Obesity is stout, fat or plump condition due to excess body fat and has destroyed many a love affair. It was once perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility but is now a stigma in much of the modern world. The general public expresses it in terms of kilograms of weight but scientists measurement it by comparing weight and height (kg/m2) and express it as Body Mass Index (BMI). A person is underweight if BMI is less than18.5, normal weight if 18.5 to 24.9 overweight (pre-obese) if 25 to 30, obese between 30.0 and 39.9, and morbid obesity above 45.
India has over 30 million obese patients affecting their life expectancy alarmingly. Obesity is most commonly caused by excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity and genetic susceptibility and is increasing due to easy accessible of palatable diet, increased reliance on cars, and mechanized manufacturing and jobs involving less activity. There is a definite association between television viewing time and the risk of obesity. The treatment of Obesity has two objectives – to achieve a healthy weight and to maintain that healthy weight. Dieting and physical exercise have been the mainstays of treatment for obesity since ages. However a balanced diet with reduced consumption of energy-dense foods such as those high in fat and sugars, and increased intake of dietary fiber should be consumed and not a semi-starvation diet as is commonly done. Losing weight quickly by crash-dieting is not advised and carries the risks of developing health problems.
Next is to find activities that fit into your daily routine – try walking and climbing stairs instead of using an elevator, driving less and walking more and walking more briskly.
Dr Harpreet Kaur, Director of Sibia Medical Centre says “Proper diet and activity are the best but most people fail to achieve result. They are better as maintenance programs than to get into proper shape. As long as the fat is inside the cells it is very difficult for the diet or exercise to affect it. Hence a way to get it out of the cells is required for diet and exercise to be effective. For this now a new laser known as Zerona is available.” Zerona is low-level non invasive laser liposuction that has emerged as a revolutionary weight loss program. Zerona targets fat storing cells and stimulates the fat cell to liquefy the fat. A small pore is then created in the protective membrane of the fat cell enabling the fatty matter to seep out of the cell. The excess fat is then passed out of the body during its normal course of detoxification.
Dr Sibia said “Zerona is the first laser to receive FDA clearance for reduction waist, hips, and thighs. It is a revolutionary method applied externally without the dangers associated with surgery or other non-invasive devices to shrink the fat cells without damaging them.” Zerona gained popularity especially among the Hollywood stars after it proved to cause loss of 3.5 inches and some even lost more than 9 inches. Treatment takes 40 minutes and is administered three times a week for two weeks. “The results are so encouraging that it may well be the obesity treatment of the future leaving Bariatric surgery and medications to be considered as a last resort for patients who find it hard to shed the pounds, or where obesity has reached such a point as to significantly undermine the health.” says Dr Harpreet Kaur.