What are the lifestyle changes to fight obesity?
- Set a realistic weight loss goal
- Maintain a balanced diet and reduce calorie intake
- Drink plenty of water instead of sugary drinks
- Be mindful of your eating habits
- Gradually increase your physical activity every day
Obesity refers to the condition wherein a person has an excessive amount of body fat. For many people, obesity has something to do with mere appearance. But the truth is that obesity is a serious disease that can increase the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, mental illness, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, and many types of cancers. In general, obesity can lead to a lower quality of life. The good news is that there are a few lifestyle changes you can do to manage obesity. In this article, we list down the best lifestyle changes to fight obesity.
How Obesity Is Defined and Diagnosed
Before learning about the lifestyle changes for obesity, it is important to understand how exactly obesity is defined first.
Many often confuse being overweight and being obese. While it is true that both terms mean that an individual’s weight is more than what is considered healthy for one’s height, they both have a clear difference. Being overweight means weighing too much. This weight can come from the bones, body water, muscle, and fats. On the other hand, being obese means having very high body fat.
To diagnose obesity, a doctor will check your body mass index (BMI). A BMI of 25.0 to <30.0 falls within the range of being overweight. But if your BMI is 30.0 or higher, you are considered obese.
Unfortunately, obesity is a chronic medical condition that has no “quick fix”. If you want to lower your risk of more serious disease complications, below are the best obesity management tips to follow:
Set A Realistic Weight Loss Goal
Even a weight loss of about 5 to 10 percent of your total bodyweight can already significantly reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases related to obesity. You can benefit from reduced blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol if you set a realistic weight loss goal.
Maintain A Balanced Diet and Reduce Calorie Intake
The lifestyle changes for obesity focus on weight loss through several methods. One of these is maintaining a balanced diet.
Obese individuals should consume nutrients from different food groups, but also limit foods that are high in calories. As a rule of thumb, you can reduce your calorie intake by 600 calories per day. For men, this means eating less than 1,900 calories per day, and for women, this means eating less than 1,400 calories per day.
The best way to achieve weight loss is to swap unhealthy and high-calorie food choices — such as trans fats, salty foods, fried foods, processed foods, refined carbohydrates/starches, packaged snacks, and fatty meats — for healthier food choices.
A healthy diet would include:
- Plenty of fruits
- Plenty of vegetables
- Lean meats
- Eggs, beans, poultry, and non-dairy sources of protein
- Whole grains
Drink Plenty of Water Instead of Sugary Drinks
Drinking sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, powdered drinks, sweetened coffee drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened tea is associated with excessive weight gain and other serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease.
Instead of drinking sugary drinks, drink water. Water not only quenches your thirst but also helps you feel full when you are trying to cut down on weight.
Be Mindful Of Your Eating Habits
Certain eating habits can contribute to weight gain. For example, some people can tend to eat more when they are under high amounts of stress, sadness, or boredom. Other people can also end up eating more when they are distracted while watching movies or while working.
Being more mindful of your eating habits is one of the best lifestyle changes for obesity. Do the following to help change your eating patterns:
- Keep a food log of everything you eat
- Maintain a schedule for eating to avoid overeating under stress
- Sit down at the table for meals and chew your food slowly
Gradually Increase Your Physical Activity Every Day
It is well-known that regularly exercising promotes weight loss by increasing metabolism and burning calories.
For those with obesity, a higher level of physical activity is required, which can be extremely challenging. Therefore, the best tip is to gradually increase physical activity every day. This way, you can build your endurance and find it easier to be active.
You can start with the simplest ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine, such as running errands by walking instead of driving or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Then, you can do low-impact exercises, such as swimming, yoga, or cycling.
When it comes to losing weight, consistency is important. So, you can also try choosing physical activities that you will enjoy. It may be useful to exercise with a friend or family member to stay motivated as well.
Key Takeaway
Experts say that the rates of people becoming obese are so high that we have reached epidemic proportions. The lifestyle changes to fight obesity center on weight loss, which can be very challenging.
If you need expert help on losing weight, get in touch with Perpetual Help Medical Center – Las Pinas!
Our LIVLITE Bariatric and Metabolic Center provides medical intervention for individuals with obesity. We work with patients to find the best way to lose weight and enjoy an improved quality of life through lifestyle changes, pharmaceutical intervention, or Bariatric surgical procedures. Contact us online, call us at (+632) 8874-ALTA | (+632) 8874-8515 or visit us at Alabang-Zapote Rd., Pamplona III Las Pinas City, Philippines 1740.
