Obesity in adults

What is it Obesity ?

Obesity refers to excess body fat compared to the norm for one’s age and sex. It is considered a long-lasting problem, which often begins at a young age. Obesity often has serious physical, psychological and social consequences. This is a medical problem because obese people die younger than average. These people also more often have other health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (heart attack (infarction) or stroke), cancer, sleep apnea, asthma. , osteoarthritis, liver disease (fatty liver disease (fatty liver disease)),…. It is therefore important to prevent excess weight or to treat the problem as soon as possible.

For practical reasons, being overweight is generally defined as too much weight for height. This ratio is expressed by the body mass index (BMI). The formula is to divide the weight by the height squared. The result of this calculation is expressed in kg / m2.

We talk about being overweight as soon as the BMI exceeds 25 kg / m2. There are several categories of overweight. So overweight and obesity are two different categories.

Being overweight corresponds to a BMI between 25 and 29.9;
Obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

However, the notion of BMI should be used with caution because, by strictly applying the formula, you might think that a bodybuilder is suffering from obesity. However, in this specific case, the excess weight is due to a large muscle mass, and not to an excessive fat mass. Obesity is essentially an excess of body fat. But, in practice, it is not easy to measure the percentage of fat. This is why the BMI is a much more practical instrument for assessing excess weight in the general population.

The amount of extra pounds is important for your health, but the type of excess weight is also important. Fat can accumulate in the stomach and / or other areas of the body, such as the hips and thighs. With a little imagination, you can compare a person’s body shape to the shape of an apple or a pear. The risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is highest in people who have apple-shaped bodies, that is, those who have excess belly fat. Waist circumference is therefore considered to be at least as important as weight. We speak of abdominal obesity when the waist circumference exceeds 88 cm in women, and 102 cm in men.

The two main causes of being overweight are eating too much and not expending calories. In rare cases, there is a condition at the root of the excess weight, such as an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

What is its frequency?

About 15% of the total population, i.e. of all men and women of all ages suffers from obesity. In the 35-59 age group (the so-called “working population”), 28% of women and 49% of men are overweight (BMI over 25 kg / m2). Obesity (BMI over 30 kg / m2) affects 13% of women and 14% of men.

How is the diagnosis made?

The doctor monitors your weight by weighing you regularly, weighing is part of the routine checks. The degree of excess weight can be assessed by calculating BMI (body mass index) and measuring waist circumference.

To calculate your BMI, you divide your weight by your height (in meters) squared. If the calculated value is between 25 and 30, it is a question of overweight. If the result of the calculation is greater than 30, it is referred to as obesity. If it is over 40, it is morbidly obese. The adjective “morbid” means that your risk of developing serious health problems and conditions increases.
Your doctor also measures your waist measurement. A waist circumference greater than 88 cm in women or 102 cm in men corresponds to a considerable increase in cardiovascular risk.

BMI gives the most correct estimate of the degree of overweight, while waist circumference is more useful in assessing central obesity, where fat is mostly found in the belly (“apple shape”).

Often, a blood test is also done to check for any conditions associated with obesity.

If the doctor suspects an eating disorder, he will talk to you about it.

What can you do ?

You can lose weight in 2 ways: by eating less and better, and by moving more. It is the basis of all treatment.

Eat better and less

Changing your eating habits is one of the two pillars of treatment. This is also one of the most difficult aspects. Often it is not just about changing

eating habits, but also to adapt your entire lifestyle. A lot of people don’t necessarily eat too much, but poorly. They consume foods that are too high in calories, too rich in fats and sugars. To find out if this is the case for you, you can keep a food journal. Write down everything you eat and drink for a set period of time, such as a week, then see a dietitian or nutritionist. This professional will be able to calculate how many calories you need and how many calories you actually consume. Then, he will suggest a tailor-made adaptation of your diet.

The end goal is to lose 5-10% of your weight, and maintain that weight loss. So, for a 100kg person, the goal is to lose 10kg.

To achieve this result, losing more or less 500 grams per week seems an acceptable goal. It is also possible that the weight loss will be slower.

Sometimes, giving up soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, snacks such as crisps, peanuts and cookies, and ready-made meals (which are usually very high in salt and fat) is already enough to get good results. Soft drinks can contain up to 13% sugar, which equates to over 20 lumps of sugar per liter! Even fruit juices without added sugar can legally contain 5% sugar. The basis is to eat as much fresh food as possible and drink plenty of water. Not only is it healthier, the water also helps flush out the waste products resulting from weight loss.

Eat 3 meals a day. Avoid skipping or suppressing meals. If you can’t do it on your own, see a dietitian or nutritionist.

There are many “special” diets, such as the Fat Free or Carbohydrate Free Diet, Food Alternatives, Ketogenic Bread, Weight Loss Pills, the Atkins Diet, the Montignac Diet, … but be careful before you start. Removing certain ingredients can even be dangerous for your health and lead to serious deficiencies. Special diets are also very difficult to adhere to, while a healthy and balanced diet is easier to stick to in the long run.

Never buy diet pills on the Internet. They are generally expensive and can be dangerous to your health. They may contain mixtures of plants and substances such as thyroid powder.

A good tip: at the beginning, don’t set yourself too ambitious goals. By losing 10% of your weight, you will already significantly improve your health. If you weigh 100 kg, for example, losing 10 kg will already have positive effects on your health. Blood pressure will improve, the sugar (blood sugar) levels of diabetics will be better regulated, and people will already feel much better about themselves. Eventually, you can take further steps towards greater pea loss, but the main thing is not to regain the lost pounds.

It is better to be accompanied by a dietitian or a nutritionist. These professionals can give you information and advice to help you. Your general practitioner is obviously a good resource person as well. The food pyramid is a good basis for information on healthy eating.

Physical activity

The second pillar is to increase your calorie expenditure by moving more. All forms of exercise are good, but the more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. Walking, swimming and cycling are therefore excellent, but other forms of exercise such as dancing for example. It is estimated that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (brisk walking, swimming, cycling, gardening) is required per week. You can easily reach this quota by doing half an hour of exercise 5 times a week. Leave the car in the garage a little more often and go shopping on foot. If you’re having trouble doing it on your own, consider joining a group. Your mutual company intervenes in the contribution of a sports club.

If you are only slightly overweight and have only a few pounds to lose, you will most likely get it this way. If you are severely overweight and have associated conditions, it is best to be accompanied by a doctor and a dietitian. A specialized physiotherapist can also provide you with good advice for healthy physical activity. Find out from reliable sources, because there is a lot of contradictory and even false information circulating. Along with the food pyramid, the physical activity pyramid is also important: it clearly sums up the ty

physical activity and indicates the amount of activity per day or per week to be in good health.

What Can Health Professionals Do?

The doctor will first of all detect conditions that result from being overweight or that are related to them in order to treat them if necessary. He will therefore often start with a blood test to better assess your state of health. This assessment will include a measurement of sugars, fats and thyroid function. It will also take your blood pressure and measure your waistline, weight and height. He will review your eating and exercise habits, and possibly take a closer look at some psychological factors. Indeed, some react to problems or stress by eating too much (binge eating). On the basis of all these elements, the doctor will suggest a treatment. Naturally, a dietitian or a nutritionist doctor will also be called upon. You will decide how much weight to reach. It doesn’t have to be an ideal weight, but rather a healthy weight. Most often, we aim for a loss of 5 to 10% of the initial weight.

There are several treatment options:

Support and accompaniment

The objective of this support is mainly to change eating habits and lifestyle. To do this, you need to know your body’s needs, the importance of regular physical activity and the possible difficulties. In consultation with your health professionals, you will set feasible goals; the results will be closely monitored. Losing more or less 500 grams per week seems an achievable goal.

Recently, your general practitioner can also encourage you to practice physical activity as part of Sport on prescription. This program entitles you to the help of a sports coach for a democratic price. The coach must meet some requirements imposed by the public authorities and establish, with you, a concrete sports program. It supports you with information and concrete recommendations, and motivates you to stick with it. Do not hesitate to ask your GP for more information.

Medications

Currently, there is only one drug (orlistat) on the market that can promote weight loss. This medicine decreases the absorption of fat from the intestine.
Its side effects include oily stools, urge to bowel movements, and faecal incontinence. Prolonged intake sometimes leads to a lack of certain vitamins (fat soluble vitamins (fat soluble)).
There is little scientific evidence to support the weight loss and reduced risk of disease or death achieved with this drug.

Obesity surgery (bariatric surgery)