obesity Can Be Prevented

Obesity is a chronic disease, meaning it progresses gradually. It is caused by the excessive consumption of fats, sugars, and carbohydrates, which leads to the accumulation of fat in the body.
For your health, take the weight off your shoulders!

What is obesity?

Obesity is a chronic disease, meaning it progresses over time. It is caused by the excessive intake of fats, sugars, and carbohydrates, leading to fat accumulation in the body. Another contributing factor is a lack of physical activity or a very sedentary lifestyle.

Obesity is mainly related to biological, social, cultural, and psychological factors. Many different causes contribute to it. Ideally, treatment should be managed comprehensively by a group of specialists: doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, and physical activity experts.

What are its effects on the population?

Obesity is a global and national public health issue that continues to rise each year. It affects the health of millions of Hispanics and results in high economic costs for families and healthcare institutions.

Overweight and obesity lead to chronic and degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, joint inflammation, and infertility.
One of the main causes of these illnesses is the accumulation of fat, especially in the abdomen.
Almost all people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol are overweight or obese.

What are the symptoms?

• Weight gain

• Difficulty breathing (during the day and while sleeping)

• Fatigue

• Joint pain in knees and feet

• Heartburn and acid reflux

• Swelling

• Leg pain and cramps

• Loss of bladder control

How is it diagnosed?

The most effective way to assess the degree of obesity and overweight in adults is by calculating Body Mass Index (BMI).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria:

• Overweight: BMI between 25.0 and 29.9

• Obesity Grade I: BMI between 30.0 and 34.9

• Obesity Grade II: BMI between 35.0 and 39.9

• Obesity Grade III: BMI of 40 or higher

How can it be prevented and what steps should be taken?

Overweight and obesity can be easily identified, prevented, and treated. Even in severe cases, individuals can reach a healthy weight.

It is recommended that anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or another obesity-related condition lose weight to reach the appropriate weight for their height and age. Doing so can significantly improve health.

General Recommendations:

To improve the health of people with overweight or obesity, here are some simple tips:

• Drink plain water—6 to 8 glasses per day (each glass should be 250 ml). Avoid soft drinks, juices, or any beverages with added sugar.

• Engage in physical activity. Adults should aim for 30 minutes daily, while children and teens should get at least 1 hour.

• Try simple activities such as walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs—basic movements you can gradually increase in intensity and duration.
  The most important thing is to stay active!

• Modify your diet. Increase your intake of vegetables and fruits while reducing foods high in fat, carbs, and salt.

Drink plenty of plain water, get moving, and eat well. Following these three steps will improve your health and motivate you to lose weight.

Recommendations for a healthy diet:

• Avoid foods high in calories such as fried foods, sugary drinks, processed foods, and fast food. These provide a lot of energy, and eating them in excess causes weight gain.

• Spread your meals into 5 eating times: 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 snacks (mid-morning and afternoon).

• Eat foods high in fiber, especially soluble fiber from vegetables and fruits, preferably raw and with the peel. Include legumes, which are a rich fiber source.

• Limit alcohol consumption.

• If you are overweight or obese, replace refined sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners (no calories), such as aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, or sucralose. Moderate use of these is safe for health.

• Serve small portions on small plates to make the food appear more abundant.

• Establish fixed meal times.

• Avoid eating in front of the TV or computer.

• Include vegetables and fruits in your daily meals.

• Choose whole-grain cereals (tortillas, whole wheat bread, pasta, cookies, or oatmeal) for fiber.

• Avoid foods combining sugars and fats, such as sweet bread, ice cream, chocolates, cakes, and similar products.

Cook using these tips:

• Bake, roast, or boil instead of frying, battering, or breading.

• Cook beans and rice without lard, bacon, or other high-fat processed meats.

• Use cooking spray or small amounts of vegetable oil.

• Dress salads with vinegar, lemon, or low-fat dressings.

• Choose lean meats and trim off visible fat. For chicken, remove the skin.

• Reduce your intake of processed meats and sausages (ham, chorizo, bologna, sausage, salami, etc.).

• Prefer low-fat dairy products such as nonfat yogurt, cow’s milk or soy milk, panela cheese, fresh cheese, ricotta, basket cheese, or cottage cheese.

To lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you have the support and guidance of the medical staff at Clinica Romero.