Excessive body fat produces visible body signs and it also contributes to numerous medical conditions such as:
- Diabetes
- Sleep apnea
- Gallstone
- Hypertension
- Heart attack and coronary heart disease
Please note that these diseases are not restricted only to people who are obese or overweight. Conversely, not everyone who is obese or overweight have these conditions.
It is easy to spot someone who is grossly overweight. One is overweight when his or her body mass index (BMI) is greater than 24.9. A person is considered obese when his or her BMI exceeds 30. Go online and plug-in your weight and height in other to get your BMI.
Low energy, lack of stamina, inability to keep pace with ordinary activities, and exercise intolerance are the usual complaints of overweight and obese people.
Fat is a versatile molecule, capable of organizing and colonizing any part of the body. If you do not eat properly, fat will overwhelm you and appear in your cheeks, your neck, your chest, your legs, your butt, and your belly. Excess fat deposits in the face and around the cheeks give a rounded “baby face,” like a cherub. Once you get your nutrition and exercise under control, the fat around the face will dissolve along with overall general body fat.
Excluding any true medical condition, abdominal protrusion, or pot belly, is due to fat accumulation in the abdominal muscle. Similarly, fat can accumulate in the legs, back of the neck, chest, buttocks, and hands.
Fat stretch marks, called striae, may appear on the skin due to rapid weight gain. These marks, normally seen over the abdomen during pregnancy, are also visible on people who are overweight or obese.
Rough skin or a rash caused by friction of the inner thighs is often seen in overweight people, as oversized thighs rub together.
Acanthosis nigricans is a term that refers to the dark pigmentation, mostly at the nape of the neck or the elbows that usually is seen in people who are obese or overweight. It could be an external sign of insulin resistance and prediabetes.
Fat is motile-it can invade any body organs. One of the most recognizable signs of such a condition is when wayward fat tissues infiltrate the liver, causing what is now widely known as the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Accumulation of fat in liver cells may lead to inflammation or disruption and dysfunction of the liver. Obesity is one of many conditions that predispose one to fatty liver formation.
Diabetes
A certain level of sugar in the blood is acceptable and normal. Glycemia refers to the presence of an excess level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Certain foods, especially those with lots of added sugar, can cause a sudden upswing in the blood sugar level. Such foods are said to have a high glycemic index. These are distinguished from foods with a low glycemic index-complex carbohydrates-that lead to a gradual increase rather than a sudden upswing in the blood sugar level.
The problem with a sudden upswing in the blood sugar level is that it triggers a sudden release of the hormone insulin to deal with all that sugar. The rapid release of Insulin causes a sudden drop in blood sugar level, which creates a sensation of hunger, making one more likely to consume more of the sugar-sweetened food. The cycle is repeated over and over if you continue to flood your body with high glycemic meals.
- You must adopt a new lifestyle in order to lose weight, normalize your BMI and avoid some of the above mentioned diseases. It is very easy to do this. I went through that already and I lost thirty pounds.
Here are the quick steps that you can start immediately.
Quick steps to weight loss:
Old habits: fried egg sandwich with butter, cheese, any bread, coffee with sugar.
New habit: Boiled egg sandwich, whole-grain bread, coffee, no sugar please.
