Health & Wellness

Common Weight Problem Questions Answered!

Doctors Speak!

It is the classic Indian paradox: in a country well-known in the past for its starving population, a large portion of the healthcare burden is now arising from diseases that are a direct consequence of obesity! Indian women are paying the price for being overweight. More than half of the female urban population and more than one-third of the female rural population come under the category of being overweight or obese. This not only has dire consequences on the mother and child during pregnancy, it also is detrimental to health in the long term. Diabetes and high blood pressure are on top of the list of diseases that can be modified by reducing weight.

I am 43 years old. I put on 4 kilos after my first child and another 5 kilos after the second child. I used to be very thin before marriage. Now I am definitely overweight though my friends say I look good. So what is a healthy weight for me?

What is a healthy weight is a complicated question! We take an overview of several issues- a person’s bone structure, if she is having physical or medical problems due to her weight, and whether she feels good about herself.

Don’t go by the skinny bodies that populate current movies and TV shows. Much as we would like to look like them, it is more reasonable to aim for a weight we are comfortable with.  As long as you know you look good and feel great, that is the ideal weight for you.

The best way to determine if you’re at a healthy weight is by getting a measure of your Body Mass Index (BMI).

To figure out your BMI, divide your weight in kilos by your height in meters squared.For example, if you weigh 70 kilos and are 1.6 meters tall, then your BMI is 70 divided by 1.6 x 1.6 i.e. 27.3. If the BMI is over 25, you are considered overweight and at higher risk of developing related complications. If it is lower than 25, you are at a lower risk for developing complications.

Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity.

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