Losing weight in obesity safely and effectively

Why is it important to treat obesity?

Modern doctors call obesity the main epidemic of the 21st century - it affects more people than the ubiquitous flu or the sensational Ebola. It has not only aesthetic aspect but also serious health danger. Obesity is strongly associated with diabetes, heart diseases, atherosclerosis, joint diseases, and even some types of cancer. What if the epidemic has infected you too?

A beautiful figure is every woman's dream. At the same time, it is not necessary to be perfectly thin, since slightly overweight ladies can also look great. But there are situations when the excess weight is too large, and then it is necessary not just to lose weight, but to treat obesity.

How to determine if you are obese?

You can understand how much the body weight is increased by calculating its index. To do this, divide the weight in kilograms by the value obtained by squaring the height in meters. For people of normal weight, BMI should not exceed 25. Sometimes obesity treatment in men and women may be needed, even if the problem is not visible externally. If the BMI is from 25 to 30, then the excess is insignificant, and a person, in the absence of health problems, may not go to obesity treatment clinics, it is enough to follow a diet to bring the weight back to normal. If the BMI goes over 30, then the treatment of obesity of the 1st degree is necessary.

Finding out whether to perform obesity treatment can be done in a simpler way that does not involve weighing. After measuring the waist circumference, compare the figure obtained with the maximum figure for a normal weight. If obesity is found in women, treatment must be started from the 88 cm mark on the centimeter tape. For men, this figure is 102 cm.

BMI is a relative indicator of obesity. You can reliably find out whether excess weight is dangerous for health and life by contacting a specialist. Very often, grade 3 obesity cannot be treated independently. This is due to the reasons for the deposition of excess fat.

Overweight factors

Full diagnostics and treatment of obesity in special clinics are performed only after the reasons for the excess weight gain have been clarified. The work involves nutritionists and endocrinologists. Most often, abdominal obesity has to be treated due to uncontrolled food intake by the patient. An increase in subcutaneous fat mass, especially in the abdomen, can occur in both women and men. In this case, obesity treatment by a doctor will help you quickly return to normal body weight without the use of serious drugs.

There is another reason why abdominal obesity appears in women; treatment requires the right approach. This reason is associated with a malfunction of the thyroid gland, and cannot be eliminated without consulting an endocrinologist. By fully understanding the underlying causes of obesity, treatment of the symptoms, i.e. excess weight, can be accelerated.

How to lose weight?

What measures should be taken if you notice that you are gaining excess weight?

You should not run for advice to your friends or relatives, as they hardly have the necessary knowledge base. Correct actions are:

- Find out the reason for the appearance of excess weight - for this you need to consult a dietitian or nutritionist-endocrinologist, who will prescribe a list of tests. The results will show if there are internal causes of excess body fat. You may also be sent for a consultation with narrow specialists - a gynecologist, urologist, cardiologist, and/or psychologist.
- Find the right weight loss program that includes a balanced diet for weight loss (not just a "general" diet), developed by a nutritionist, and a set of exercises. Also, if necessary, medication can be prescribed. Only specialists deal with this issue - there should be no elements of self-medication. One of the most commonly used drugs is Orlistat (Orligal). It is a drug that prevents fats consumed with food to be stored in the body. It is one of few FDA-approved drugs for obesity treatment. Although you can buy it without a prescription on the Internet, it is still highly advised to consult a doctor first.
- Strictly adhere to all the recommendations of doctors and strive for a positive result.

How is obesity treated?

- At home, obesity of the 1st degree in women, treatment can be performed after examination by a specialist. After consulting a nutritionist and prescribing tests, patients usually receive recommendations to cope with excess body fat on their own.
- For patients with grade 2 obesity, treatment includes dietary changes and exercise. If hormonal disorders are detected, the doctor prescribes drugs that stabilize the work of the endocrine system. Sometimes, surgery on the stomach is made so that its size is lowered and a patient needs less food to feel saturated. With a careful approach, even the most neglected situations can be corrected, and you can regain your slim figure and health.

How to do sports in obesity?

With obesity, any physical activity is a serious problem. Some believe that losing those extra pounds of fat can be as simple as running fast or jumping rope, for example. Even these simple types of loads suffer significantly in the performance quality with a large weight. And the ligaments and joints are downright "screaming for mercy." Running to the gym immediately after you've been diagnosed with obesity is a bad idea. First you need to consult with the surgeon about your health and physical capabilities.

Sports for obesity of 2-3 degrees

Just moving to "accelerate" metabolism is not enough. If you have chosen such a path, you may not even hope for the result. It is imperative to follow the regime - 3 hours of cardio training and two strength training per week. If done regularly, such a regimen will increase the result of any diet and "provide insurance" against excess weight after the end of the diet.

If sports are prohibited by a doctor due to joint problems and you are now losing weight using the “lying on the couch” method, you have come to the wrong conclusion. With a lot of weight, such a type of fitness activity as callanetics is ideal. This system of exercises does not include those that place significant stress on the joints. Callanetics is great for home workouts: turn on the video, don't be ashamed of anyone, and start your workout. Plus, save money on going to the gym. Callanetics speeds up metabolism and helps to reduce body volume without pumping up muscles. Two hour sessions a week - and the result will be obvious.

If you have orthopedic concerns, cardio is best done in the pool. The aquatic environment takes on a significant part of the harmful load in this case, preventing the joints and ligaments from being injured. In addition, the spine rests during swimming. 3 hours in the pool + 2 hours of callanetics weekly helps to get rid of shortness of breath and the constant feeling of fatigue that plague all obese people.

Sports for obesity 1 degree

So, you managed to lose a certain mass (or it you didn’t have it at all). Now you would like to quickly lose the remaining extra pounds and still maintain health. The “forbidden list” of workouts is still valid for you, so you shouldn't go all out. Fitbox, step, tai-bo, ki-bo - you will have to temporarily abandon constant jumps and shock loads. They can be used when you move from the category of "obesity" to the category of "overweight". Better to occupy yourself with "dancing" sports - rumba, belly dancing, bachata, and so on. If dancing isn't your thing, try cycling or cardio equipment.
For men would, it is advised to give up training with large weights. You will obviously not become Apollo, but you can get trauma very quickly. It is best to train with moderate weights using functional exercises with high repetitions.

For beginners in sports who are mildly obese, static loads are suitable - Pilates, callanetics, yoga, bodyflex. They will strengthen your muscles without risking injury.

The loads need to be increased gradually. It is better not to change the training style from time to time - this will slow down weight loss, since the body will rebuild from one lifestyle to another. And, of course, you should always be guided by the instructor's recommendations, read useful books and articles, so that the new training does not pass by you and your excess weight.

How to know whether chosen sport is suitable for you?

To know whether a workout is too much for you, check your pulse. The first 3 months of physical exercising should be focused on the fat burning workouts at the therapeutic heart rate zone of 60-75% of the maximum heart rate. This heart rate zone is optimal for activating adipose (fat) tissue and not overstraining the heart. You can calculate your maximum heart rate using the formula: 220 minus age (or, better consult a specialist for more precise data based on your health condition). For a 40-year-old healthy person, the cardio zone of the maximum load is 180 beats per minute, and for his/her peer with excess weight - 108-135.

The intensity of a workout determines what will be the source of energy for the exercise - creatine phosphate (a molecule that concentrates energy and is found inside every cell), carbohydrates or fats. Intense workouts burn creatine phosphate, moderate – carbs, and low – fats. Thus, when you need to burn fat you need to practice low intensity long workouts.

Can obese people do yoga?

In obesity yoga is one of the safest workout options. However, you should not try to do all of the poses at once. Start from the easy exercises that can be made sitting or lying on the floor.

You should remember that obese people usually have violated breathing – their diaphragm is compressed due to visceral fat (fat accumulation around the abdominal organs). This makes them unable to breathe correctly as required in yoga so they breathe moving not the abdomen but shoulders which leads to neck osteochondrosis.

Before starting doing yoga, learn to breath correctly: lie your hands on the stomach when you are half-lying, make a deep breath in the abdomen, then breathe out, keeping your forearm and trapezius muscles completely relaxed. Thanks to this, all the energy goes into the stomach.

Is walking effective for weight loss?

There are many people among centenarians who say that their secret of longevity is in constant movement. Most often, they practice low-intensity, but prolonged loads such as walking. Doctors recommend to walk 10-12 thousands steps daily. You can easily track whether you reached your norm using wrist tracker.

Only a hundred years ago, a person on average walked 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles) a day. Nowadays, an inhabitant of a big itty walks at best only 2-3 km. When a person walks long distances, they train the mechanism of fat utilization. What does it mean? The body needs a source of energy, and it can naturally activate adipose tissue for this. But if a person consumes carb-rich food every 2 hours, then they simply do not allow fats to connect to energy production so they are transformed into body fat. To help burn fat and provide energy, obese people can benefit from intermittent fasting (for example, 1 day per week), fasting, or skipping dinner.

How to maintain motivation during weight loss?

A good motivation is losing weight with your partner, friend, family member, or even with strangers who connected through the Internet or otherwise created weight-loss clubs. Doing sports with somebody with the same goal makes workouts more fun.

To become more organized and goal-oriented, you can set deadlines/milestones, for instance, lose certain amount of pounds to a certain date.

Can you use drugs to boost metabolism?

There are multiple weight-loss pills on the market but only some of them indeed are effective and safe (for instance, Orlistat is safe, it affects fats metabolism exclusively). Our online drugstore offers different medicines that promote weight loss through different mechanisms. You can buy them without a prescription from your doctor but we still highly recommend you to consult a doctor first.

Weight loss drugs offered by RXShopMD

Post by: Kylie Richardson, General Practitioner, Rotterdam, Netherlands