Obesity means weight greater than what is appropriate for good health. Weight is a crude measurement, and it needs to be adjusted against the height of the person and is also better judged when we divide the weight into fat and muscle components. Why are we worried about obesity? Because excess fat leads to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, knee osteoarthritis and a host of other medical conditions.
However, the greatest impact of excess weight is on women; on their mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life. Weight gain is an inexorable upward trajectory for most women as they get married, have children and attain menopause.
- The first thing I do is validate the woman’s struggle with weight, how difficult it is to lose weight, find time to exercise, and ensure strict diet compliance while juggling kids, family, parents, and work.
- The next step is probably to point out how it is alright for women to prioritise their health over that of their family and not see it as selfish or self-centred. The woman is the glue that holds the family together. If she is not happy and healthy, no one in the family is happy.
- The third step is to suggest small, simple changes in their day to day life like taking the stairs, walking just 30 mins a day, not eating leftovers, being aware of emotional eating or night eating, and cooking healthy food for all.
I believe the best way to lose weight is to follow an eating pattern that is feasible in the long term (moderate carbs, good protein and fibre) under the supervision of a certified nutritionist for a longer period (1-2 years) rather than doing fast diets for short periods and lose weight at greater pace but end up regaining it. This needs to be combined with moderate to intermittent high-intensity exercise like walking, jogging, resistance exercises (weights, resistance bands) done at least five days a week on an ongoing basis.
Focus in any weight loss program is inch loss because that indicates fat loss and better health. Weight in kgs will happen, and inch loss is motivating to keep following the diet and exercise. I aim to gain confidence, self-esteem, and better quality of life for a woman.
The Gender Obesity ratio of a country is a direct reflection of its human development index and gender equality status. Women bear the brunt of obesity in low, middle as well as high-income countries due to various factors like access to good quality food, familial responsibility-taking precedence over personal health, traditional beliefs that weight is a mirror of fertility and nurturing ability.
Watch my webinar with Dr Chitra Selvan and Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker to know how gender influences the development of obesity and why strategies to tackle obesity should not neglect the gender dimension. Click on this link- https://lnkd.in/gwZVrkG