OBESITY AND HEALTH
Updated: Feb 10
We're back!
And boy do we have some things in store for you!
Those whom know me will know by now that I am passionate about Health & Fitness. As someone whom has formerly battled against being overweight I am also just as personally driven & focused on getting clients sustainable results!
In my latest article I take a closer look at our nation's growing epidemic & a glimpse of some of the current research we have on the subject of Obesity.
Did you know according to the latest Report of the Chief Health Officer for Queensland:
"QUEENSLAND’S obesity crisis shows no signs of waning as new data reveals that close to 70 per cent of the population in some regional areas are either obese or overweight..."
"Two in three adults are now obese as well as one in three kids..."
In order to understand our growing problem, we must further explore and distinguish what Obesity is.
So without further ado, let's dive right in!
ON OBESITY.
Obesity simply put is a multi-factorial condition where body fat and gross weight has accumulated to the extent of impacting overall health.
It involves certain environmental and behavioral conditions to be perfectly met to produce an over-production of gross weight.
Gross Weight is the accumulation of weight mass you carry and can consist of:
⚠️ Muscle
⚠️ Fat
⚠️ Tissue
⚠️ Water
⚠️ Hair
⚠️ Skin
⚠️ Nails
⚠️ Food
⚠️ Hydration
⚠️ Clothing
Basically, anything that is within you, made of by you, consumed or added on can be defined as gross weight mass. The removal of any of the above mentioned weight variables will result in Weight loss.
Obesity is often attributed as a disorder of energy balance management. It most commonly arises from consuming an exponential amount of calories in excess over a prolonged period of time.
Part of the exponential energy balance is required to maintain life, organ functionality and perform physical work.
While the Thermodynamic 'Calorie Balance' model of energy balance is a useful framework for investigating obesity, it does not provide a causal explanation for why some people are predisposed to obesity or what to do about it.
To put things practically, changing one's body composition can be as simple as understanding the concept of Energy In = Energy Out. However managing obesity can be complex as it's largely dependent on one's individual situation.
Over time individuals will almost always encounter both psychological and physiological adaptations to weight loss resistance.
Given the current epidemic however, it has also become overwhelmingly difficult to ignore the long term success rate from dieting for most individuals.
WHAT IS THE LONG TERM SUCCESS RATE?
Individuals whom undergo weight loss are generally successful in the first instance. On average losing around 5-6kg per dieting attempt[76]. However on the context of long term dieting the statistics are quite poor.
To be frank, it is shockingly very low. So low in fact that only 5% of individuals whom diet are successful long term[34].
To put it simply:
6 out of 7 individuals will lose a significant amount of weight in their lifetime...
However, almost 80% of the same individuals will relapse to their beginning weight[29].
In 2 years this goes up to 85%[34].
In 3 years up to 95%[35].
Finally if that's not enough, almost 75% of the same individuals will gain MORE weight on top of their starting weight[36,77].
Obese individuals are generally a lot better off before dieting as research shows it is almost impossible to keep it off for good!
This leads us to the most obvious question: How do we get it off for good?
OBESITY AND BODY IMAGE.
Your body image is how you think and feel about your body. It involves your own perception, imagination and emotions. It doesn't necessarily always reflect what you see in the mirror but can also be influenced by what others see or what you think others see.
As a species we are generally a lot more motivated to do something about our weight on the context of sex appeal. A majority of weight management success stories centralize around individuals trying to look 'pleasing to the eye' more-so than complying with instructions of an allied health practitioner or physician.
Leading many individuals to start out and try many different diets that simply do not work for the long term.[18]
Coupled with the health risks when obesity becomes extreme i.e. visceral body fat overly-distributed in large areas, most individuals generally care more about their appearance than the health risks.
In turn, this can further result in an individual's weight range aka 'setpoint' fluctuating excessively for prolonged periods after constant dieting.[19]
Generally speaking most Diets are started due to poor body image, rather than an individual wanting to be within a healthy weight range. According to Dieting statistics Australia:
"Over 2.3 million Australians (13%) aged 15 years and over reported that they were on a diet to lose weight or for some other health reason. This included 15% of females and 11% of males."[23]
Poor body image and dieting can also be linked to eating disorders i.e. anorexia, nervosa, bulimia, binging and other mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Constant dieting can also greatly enhance and further lead to physical illness and depression[20].
^one of the many reasons why it’s important to always maintain healthy eating behaviors where possible.
ON STRESS.
It is believed that much of the weight accumulation associated with obesity is environmental. Furthermore the behavioral response from environmental conditions is also an association and overall determinant.
If there is one thing we as a society experience too much of in this day and age, it is stress. Whether it's working a 9-5 job, going to school, raising a family or external relationships.
We will all deal with some form of stress on a daily basis.
Part of our natural biological stress response is the internal onset release of Cortisol and Epinephrine. To put it simply, these stress hormones help us become more resistant to stress in the short term.
Whilst encountering stress is a healthy component of becoming more resilient, there must always be a recovery period to become stronger.
Without a recovery period from chronic stress, we become susceptible of entering a state of constant exhaustion aka metabolic fatigue.
As the years roll by stress accumulates to the point of us numbing it's effects in our lives.
Here's the problem,
The psychological component of 'weight stigma' becomes a lot more complex to manage once an individual becomes significantly overweight and/or obese.[21]
In other words you are at a mental disadvantage before you even start managing your weight.
Chronically elevated cortisol (stress) levels is known to hinder our metabolic efficiency. In short, if we're grossly overweight and in a constant state of 'stress', you are more than likely already in metabolic fatigue.
In extreme circumstances, stress can contribute heavily to metabolic syndrome on a otherwise already healthy sedentary individual[70].
One's overall ability to lose body fat when dieting is greatly reduced with increased propensity to over consume high calorie foods[71].
Individuals whom spend a prolonged period of time in any one location are more likely to graze and/or snack more often.[27]
This may be of great concern for many stay-at-home/part-time working mums as according to research, kids with Healthy and Active Moms are up to 75% less likely to become Obese.[28]
OBESITY AND NUTRITION.
There are many popular diets that are advertised in today’s media that claim to be quick fixes for excess weight loss. Coupled with the never-ending emergence of FAD Diets, Weight Loss programs, supplements, ethics all adding to the mass confusion.
Most individuals are on the constant search for a ‘quick fix’ to manage their weight accumulation. This almost always stems from a lack of education and/or perceived lack lack of time to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet.
The truth of the matter is that scientifically, nutrition's energy balance has not changed much at all.
According to the Government endorsed National Dietary guidelines by the National Health and Medical Research council (NHMRC), Australians should eat and enjoy a wide variety of Nutritious foods from the 5 groups per day every day including:
‐ 5 servings of Fruit & Vegetables
‐ Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties i.e. bread, cereals, rice,pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley
‐ Lean meats and poultry i.e. Fish, Eggs, Tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans
‐ Dairy i.e. Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat
‐ Drink plenty of water
- Limit intake of processed food, soft drink and alcohol