OBESITY
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of how much of your body
is made up of fat. It relates your weight to your height. Your Practice
Nurse can weigh and measure you and tell you your BMI. If your BMI
is over 25 you are overweight, if it is 30 or above, you are obese.
You can use this page to calculate your BMI: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/magazine/interactive/bmi/index.aspx#
Waist
size is another measure. Your increased health risk is greater when
the extra fat is mainly around your waist (apple shaped), rather than
mainly on your hips and thighs (pear shaped). Men with a waist greater
than 94 cm (37 inches) have a moderate increased health risk. Above
102 cm (40 inches) is a high health risk. Women with a waist greater
than 80 cm (32 inches) have a moderate increased health risk. Above
88 cm (35 inches) is a high health risk
What causes obesity and who does it affect?
About 2 in 5 adults in the UK are overweight and a further 1 in 5 are
obese. The main causes of obesity are: overeating and/or eating the
wrong kinds of food; little exercise; some people inherit a tendency
to be obese; a combination of these reasons
What are the benefits of losing weight?
Many diseases are more common in obese and overweight people, and you
are less likely to develop them if you lose some weight. They include:
diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart problems, some types
of cancer, arthritis of the back and legs, gallstones, menstrual
problems, incontinence of urine, breathing problems, some complications
of pregnancy, and depression
Much of the health benefits come with losing the first 5 to 10% of your weight. This is often about 5 to 10 kg (10 kg is about one and a half stone or 21lbs). If you are obese and reduce your weight by 10%:
- You are much less likely to develop the conditions listed above,
such as diabetes
- If you have high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, or diabetes, these
conditions are likely to improve. If you are taking medication for
these problems, you may need a reduced dose
- Your chance of dying at any given age is reduced by about 20%.
This is mainly because you are less likely to die from heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, or obesity related cancers
- Also, it is difficult to measure how much 'quality of life' is
improved if you lose some weight. Many people feel better in themselves,
and have more energy
How can I lose weight?
The best chance of losing weight, and keeping the weight off, is to
be committed to a change in lifestyle. This includes eating a healthy
diet and increasing the amount of exercise that you do. Medication
to help with weight loss is an option in some cases. But, they are
not wonder-drugs, and you still need to eat less. Doctors are given
guidelines and will normally only prescribe a medicine if you have
already lost some weight, but are finding it difficult to lose more
Source: Adapted with permission from a © document supplied by EMIS and PIP
NHS
Direct 0845 46 47 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
