Weight Loss

What is Obesity?

Being overweight or obese is defined as having excess body fat. A way of finding out whether you carry excess weight is by using body mass index (BMI). This tool compares weight and height to give a score that can be used to determine how healthy your weight is. 

• <18.5 is underweight
• 18.5 to 24.9 is a healthy weight
• 25-29.9 is overweight
• >30 is obese

While this tool can be useful for most people, it does not account for build and weight content, eg. people who are tall, short, or muscular. For this reason, it should only be used as a general guide. Body fat percentage can be a more accurate indicator of when it may be time to consider attempting to lose weight. Those with body fat percentages over 25% are generally considered obese.

Obesity in Australia continues to be a major health concern with 2 in 3 Australian adults and 1 in 4 children considered overweight or obese.

What Causes Obesity?

Poor Diet

It’s no secret that a poor diet over a long period of time will result in weight gain. However, what exactly makes up a poor diet is sometimes not so straightforward. The average man will burn 2500 calories daily and the average woman 2000 calories. 

Weight loss will happen once the amount of calories being used daily exceeds daily intake. An excess of daily calories can come from a variety of dietary sources, including:

• Fast food - Fast foods are often high in fats and sugars which cause them to contain significantly more calories than normal meals.
• Alcohol - Alcohol itself is ridiculously calorie dense and is often mixed with other drinks filled with sugars and paired with consumption of calorie-dense foods.
• Overeating - Large portion sizes at each meal can result in significant excess of daily calories.
• Drinking habits - Juices, soft drinks, and milkshakes all contain vast amounts of unnecessary sugars.
• Unbalanced diets - Eating too much of any one food group can result in nutritional deficiencies in others. It can also lead to increased weight gain.

Lack of Exercise

A general lack of exercise will mean the calories burned each day will likely remain lower than the daily intake. This will result in weight gain over time.

Genetics

Studies have found that indeed, genetics play a role in weight loss, weight gain, and obesity. They can affect appetite, metabolism, fat distribution, and the sense of fullness after meals. While this might be true it is also stated that obesity-related to genetics can still be overcome.

Medicines

Some medications can cause weight gain as a side effect. For example, some antipsychotic medicines can cause weight gain by stimulating appetite resulting in overeating. Similarly, some birth control medicines can stimulate appetite and fluid retention causing weight gain. Any weight gain attributed to treatments should be discussed with your GP before potentially changing therapy or managing the side effect.

Medical conditions

A variety of medical conditions can result in weight gain these include:

• Hypothyroidism
• Diabetes
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Depression
• Insomnia

These can all result in weight gain through various pathways and long term management solutions should be discussed with your managing GP if your weight gain is related to a medical condition.

The Risks of Obesity

Obesity can dramatically increase the risk of developing a number of health problems including:

• Cardiovascular diseases - heart attacks and strokes become more likely as fat begins to build up in the blood vessels.
• Sexual - women may experience infertility and irregular menstrual bleeding due to obesity. Obesity in men can result in erectile dysfunction.
• Type 2 diabetes - excess weight can change the way your body responds to insulin over time resulting in diabetes.
• Cancer - being overweight increases the risk of developing cancer of the uterus, liver, prostate, breast, ovary, colon, esophagus, and kidney.
• Digestion - increased risk of developing heartburn and fatty liver disease.
• Sleep apnea - excess fat around the neck can block normal breathing during sleep leading to sleep apnea.
• Osteoarthritis - excess weight on load-bearing joints like the knees can result in an increased risk of osteoarthritis later in life.
• Low self-esteem - dissatisfaction with the shape of your body can lead to serious mental health issues such as loss of confidence and possibly depression.

What are the Benefits of Weight Loss?

Losing as little as 5% of your body weight has been shown to have drastic effects on overall health. The listed risks associated with obesity all have been proven to drop a clinically noticeable amount with this small percentage drop in body weight. 

Weight Loss Treatments

There are many different treatment options for weight loss. All indivudals wanting a healthy weight should focus on a healthy diet and physcial exercise. Weight loss treatment varies depending on individual health and needs and should be determined by a doctor.

Dietitian Appointments

A dietitian can assist in identifying key problem areas to weight loss, working to address them to improve your relationship with food, health and wellbeing. They work with you to establish a balanced and manageable approach to weight loss, focusing on getting long-lasting results. Dietitian services are recommended alongside weight loss medication in order to get the most out of your treatment.

Weight Loss Surgery

There are a number of weight loss procedures available today. Suitability for each will need to be assessed by doctors on a case by case basis and some may not be appropriate for everyone’s different situations.

Lap Band

This procedure involves an inflatable band being placed around a part of the stomach creating a small pouch above the band. This results in being full even after small meals.

Gastric Bypass

As the name suggests, this procedure connects a part of your stomach to a further down portion of the intestine, thus bypassing a large section where food is normally absorbed. 

Gastric Sleeve

This procedure, also known as a sleeve gastrectomy, involved removing a majority (80-85%) of the stomach. This results in a much smaller stomach which requires less food to feel full, reducing the amount of food eaten.

Lifestyle Changes to Lose Weight

Diet

Diet changes are the most important lifestyle change to make for weight control. Weight gain comes from more calories coming into the body than what gets used. Balancing the diet so that you remain at a calorie deficit while trying to lose weight guarantees weight loss.

A common misconception is that fad dieting and diet supplements are the best way to lose weight. While being true in the short term, these fad diets tend to be unsustainable, asking you to completely cut food groups or only eat a couple of different types. Once you stop these types of diets the weight tends to return as calorie intake again increases.

The best weight loss diet is a balanced one. The body requires all different nutrients to thrive, protein, vegetables, grains, and yes, even fats and sugars. The key is the amount of each you consume daily. To get this balance correct it’s best to speak to a dietician or your doctor.

Exercise

Once dietary problems are addressed, next comes exercise. The second half of the weight-loss equation is increasing the number of calories your body burns daily in order to achieve more being used than taken in. As little as 30 minutes of physical activity daily drastically speeds up weight loss. 

In order to feel more comfortable engaging in physical activity, it is recommended you speak to a personal trainer or join a class so you may safely learn exercises with support while your body adjusts to the change in activity.