Weight Continues to Increase; Prevent Obesity by Doing This

Someone will be said to be too fat or obese if their Body Mass index, or BMI, is more than 27.0. Obesity is a condition in which fat accumulates in the body due to the fact that the incoming calories are greater than those burned. Obesity can trigger chronic diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), and high blood pressure (hypertension). In addition, obese people are also at risk of respiratory obstruction while sleeping. In fact, it can trigger prostate gland cancer for men and breast and cervical cancer for women.

Obesity occurs in a person because of the following:

1. Unhealthy diet

1. Overeating (large portions)
2. Often eat and irregular
3. Often snacking
4. Eat in large quantities and in a short time (in a hurry).
5. Avoiding breakfast so that you increase the portion of lunch or dinner
6. Consuming a lot of fried, fatty, and sweet foods.
7. Consuming fast food
8. Less fruit and vegetable consumption

2. Activity patterns

1. Lack of physical exercise. Physical activity carried out continuously for less than 30 minutes per day
2. Lack of movement (for example, preferring to use a motorized vehicle instead of walking, using the elevator instead of the stairs, etc.)

3. Congenital defects
4. Consuming certain drugs that can trigger weight gain
5. Mood changes that can increase appetite, for example, being sad, stressed, or angry
6. Sleep disturbances, thereby increasing the production of the hormone ghrelin, which functions to stimulate appetite.
7. Increasing age triggers hormonal changes and the body's need for calories.
8. Weight gain in pregnant women

Obesity in its early stages has no symptoms. Sufferers will realize the symptoms of obesity after relatives or the surrounding environment remind or tell them. To determine obesity, it is done by calculating a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 27.0. However, at an advanced stage, obese people also generally experience complaints in the form of :

1. Accumulation of fat in the body, especially around the waist.
2. Easy to sweat
3. Frequent snoring
4. Shortness of breath
5. Trouble sleeping
6. Easily tired
7. The skin folds are damp from sweat, causing irritation.
8. Pain in the joints or back.

Obesity, if left unchecked, can cause health problems such as the following:

1. Obesity can lead to coronary heart attacks, strokes, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), and hypertension (high blood pressure).
2. Obesity has a 3-fold risk of developing gallstones.
3. Obesity is at risk of causing breathing obstruction while sleeping.
4. Obesity has a high risk of causing cancer. Men are at high risk for colon and prostate cancer, while women are at high risk for breast and cervical cancer.
5. Obesity increases the risk of fat in the blood and uric acid.
6. Obesity can lead to decreased reproductive fertility.

Obesity can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Methods for preventing obesity or reducing or maintaining ideal body weight can be done in the following ways:

1. Know your ideal weight and waist circumference, and weigh yourself once a week.
2. Reduce your intake of fast food and foods or drinks that contain sugar. Minimum 5 servings per day or the equivalent of 450 g/day (2/3 vegetables, 1/3 fruit)
3. Consuming complete and balanced, nutritious food
4. Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
5. Exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week.
6. Adequate rest time
7. Manage stress well.
8. Do not consume cigarettes and alcohol.

If Hermina's friend experiences any of the above health problems, immediately consult dr. Dani Farid Abdullah, Sp.DP, FINASIM, M.KM. He is an Internal Medicine Specialist at Hermina Tasikmalaya Hospital.