Tool for diagnosing Obesity

Body Mass Index Calculator:-

BMI, or body mass index, is a number that correlates a person's height and weight. It is a useful tool for diagnosing obesity or malnutrition; however, such diagnosis should take into account a person's age, gender, fitness, and ethnicity.
It’s a diagnostic tool for both obesity and protein-energy malnutrition . The BMI has also been associated with mortality, with lower values generally correlating with longer life.

Obesity is determined by measuring body weight and fat. There are different ways of calculating body fat. Body mass index (BMI) is one of the best methods used to measure body fat. It is a simple tool that helps to figure out the amount of excess body fat and the associated risks of carrying this extra weight. It can be applied to both men and women.

BMI is calculated as the ratio of the weight in Kg and height in square metre. Guidelines define overweight as a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/square meter and obesity as a BMI greater than 30.

Body weight is used as an indicator of an individual's health. It is usually compared to tables that list "ideal" or "desirable" weight ranges for specific heights. Some of these tables use values gathered from research studies, while some include the heights and weights of individuals who have bought life insurance (e.g., the Metropolitan Height and Weight Tables). An individual's weight can be described as a percentage of the ideal or desirable weight listed, and can also be categorized as healthy, underweight, over-weight , or obese . An additional method of comparing an individual to a population group is with the body mass index .
Body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of body composition that correlates an individual's weight and height to lean body mass. The BMI is thus an index of weight adjusted for stature. Body mass index is figured by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared and multiplying by 100. It can also be figured by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying by 705. High values can indicate excessive fat stores, while low values can indicate reduced fat stores. However, when evaluating the BMI, several characteristics of an individual need to be known. An individual's age, gender, ethnicity, and level of fitness must be considered when using BMI to determine health risk. Also, the significance of the BMI is affected by disease state and hydration status. As with most assessment tools, the BMI is most effective when used in conjunction with other measurements.

Formula to check BMI

interpreting Your BMI

                                                                                                                                                                         

BMI	Classification
< 18.5	underweight
18.5–24.9	normal weight
25.0–29.9	overweight
30.0–34.9	class I obesity
35.0–39.9	class II obesity
≥ 40.0	class III obesity

 

 

Dos and don'ts for Obesity

Regularly do some exercises and some yogic asana for maintaining yourself in good shape and healthy mind. Yoga is suitable for any age group

Go for morning walk everyday especially in summer as brisk walking is very effective in obesity control.
Try to get some time out from your busy schedule for your gym, at least for three to four days a week. Do some sit ups and push ups as it makes your body flexible and tones the abdomen muscles, buttocks, thighs, and other body parts.
Eat natural and fresh green vegetables like lauki, palak, methi, cabbage, beet in your diet and avoid eating potatoes.

Eat green salad containing tomatoes and mint leaves as they are good for burning excessive fat.
Drink good amount of water everyday as water is extremely effective in proper functioning of body and also lead to obesity control.
Cabbage juice or vegetable cabbage in any form should be included in your diet as it is extremely beneficial in controlling obesity.
Carrot, pineapple, papaya, apple are some of the effective fruits for keeping you healthy and fit.
Try to eat proper meals rich in salad and green vegetables and low in fat at regular intervals as compare to heavy meals.
Taking Luke warm water after your regular lunch and dinner as it is effective for proper digestion of food and burning of excessive fat.
Do not eat rice, refined flour, and high caloric chocolates.
Never miss your breakfast as skipping your regular diet is unhealthy habit and leads to obesity.
Using vegetable oil like ground oil, sunflower oil is good for cooking purpose. Avoid using excess butter, deep frying the foods and excess salt in your cooking.

Complications of obesity

                                                                                                  

            

 

Obesity increases the risk of developing several health problems like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), gout, gallstones, colon cancer, sleep apnea and non alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Obesity & High blood pressure:
Multiple factors are responsible for increase in blood pressure in obesity.
- Weight gain is associated with decrease in elasticity of blood vessels & increase heart rate.
- Excess calories are deposited in body as fat in fatty tissue. This fatty tissue increases demand for oxygen & nutrients, which in turn increases amount of blood circulating in the body. More blood traveling through arteries adds pressure on walls of arteries leading to increase in blood pressure.
- Obesity increases level of insulin in body. Insulin causes sodium & water retention in body, which results in increase in blood volume & extra pressure on arteries.
All of these factors can increase blood pressure.

obesity & other diseases

Obesity & Diabetes: – Increased blood sugar level:
Type2 diabetes is a common health problem in diabetes.
- Insulin controls blood sugar.
- Insulin is required for the entry of sugar (glucose) into body cells from blood.
- Excess body fat in obesity makes body resistant to insulin. Because of this insulin resistance, sugar will remain in blood, which will lead to increase in blood sugar or diabetes.
- High amount of sugar in blood leads to complications in kidney, eyes, blood vessel, and heart.

Atherosclerosis or fatty deposits in blood vessels:-
Cholesterol is carried in the blood as two compounds: Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and High-density lipoproteins (HDL). HDL is also called the 'good' cholesterol and LDL is also called the 'bad' cholesterol.
- Obesity is associated with low levels of good (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and high levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol.
- When cholesterol levels are high, some of the cholesterol is deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. Cholesterol deposits reduces the elasticity of blood vessels, narrows blood vessels & decreases blood flow. All these changes lead to atherosclerosis and an increased risk of heart disease & stroke.

Coronary artery disease – angina & heart attack:
Atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries) in coronary arteries (arteries that supply heart) reduces blood supply to heart. Decreased blood flow to heart can cause angina (chest pain) and complete blockage of blood flow to heart can cause heart attack.

Stroke or paralysis:
Atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries) in arteries of brain can reduce blood supply to that part of brain. This decrease in blood flow can result in stroke or paralysis.

Osteoarthritis:
Obesity & overweight increases the load on the joints such as the knee, hip & lower back. This extra pressure on these joints speeds up the breakdown of cartilage, resulting in joint pain & stiffness.
(Cartilage is a flexible tissue that covers bone ends in a joint to cushion the bone and allow the joint to move easily without pain).

Gout:
Gout is type of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints.
- Obesity is associated with increased production of uric acid, which can form solid crystal-like masses. Uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints & provokes an inflammatory reaction in joints leading to arthritis.

Sleep apnea:
Overweight & excess fat around neck causes narrowing of airways & leads to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which person stop breathing for short periods during sleep & snore heavily. It results in frequent awakening at night and subsequent drowsiness & tiredness during the day.

Fatty liver disease (Non alcoholic fatty liver) :
Obesity increases the risk of developing fatty liver disease due to accumulation of fat in liver. These fatty deposits in liver can lead to inflammation & scarring of the liver called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Serious complication of this scarring is cirrhosis of liver.

Gallbladder disease and gallstones:
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ situated beneath the liver on the right side of the abdomen. In obesity, excessive cholesterol gets deposited in gall bladder, which can lead to formation of gallstones. Rapid weight loss or loss of a large amount of weight can also increases the chances of developing gallstones.

 

    
So, obesity is not just a cosmetic problem, but lot of health problems & complications are associated with it.

  Treatment of Obesity

Prevention is better then cure. You must take precautions rather following treatment after increase in weight. Once you are obese it is difficult to treat yourself.

• Avoid excess eating, eating during indigestion or just after taking pervious meal.
• Avoid day sleeping; sleep in the night after one hour of your dinner.
• Do regular exercise like brisk walking (at least), running, swimming etc. avoid sedentary and lethargic lifestyle.
• Avoid eating excess sweets. Have lowfat /skim dairy products. Avoid product like chocolates, ice creams, cheese, paneer, sugar etc.
• Take non-vegetarian food like chicken, fishes, eggs, meats etc. in moderate quantity. Remove fat from meat & skin from chicken.
• Try to minimise excess oil & ghee in cooking, Use a non-stick pan for cooking. avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils, Instead of frying things try to consume roasted things & change your cooking techniques a little. Grill or bake food instead of frying, cook vegetables without fat by steaming and boiling.
• Use lowfat spreads and chutney on bread instead of butter and cheese.
• Don't consume excess alcoholic drinks or water on empty stomach.
• Avoid aerated drinks and excess water after meal.
• Intake of fat and carbohydrates should be restricted.

There are three basic facts that should be kept in mind if you want to keep your weight under control. They are:

• Controlling eating habits
• Avoiding the causes of weight gain
• Regular exercise.
•  Avoid eating meat products as they slow digestion and cause heaviness.

 Diet Planning and Diet recommendations for weight loss

Crash diets are no solution for long term weight loss. Therefore, if you are determined to bring down your weight, find an ayurvedic diet chart and a natural weight loss diet and follow it every single day. An ayurvedic diet chart includes the following guidelines:

• Increase usage of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Decrease the usage of white breads and other processed foods
• Avoid intake of too much salt
• Cook with spices like cayenne, tumeric, black pepper, ginger and rock salt.
• Avoid refined sugars and carborated drinks
• Fasting once in a week is very effective. While fasting you may have fruit or vegetable juices, warm skim milk, light soups, teas, etc.
• Use vegetable oil in place of butter or margarine
• Avoid milk products like cheese, butter etc. and non-vegetarian foods as they are rich in fat.
• Mix one teaspoon of fresh honey with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and take several times a day at regular intervals.

Dietary discipline and Eating habit to be developed for reducing weight

              

• Eat a light dinner with easy to digest foods. This may include the following
• Whole grain bread or chapatis
• Half cooked or steamed vegetables
• Seasonal fruits except banana and apple.
• Eat the largest meal of the day at lunch with a wide variety of warm, cooked food. This may include the following:
• Salad of raw vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, cucumber, cabbage etc...
• Whole grain bread or whole wheat chapatis and a glass of buttermilk
• Roasted cumin seeds, green coriander leaves, a little salt and some grated ginger mixed in the buttermilk.
• Avoid drinking water immediately before or after meals as it will slow digestion.
• Do not over eat, especially cold, oily and heavy things.
• Avoid sleeping right after eating.
• Eat 4-5 smaller meals in a day rather than 2-3 larger meals.

Yoga therapy

Treatment of Obesity by Yogic Asanas: Shudhhikriyas: Kunjala, Vaman Dhauti/Danda Dhauti, Neti, Agnisara Kriya, Laghoo/Purna Shankhaprakshalana (Once a week / month), Kapalbhati and Baghi Kriya should also be practised. Even Shankha Prakshalana should be practised once a month for first three months.

Pranayama: Anuloma Viloma, Bhastrika Pranayama, Ujjayi, Suryabhedan (10 times or more rounds) along with Om Recitation about 10 times should be practised.

Asanas: Tadasana, Ardha-halasana, Sarvangasana, Vipritakarani, Vakrasana, Bhujangasana, Makarasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Ardha-matsyendrasana, Yoga Mudra (in Vajrasana), Chakrasana (Side bending), Padahastasana, Naukasana (Prone & Supine), Shavasana, Katichakrasana, Pada Hastasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Pashchimottanasana, Matsyasana, Ardha-Matsyendrasana and Ushtrasana should also be practised along with Surya Namaskara.

The practice of Udara Shakti and Kati Shakti Vikasaka exercises of Sukshama Vyayama and Sarvanga Pushti and Engine Race of Sthula Vyayama are also highly efficacious.

Treatment of Obesity by Magnetic Therapy

The magnets should be applied to the palms of hands for 20 minutes daily in the morning. In addition, the magnets should be applied bilaterally about 10 cm above the navel for 20 minutes daily in the evening. Mixed magnetized water should be taken four times daily.

 

panchkarma  for obesity                           

In the context of the management of Sthaulya Roga (obesity), following procedures of Panchkarma which is a detoxification program designed to expel built up toxins from the body may very useful and effective - 

Udawartanam Massage: It has fat burning properties, which is performed using massage oil and a mixture of powdered herbs.
Swedana Karma: (Sudation specially Ruksha type): It also has fat burning properties, which is performed using various methods described in Ayurveda.
Virechana Karma: It is a cleansing methods, performed by using some herbal purgatives.
Niruha Basti: which is an enema procedure designed to clean the large and small intestines along with the cleansing of Doshas in the entire body and produces various beneficial effects in the body.
Lekhana Basti: which is also an enema procedure designed to clean the large and small intestines along with scraping or dissolving the fat of the body.
These processes evacuating and cleansing the vitiated Dosha and body toxins. These procedures may also helpful in Lekhana (scraping or dissolving) the Meda (fat) in the body.
                               

  Ayurvedic Herbs Therapy

In the Herbs therapy for obesity one should choose the appropriate herbs on the basis of following points to manage the obesity on Ayurvedic principles, means the herbs should be perform following actions, like – Apatarpana, Balancing Doshas, Lekhana {Scraping extra Meda (Fat)}, Replenishing Dhatus, Improves digestive fire and also improves Dhatwagni (fire on tissue level), etc.

Single herbs in the management of obesity: Haridra, Daruharidra, Guggulu, Vacha, Chirayata, Nimbuka, Nishotha, Haritaki, Kutaki, etc.

Combination of herbs in the management of obesity: Triphala Powder, Bilvadi Panchamula mixed with honey, Shilajatu along with the juice of Agnimantha, Takrarishta, Medohar Yog, Lekhaniya Kashaya, Dashanga Guggulu, Lekhaniya Ghana Vati, etc.

Other Home Remedies

Honey: Mix one teaspoon of honey with two teaspoons of lime juice and some pepper. Drink this at least once a day.

Boiled Water: Drink a glass of boiled water every day after a meal.
Ginger Tea:Drink ginger tea 2-3 times a day.
Black Pepper:Seasoning foods with black pepper will decrease the need for salts and fats, and will still add flavor to foods. This will also help reduce weight.
Cinnamon:This spice can act as a low calorie sweetener to help reduce the amount of sugar needed in a recipe. It also adds a unique flavor to most cookie recipes.
Shudh Guggulu:Take Guggulu with a teaspoon of ginger and honey twice a day. This helps increase a body's metabolism.
Trifla:This is another diet aid that contains amalaki, bibbitaki, and haritaki. This should be taken at least once a day if one chooses to use this supplement.
Raw or Cooked Cabbage:The intake of cabbage reduces the conversion of sugars to fat. Therefore, eating plenty of this well help increase the body's ability to metabolize fatty foods.
Vitamin B-12:Take a vitamin B-12 tablet at least once daily. For further information on vitamin usage, read the directions on the vitamin bottle, and consult a doctor for more information. This vitamin comes also in leafy dark green vegetables, so eat many of these as often as possible