Australian institute of health and wellness estimated that 2 in 3 (67%) Australians aged 18 and over were overweight or obese in 2017–18. Overweight or obesity refers to body weight which is higher than what is considered normal or healthy for a certain height.
Overweight and obesity are generally due toabnormal or excessive body fat that presents a risk to health. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
Even a small weight reduction of 5-10% can be really beneficial in reducing the disease risk
Overweight and obesity are generally due toabnormal or excessive body fat that presents a risk to health. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
Even a small weight reduction of 5-10% can be really beneficial in reducing the disease risk
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a measure of body fat based on weight and height to tell if you are at a healthyweight, overweight, or have obesity. A healthy BMI is in the range of 18.5-24.9. Anythingbelow is classified as underweight and above is overweight. However, extra body weight maybe due to extra muscle or water. Therefore it should be considered when using BMI.
Waist Circumference
Waist circumference (WC) is a simple method to assess abdominal adiposity that is stronglyassociated with all-causeand cardiovascular mortality. As a general guide, increased obesity-related health risks are associated with a WC greater or equal to 94 cm in men and 80 cm inwomen.
Risk factors
- Genetic
- Some diseases such as hypothyroidism
- Side effect of some medication
- Extra calorie intake
- Sedentary lifestyle
Energy balance
If we eat more than our energy requirement, extra energy intake will be transformed to fatand stored in adipose tissues. Matching the amount of food you eat, to the amount of energyyou use throughout your day is important. Putting too much fuel in your body can lead toweight gain. It is also called positive energy balance and in order to lose weight, we will haveto be in a negative energy balance which means eating fewer calories than you burn. Foodsthat are high in total fat and sugar are high in energy so we will be looking at these foods andwe’ll try to swap them with low fat and reduced sugar options.
Fats
Fats are one of the three main types of foods which have the highest energy content of allfoods which is why they contribute more to weight. Limiting the amount of fat in your dietwould have greater effect. Takeaway foods are also high in fat and they should be avoided orconsumed once in a week.
Sugar
Sugary foods are also high in calorie and can affect blood sugar and hormones which increasefat storage. Moreover these foods are less filling and may cause over-eating.
Cooking method
Choosing different cooking methods such as steam cooking, baking, grilling or even usingbarbecue in place of frying in margarine or any type of fat would make a great difference
For more information discuss with your dietitian