Obesity in men has become a major global health challenge
Till 2012, Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor weighed over 140kg, struggled to fit into airline seats, was asthmatic at 22 and could not run for more than 10 seconds. But in his debut film Ishaqzaade that year, he shocked everybody with his physical transformation.
Kapoor lost a whopping 50kg after religiously working out for four years. In fact, in an interview to a national daily, he said, “Being fat was part of my life. Actually, I never wanted to lose weight, content with what I was. But I knew I was lying to myself that I was happy being this way.” It wasn’t till another fit ‘n’ famous celebrity inspired him to sweat it out in the gym.
Today, Kapoor weighs a healthy 87kg and is marching ahead in his career with a fit ‘n’ fab body. He is one of the many Indian men who had weight issues, which couldn’t be hidden under the kurta.
According to a recent story published in Lancet, India is just behind US and China as one of the top 10 countries with the highest number of obese people in the world and the problem is rising.
Obesity can be measured on the BMI (body mass index) scale. For a man, if the BMI is between 25 and 29.5, he is considered to be overweight. If it is over 30, that person is considered to be obese.
Continue reading to know about the causes of obesity in men
A combination of unhealthy diets and inactive lifestyles is leading to obesity in men
Causes of obesity among men in India
Commenting on an increasing number of obese people in the country, Delhi-based fitness expert, Kiran Sawhney, says, “A dramatic change in lifestyle and lack of motivation among men to stay fit is producing more obese people in the country.” She lists the following 5 primary causes of obesity:
- Unhealthy lifestyle: A combination of unhealthy diet and inactive lifestyle is leading to obesity in men. These activities include eating processed food, high-caloried junk food, lack of fresh vegetables and fruits in daily diet and eating out a lot.
- Lack of workout: Majority of the men are busy with their careers and, therefore, barely get the time to work up a sweat. It also includes a sedentary work life and fewer physical interactions for motivation. Many of the men also rely on cars or other means of transport that does not have them participate in any physical activity. Due to lack of physical activity the energy stored by food gets accumulated as fat and slowly leads to obesity.
- Wrong food choices: Due to erratic work hours, people are forced to eat and work at odd hours. “Indian men have had the luxury to be pampered and fed by their loving mothers and many a times, they consume oily food including chole bhature, rajma chawal, parathas with butter and samosas among other things. All of this lead to weight gain,” says Sawhney.
- Consumption of alcohol: Alcoholic drinks contain an excessive amount of empty calories. For instance, a 175ml bottle of wine contains 126kcal and a pint of 5% strength beer bottle contains 215kcal. Therefore, if people consume a few alcoholic drinks per week with their regular diet, they could easily put on excessive weight. In addition, studies show that alcoholic drinks stimulate hunger. This could lead to additional calories consumed with alcoholic beverages.
- Less attention to changing physical appearance: Men usually do not pay much attention to their increasing waist sizes. It is not just the question of physical appearance; an increasing waist size is an indication of danger. It causes difficulty in urinating, difficulty in digesting, affects their heart, metabolism and even their sexual abilities.
Continue reading to know about the problem areas for obese men
Obesity in men could lead to a big waist line or pot belly
Problem areas in an obese body
Due to these triggers, an average healthy person can experience several physical changes, leading to obesity. Sawhney says, “A person who is gradually gaining weight due to these causes can experience a big waist line or pot belly, heavy thighs, less strength to carry out simple physical activities, zero flexibility and almost no stamina.”
Apart from these areas, the skin and bones are the other two other major parts of the body that can be adversely affected by extreme weight gain. American celebrity dermatologist, Dr Kiran Lohia, medical director and MD of Lumiere Dermatology, Delhi, says, “Obesity has huge effects on the skin. It can cause acne, pigmentation, stretch marks and severe dullness. This is because fat has hormones of its own that can affect your system.”
She adds that stretch marks appear because of excessive stretching of skin from all the extra weight. “The dullness on the skin is a result of your internal organs being overtaxed with too much weight,” says Lohia. Pigmentation, can appear around their neck, armpits and groin.
Obesity among men also causes other major skin problems such as psoriasis, acanthosis and nigricans. “In addition, development of distended veins of the legs, resulting in swelling and allergic rashes on the leg is also possible in obese men. They are also more prone to develop boilers, rashes and fungal infection during monsoon,” says Dr Sonia Mangal, MD of Myra Skin and Hair Solution, Delhi.
Mangal adds that procedures of Med Contour treatment (non-invasive ultrasound fat removal) and I-Lipolaser treatment (non-invasive lipolysis) can be effect for loosing excess fat and weight. Dr Lohia says, “To treat that pigmentation, you can go for Diamond MediPeel, where a combination of diamond microdermabrasion and pigmentation specific peel is done. This will remove those dead and pigmented cells from the surface of your skin, revealing lighter and brighter skin. Men can also go for Acne Defense for the acne, which is a combination of six technologies designed to remove acne from each and every pore, giving you acne-free skin within 2-3 sittings.”
In addition to skin problems, obese men could also go through painful phases of bone-related complications. Experts suggest that obesity could lead to osteoarthritis or the wear and tear of bone tissues, constant joint pains and greater odds of injuries.
Continue reading to know of the tips to an obesity-free life
Men should make health and fitness their priority
Tips to an obesity-free body
In order to avoid such problems, experts advise the 7 following tips:
- Eat right: Have breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner and dinner like a pauper. Do not to eat after sunset. Obese men should avoid food that contain white sugar, dairy, gluten, fried and oily food, red meat, stale food and food rich in carbohydrates. Sawhney adds, “Men should work on their fitness.” Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to get important nutrients.
- Avoid partial training: Most men who hit the gym, focus only on their upper body and do bench press and all. They have well developed chest but no strength in their lower body. They neglect squats and lunges. It causes weakness in the lower body and leads to back pain, knee pain, etc.
- Say ‘NO’ to supplements: Steroids and crazy supplements are mostly marketing gimmicks. They might give you quick results for muscle gain but have side effects like hair fall (making you bald). In fact, consuming supplements could also lead to impotency as well.
- Dancing your way out of obesity: Dancing is not just for women. So, do not shy away from it. To lose weight, you need to burn calories and fat and treadmill is not the only option. Do not just walk or jog every day. “You can do cardio effectively through dance forms such as tango, zumba, aerobics, step aerobics, biking, swimming or aqua aerobics, kickboxing and yoga,” says Sawhney.
- Say ‘NO’ to drinking and smoking: Cut down on drinking and smoking and you will be fitter. Smoking tends to reduce hunger and once succession begins, smokers tend to put on weight. Therefore, it is better to completely avoid this bad habit! Also try to reduce the intake of caffeine.
- Count Your Calories: By counting your calories, you will start to realise how much you are eating and you will naturally start to lose weight. “Stretching is good and flexibility is a part of your fitness. Fitness is not just weight training or treadmill. Try to add yoga and pilates also to your workout regime,” says Sawhney.
Remember, obesity is weight gained over a period of time and, therefore, needs time to shed. Fitness expert Sawhney says, “Have a holistic approach towards fitness. Do not overdo, rush and injure yourself.” She adds that men should try to bring in a gradual lifestyle change. “Eat right, sleep on time and enjoy your workout. This can help you shed a minimum of 4-6 kilos a month. And remember to be consistent and perseverant,” she says.
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