66 December 2014 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | wellbeing The Big Issue If the figures on your scale are having a frenzy this season, it’s time to take charge of your health. Behnaz Sanjana talks to the experts on how to safely shed that unwanted baggage and prevent from tipping the scales towards obesity. At some point in time we’ve all been at war with our scales – only to retaliate with harmful dieting and then eating everything in sight. What has transpired over the years to cause this? THE FACTS Your ideal weight range depends on height, age and gender. A 20 per cent excess over this range is considered ‘overweight’. When this overweight status is exceeded by another 20 per cent, you’ve joined the ever-growing obesity club. Obesity is measured using yardsticks like Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, waist circumference and the body fat percentage. “Being overweight is a result of energy imbalance over a period of time. An energy imbalance arises when the number of calories consumed is greater than the number of calories used by the body,” says Dr Archana Ainapure, a nutritionist at VLCC Bahrain. Conditions like Hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone, and Hyperinsulinemia, where there are excess levels of insulin circulating in the blood than expected relative to the level of glucose, cause excessive weight gain and could be hereditary. But families also share lifestyle habits that may contribute to obesity. “Separating these from genetic factors is often difficult,” adds Dr Archana. What has changed between the 1990s and now? The villain that is junk food peaked and found its way into our gut. “Fast foods are calorie dense and available in large portions at low prices. This automatically leads to overeating,” says Dr Archana. Take a sedentary lifestyle devoid of any exercise, for example, and add stress and sleep disturbances. This lethal combination saps energy and increases sluggishness and weight gain. However, some lucky ones can eat a walrus and still be a size 12. It all boils down to one’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is the energy expended by the body for basic functions – the beating of the heart, blood circulation and
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