I had the opportunity to attend Oak Hill Hospital’s Combating Obesity seminar presented by Salman Muddassir, MD, FACP who is Program Director of Oak Hill’s Internal Medicine Graduate Medical Education program along with Adam Alperstein, MD, PGY-3, Internal Medicine Resident on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. The seminar was an excellent way to equip those undertaking the major lifestyle changes necessary to fight obesity. Did you know that obesity is the #1 disease in the country, and that it wasn’t classified as a disease until 2013?
This rapidly growing disease affects 66% of the adult US population, and is increasing among children and teens. Not counting the physical constraints on your body leading to lethargy, a feeling of bloat and insecurity in appearance, obesity can lead to a multitude of health problems such as these listed:
· Hypertension
· Type 2 Diabetes
· Heart disease
· Obstructive sleep apnea
· Nonalcoholic liver disease
· Degenerative joint disease
· Certain cancers
With heart disease and cancer being the leading causes of death in the U.S., knowing obesity can increase the chances of both got my attention. The fact that maintaining a healthy weight can decrease the chance of the two main killers, while increasing quality of life, is a major impetus for me in changing my lifestyle and eating habits.
How is obesity classified? A Body Mass Index, or BMI of greater than or equal to 30 is considered obese, meaning a person has excessive body fat, along with its linkage to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Just because the Obesity BMI is 30 or above does not mean having a BMI of 25-29.9 is okay. A person would be considered overweight in this range just under 30, with high chances of becoming obese. The ideal BMI is 18.5-24.9, anything below that is underweight and equally unhealthy. So how does one determine their BMI? Your doctor can tell you or you can locate an App on your smartphone, or simply Google search BMI calculator. By entering your weight, and height it will give you your BMI. Many Apps offer helpful tips tracking your weight, food intake, and exercise advice to help you make healthy choices to reduce that BMI.
What are some ways to get into that normal range if you are overweight or obese? Review your calorie intake and reduce that. This involves reviewing your food choices and replacing items not good for you with better food choice. If you consider your plate it should be divided into 3 parts, ½ fruits and veggies, ¼ protein, and ¼ carbs and starches. Keep a food diary. Evaluate physical activity by reviewing what your current physical activity level is and increase it. If only by a little every few days or weeks, it will help reach a healthy goal. For maintenance, you should do 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. To lose weight you should exceed that amount. The goal during exercise is to get your heart rate to 64-75% of your maximum heart rate. What is your maximum? It’s simple math: deduct your age from 220 and that is you max heart rate.
Losing weight is a complete lifestyle change. You must put yourself in the mind set to change and stick to it. Part of doing that is coming up with a plan, sticking with it, and setting attainable goals. Most importantly before undergoing a change, you should always consult your doctor and be prepared for that visit. Provide your doctor with a log of your current eating habits, your current physical activity, and a family history of any medical conditions, as well as a list of medication or supplements you are taking. Find a support group, either face to face or online. A support group is important for making connections with people who are trying to attain similar goals and improving the likelihood that you will stick with that goal. Join a local TOPS group, YMCA, or a hospital fitness program, find or start your own Fit camp.
Obesity is the #1 disease in Hernando County, let us as a community make it a goal to change that, one person at a time. If you have any additional questions, or would like a copy of the powerpoint presentation please email me: melissa@hernadosun.com. Below is a list of additional websites with helpful information:
· The Obesity Society Obesity.org
· Physical Activity Guidelines
health.gov/PAGuidelines/
· Nutrition
ChooseMyPlate.gov
· Center for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
· Oak Hill Hospital
For more information about Oak Hill Hospital, visit OakHillHospital.com