For the Secretariat of Health, the meaning of obesity is the excessive accumulation of body fat that can harm your health and is generally derived from an energy imbalance between the consumption and expenditure of calories.
Suffering from obesity can affect many factors in your life, physically and mentally or socially. Generally, people who suffer from obesity also have other diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, respiratory failure, among others, and may also suffer from physical limitations to exercise due to bone and joint problems.
Obesity can be detrimental to the body, especially to the heart, but the good news is that different paths can be followed and steps to take to regain the recommended weight and, above all, physical health.
What is losing weight and why is it important?
When you’re obese, losing weight means “less heart disease, less diabetes, and less cancer” (according to Robert Eckel, former president of the American Heart Association).
Losing weight translates into improving metabolism and this begins when people with obesity lose around 10% of their current weight. Losing weight reduces the risk of myocardial infarction and heart disease, it also reduces the possibility of suffering from high blood pressure, sleep apnea, reduces bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and increases good cholesterol (HDL)
How to detect obesity
Health standards relate to what you currently weigh and the amount of body fat you have. The standard, which is considered to be “in the weight”, is to have a body mass index (BMI) of 17.5 to 25 kg/m2. If it is higher, it is considered overweight and if the BMI is 40 or more, then it is called extreme obesity (morbid obesity).
How to take care?
Taking action to lose weight and improve your health can be a bit overwhelming and feel difficult. The key to start losing weight is to find the ideal specialist who can treat the condition, this is especially important because it will be easier to improve your lifestyle.
