Food For The Soul

BOITSHEPO GIYOSE | Monday April 16, 2007 00:00

Weight control has become a 21st Century biggest health problem. Before this century, excess weight was the mark of a healthy body, an affluent family, good mothering, and shapely beauty. I suppose the shapely beauty part still applies to a number of societies around the globe. Being underweight or what would now be considered normal weight was held in low esteem. The terms 'overweight', 'overfat' and 'obesity' haunt modern societies.

Although I have not seen the latest statistics on overweight and obesity in Botswana, I would hazard to estimate that more than 20 percent of the population is overweight. Now that is lot of fat people! And the sad thing is that children are part of this pool. No wonder most individuals are on a yo-yo warpath of dieting and desperation.

Obesity occurs when energy intake is more than energy use. Basically, energy balance results when the number of calories consumed equals the number used for energy. If consistently more calories are consumed and there is little activity, the result will be weight gain and the development of those unsightly and embarrassing rolls. To this end, exercise is a valuable aid in achieving energy balance.

I mentioned health risks associated with obesity earlier. Beyond the social, psychological and aesthetic problems that must be dealt with by the obese, there are also a number of serious health problems caused by obesity. Among these problems are high blood lipids (fats); both cholesterol and triglycerides levels tend to rise in the obese, leading to a higher risk of heart disease. Hypertension (high blood pressure) and kidney diseases are common conditions among the obese due to increased workload to move the weight around. Type II diabetes is yet another condition that has been on the rise due to obesity - even in children. Cancers are another reality that obesity brings about.

Interestingly also, premature ageing has been noted among obese individuals. It is actually estimated that the lifespan of an obese person is reduced by 15 years. Imagine that! Those are 15 valuable years during which one can self-actualise. Obesity also affects sexuality. Oh yes in more ways than one! Sexual response diminishes due to both aesthetic reasons and physical barriers. Obesity can even lead to infertility in certain cases, especially among men. In women, menstrual disorders are also common. Obese women experience difficult pregnancies and their infants are likely to suffer foetal distress. There is also a higher stillborn rate among obese women.

If the above health risks and conditions - and that is not even all of them - are not enough to convince us to pare down the fat, I don't know what will... So what is the best way to fight the bulge?

The best advice that one can give is to control eating and prevent excess accumulation. Easier said that done, I am sure a lot of people are thinking... The recommended approach, as I would repeat yet again, is a controlled, but not deficient eating pattern combined with a regular exercise programme. You have to remember that weight problems are easier to correct when they begin to develop. Waiting until excess weight accumulates over the years presents huge difficulties.

Simple monitoring of one's body weight and attention to the fit of clothing through the years can assist with weight control. Don't wait until the button pops or the zipper refuses to shut. Weighing should be done on the same scale weekly, not everyday, at the same time of the day without clothing on, so that the variables, and therefore excuses, are minimised. The practice of keeping some clothing and trying it on, for fit, twice a year is another good monitoring device.  Weight loss and maintenance is most satisfactorily achieved by planning meals around nutritionally-sound food guides that ensure that all the food groups are included, especially fruits and vegetables and less fat. Crash diets, fraudulent and fad diets must be avoided at all costs as they are usually hazardous to one's health. For optimum health, weight control should be established from early childhood. Don't be an obese statistic; get on with the nutrition and exercise plan!