Liv Sattviko Talks

Lifestyle Habits & Obesity

Obesity is the accumulation of excess body fat that can have adverse health effects and is a result
of an energy imbalance. It is a lifestyle disease meaning a disease associated with the way a
person lives


Obesity has now become a global epidemic and one of the biggest health concerns. The prevalence of obesity has kept increasing since the early 1960’s, leaving millions of adults worldwide classified as clinically obese. If it keeps increasing at the same rate, it’s predicted that 254 million people will be classified as clinically obese worldwide by 2030.
If you are putting in more calories but not putting in that much of effort to lose them, then you’re tend to increase weight as excess calories are stored throughout your body as fat and then comes the obesity and all the overweight problems.
Obesogenic environment means “an environment that promotes weight gain and one that is not
conducive to weight loss” within the home or workplace. And factors creating obesogenic
environment include:

Genes

They contribute to the causes of obesity in many ways, by affecting appetite,
satiety, metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, etc. When obesity is mainly because of genetic factors, it’s called primary obesity. However, genes are a minor factor

Lifestyle Issue

When obesity is because of lifestyle factors, it’s called secondary
obesity. More than 90% cases belong to the secondary type and hence, lifestyle is a major
factor.

Measure your BMI

There are two screeners of obesity.

  1. Waist circumference
    It mainly gives an idea of your abdominal fat which is most important because people with higher abdominal fat have the highest risk of developing other diseases. So, for men, it should be under 90 cm i.e. 35.4” &
    for women, it should be under 80 cm i.e. 31.5”. If it’s greater than that, you should reduce
    weight.
  2. Body mass index (BMI).
    It is calculated as your weight in kilograms upon your height in meter square. The BMI can be categorized as given in the table below.
    BMI Weight Status
    Below 18.5 Underweight
    18.5—24.9 Normal
    25.0—29.9 Overweight
    30.0—34.9 Obese
    35 & above Extremely obese
    18.5-24.9 should be the ideal range

Some superfood references you can add in your daily routine

  1. Always go for whole grains which includes wheat, rice, oats, barley, millets like sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (or bajra), finger millet (or ragi) etc. They provide good amount of carbohydrates and fiber.


2. Make sure that you have a protein source in every meal. It can be anything, dals, whole pulses, legumes, soybean and its products, milk and milk products like paneer i.e. cottage cheese, curd, buttermilk, etc. (Snack options: curd, sprouts bhel, fruit yogurt, add cottage cheese in salads or sautéed veggies, etc.)


3 Your plate should look colourful. Eat all the varieties of veggies and fruits… each of them have their own benefits but mainly all of them contain vitamins, minerals, fibre & a lot of phytochemicals which are required by your body When we’re focusing on weight loss, calorie deficit diet is important. But eliminating sugary beverages, consuming mostly minimally processed foods like those mentioned here, and eating home-cooked meals can help you reach a calorie deficit without calorie counting.

3 Superfoods for Healthy Weight Looss

Makhana is one of the best snacks. A superfood of India- It’s good digestion, low in
cholesterol, promotes weight loss, low in calories.

Gur chana (A mix of roasted chickpeas & jaggery)- a traditional Indian food. It’s
a powerhouse of protein, energy-dense high in zinc, iron; can help boost immunity and so much more.


Flax seeds are rich in fiber. When you eat foods that are high in fiber, you feel full for longer. This can help suppress your desire to eat if you’re cutting calories for weight loss