Obesity has become a pandemic and every family would have someone suffering from it. It is not only food rich in carbohydrates, fat and sugar, it is also linked to your overall lifestyle. Obesity runs in families and so does diabetes (type2). However, it is not only due to genetics; at times it is the family’s culture and lifestyle which adds to it. The major challenge is that the younger generation is getting affected more .
What are the reasons of obesity in the younger generation?
Whenever we cook food at home, we cook adequately, hygienically and evaluate the quantity required for the family.
However, when we order food online, we tend to order more because of many reasons like offers, discounts, combo packs, etc. Everyone feels they may get more at a lesser cost

Day by day, this becomes a habit and one may get addicted to the online food delivery and subsequent overeating. Even parents do not interrupt their kids while ordering and at times even feel proud that even their kid can order food online. Parents either ignore or unaware of the adulterated ingredients, the type of oil used in many of the food joints. Some of the food joints use excess oil, preservatives, artificial colors or favors and even overheat or reheat the food products. I am not even getting into the issues of hygiene or the choice of fresh food or meat. Most of such fast-food consists of large amount of sugars from various sources, fats and carbohydrates with fewer minerals, vitamins or nutrients. This means that the person is consuming a large amount of unhealthy calories in the form of fast food and starts gaining weight, rather fat.

Working parents may not find time for cooking but they have to focus on whether their children are getting adequate nutrients required for healthy growth. They should keep a close watch on the weight of their children and intervene timely.

Hence, the next time you buy a smartphone for your kid and download a food app; take a pause and think about the consequences.

Our grandparents many times eat everything and still stay fit. The secret of their fitness is a healthy lifestyle, fixed routine for work and eating meals, having a balanced diet and home-cooked food. Advanced technology has taken away hard work from us. We easily get what we need just on an app.

Obesity is on the rise and among the youngsters and kids. It is still time to wake up.

COVID-19 era:

Ordering food online may increase! One must learn to count calories and ensure adequate nutrition in the form of food rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. It is possible!

Daily exercise and active living are key to modifying your lifestyle to a healthier one.

Agree with us!

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If you wish to live a healthier lifestyle and stay healthy, you can visit the team of Laparo Obeso Centre, LOC. You can book your consultation even online

Obesity is a multifactorial disease of complex interlinked factors like metabolism, genetics, hormones, environmental factors, etc.

General population including some clinicians always think that obesity treatment is very easy, just diet and exercise. But science and data state otherwise. An almost negligible percentage of people lose significant weight at the end of three years. This is because of the compensatory physiological changes in the body which try to regain the lost weight. For example, as one starts losing weight, the level of hunger hormone starts increasing and the metabolic rate slows down. Even muscles start smart adaptation so as to perform the same task in much lesser calories. Hence, exercise is never advised as a treatment of obesity in any medical literature. However, exercise is important for better health and has a role in the maintenance of weight loss.

Can patients with morbid obesity join Gym?

Patients who wish to join a gym or start a vigorous exercise programme should check their BMI before starting. Those with BMI more than 32.5 are morbidly or severely overweight / obese and such people are unlikely to lose weight and maintain it. However, they may induce harm to their body and joints. Excess weight, in fact, may stress or strain their joints and ligaments and can further induce orthopaedic problems or worsen them. A bariatric physiotherapist is an integral part of an obesity surgery centre and should advise exercise to such a person after proper evaluation.

Correlation Between Obesity and joints and bones:

Most of the patients with obesity have a deficiency of Vit D and may have some degree of osteoarthritis. Excess weight induces strain on the joints and ligaments, changes the centre of gravity, pain on movements or stiffness. Sometimes, torque during exercise may induce a fall or even a fracture.

Every kg of excess weight adds four to six kg of weight over the knee joints, states AAOS (American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons) knee joints, hip joints, spine and ankles are most frequently affected in Indians. Obesity also induces diseases like diabetes, GOUT, heart disease, sleep apnoea, respiratory disorders, neuropathy and these diseases along with musculoskeletal disorders of obesity with or without pain, making it difficult for a person to do routine exercises.

Patients with morbid obesity with OA knees are recommended bariatric surgery prior to joint surgeries. These may prevent joint interventions and improve outcomes of orthopaedic surgeries if needed

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the role of a physiotherapist:

Metabolic and bariatric surgeries are keyhole, laparoscopic surgeries on the stomach or intestines which improve the metabolism, reduce food intake, reduce excess hunger and thereby induce long term and sustained weight loss.

Patients need physiotherapy before and after surgery over the long term. Pre-operative focus is on diet-induced weight loss and improving respiratory reserve as well as ambulatory status. The main focus is on less weight-bearing exercises or short walks more frequently to minimise chances of deep venous thrombosis.

Post-operatively, as the patients start losing weight, all other aspects of physiotherapy are introduced and accelerated slowly in phases and according to the weight loss, as well as tolerance of the patient.

life experiences:

Physiotherapists who work in the bariatric unit have their relatives with obesity undergo bariatric surgery as soon as they see the involvement of joints. The same holds true with orthopaedic surgeons.

Picture perfect example:
A lady with severe osteoarthritis of the knee, who has advised spine surgery as well as knee replacement, is being seen free from all the joint pains after bariatric surgery and physiotherapy.