In a world where everyone wants to be thin, one is increasingly overweight, even from childhood. With all that it entails in terms of physical and psychological discomfort and health repercussions, especially after a certain age. What to do? Here are some tips.
When it comes to nutrition and body weight, it opens up a
universe of contradictions. You want to stay in shape or lose weight, but also
eating what they like without paying too much attention to quantity. Hundreds are spent
of euros for the gym, but then you almost never go. A thousand
diets, but none are maintained. You buy jumpsuits and sneakers, but you don’t
can do without an elevator and a car. The most ironclad
healthy living resolutions, but the tomorrow to implement them never comes.
The result is always the same: month after month, the needle of the
balance goes in the opposite direction from what is desired or, at best
assumptions, remains inexorably fixed on a somewhat round figure. Despair
does not help, because it often leads to drowning one’s own
frustrations. Resign even less, because it makes people get used to standards of weight and
fitness that tend to get progressively worse, almost without realizing it
account. So what? As always, the solution lies in the middle, viz.
In identifying a healthy balance between actual metabolic needs
of the body and pleasures for the palate and spirit.
The origin of the extra pounds
No use cheating or looking for alibis in slow metabolism or the
unfavorable constitution: except for a very small proportion of cases in which
indeed there may be a significant genetic component or specific
pathologies that work against it, if you gain weight or don’t lose weight, the reason goes
sought in lifestyle errors, that is, essentially in the combination of
a diet that is high in calories relative to individual needs and/or
unbalanced and insufficient movement. This rule applies at any age, but
in childhood/adolescence can have a metabolic impact particularly
negative, which also has unfavorable repercussions on body weight and health
In adulthood.
Numerous studies have now indicated that a child in strong
overweight or obese will remain so as an adult (or who will slim down with effort),
resulting in exposure to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
hormonal disorders and different types of neoplasms (e.g., breast cancer
in women and colorectal cancer in both sexes.
For women, then, obesity (as well as being overweight) can
impair fertility or cause serious problems during pregnancy and
at the time of delivery, not the least of which is to also predispose the child to
develop overweight/obesity and diabetes. Not to mention the psychological implications and
Relational of the many extra pounds in adolescence and early adulthood
adult, when physical appearance plays an important role in the perception of
self and in interactions with others.
For women, even those who were initially thin or normal weight,
A critical moment on the body weight front is the
pregnancy. If you gain too much weight at this stage (i.e., more than the 10-12 kg.
physiological, which gynecologists recommend not to exceed), lose weight after
childbirth can be difficult, especially if you are over 35-40 years old, if
you have a demanding family to care for and/or a job
sedentary, leaving little time for physical activity. Residual extra pounds
neglected for a long time, in fact, tend to “settle” by constituting the
starting point for further increases in subsequent years.
In both sexes, then, the coming of age 40-45 involves.
an initial, inevitable metabolic slowdown, which will worsen later:
especially after age 50-55 for women, corresponding to the onset of the
menopause; and shortly thereafter for men, also due to the reduction of hormones
male and muscle mass (which is the one that burns the most calories). If,
During and after this transition, you do not revise your habits
food (reducing the calories introduced each day and increasing the consumption
of vitamins and antioxidants that support metabolism), fattening
by a few pounds is practically inevitable.
As mentioned, in a minority of cases, overweight and
obesity can arise and persist due to diseases, mainly of
endrocrine-metabolic type, or as a side effect of drugs
needed to treat a variety of ailments. Among the former include.
hypothyroidism, adrenal gland dysfunction, and the ovary
polycystic, just to give a few examples.
Among the latter are insulin used for the treatment of
more severe forms of diabetes, cortisone, some antidepressants, the
antiepileptics, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, some
hormone therapies used for women’s issues and anti-androgenic drugs
Against prostate disorders and cancers in men. In all these cases, the
Body weight management must go hand in hand with disease treatment
basis and be defined and monitored by the physician.
Healthy diet: better
start with children
First, recall that the concepts of normal weight,
overweight and obesity are based on the calculation of body mass index or BMI
(Body Mass Index), a value that is
obtained by dividing the weight expressed in kilograms by the square of the height expressed
in meters. So, for example, a person who is 1.70 m tall and weighs 70 kg will have
a BMI = 70 kg / (1.70 x 1.70)m2 = 24.22 kg/m2. This
person will be “normal weight,” a category that includes all those with a
BMI between 18.50 and 24.99 kg/m2. It will be, instead, “overweight”
Those with a BMI between 25.00 and 29.99 kg/m2 and “obese
mild” (class I) those who have a BMI between 29.99 and 34.99 kg/m2;
with BMI between 35.00 and 39.99 kg/m2 you fall into medium obesity (class
II), while from 40 kg/m2 upwards we speak of severe obesity (class
III).
Assuming that overweight and obesity in childhood/adolescence.
influence the characteristics of metabolism and health in adulthood, it is
crucial that the habit of keeping fit through a healthy diet and exercise
regular be promoted to children. This also creates a kind of “imprinting
behavioral” that makes it more spontaneous and natural to follow a style of
Healthy living and continue to keep body weight under control over the decades
Next.
If the child/adolescent is already overweight by several
pounds, the advice is to consult the pediatrician and agree with him or her on a regimen
age-appropriate diet and exercise, after ruling out any disorders
organic not yet diagnosed. If there are many pounds to lose, it is
almost imperative to also consult a dietician/nutritionist, whereas if
approach to food appears to be influenced by psychological aspects is useful
Also consult a psychologist/psychiatrist experienced in eating disorders.
The most important thing, however, is not to trivialize nor
dramatize the problem and not nag the child about his or her weight, to
what he eats or why he doesn’t move enough. Much better results will
achieve by creating a serene and cheerful family environment (where meals become
a pleasant time of sharing), filling the pantry and refrigerator with
healthy foods (fresh fruits and vegetables first and foremost), cooking light and,
above all, setting a good example, both at the dinner table and on the activity front
physics.
Many teenagers and young adults are often is tempted
from promises of rapid weight loss through diets as curious as they are
ineffective, if not downright dangerous to health. Avoid them and
recommended to avoid them in any case. If the pounds to be lost are few (3-5
kg), in most cases it is sufficient to make an honest analysis of the
their own eating habits (perhaps by compiling a food diary for some
days) and correct trivial mistakes (such as regularly taking drinks
sugary drinks and alcohol, nibbling while cooking or at aperitifs, exceeding
With bread and buns at the table, add too much oil or cheese to salads
etc.).
A few suggestions
for adults
In addition to the classic advice to reduce intake of the
carbohydrates in general and to a minimum that of simple sugars (added or
contained in sweet foods), favor proteins from legumes and fish, and
Increase fiber consumption (i.e., low-sugar vegetables and fruits), a trick
useful for cutting calories without revolutionizing your habits too much
food is to gradually reduce portions. It may sound trivial, but by 10-20
g less pasta on your plate you hardly notice (especially if you have
shrewdness to start using smaller plates), but week after week
week can make a difference on the scale.
On the contrary, it is important to drink more water or other beverages
unsweetened (teas, herbal teas, infusions, natural flavored waters, etc.): both because
liquids have an immediate satiating effect and help to dampen attacks
of starvation; both because it has been observed that many people fail to
distinguish well between the stimuli of hunger and thirst and end up with the
eat when they should actually drink (the kidneys will also benefit).
When the pounds to be lost are more than 5-10, it is good to consult
first their own physician and then a dietitian/nutritionist to
set up an eating plan compatible with the needs and characteristics
Individuals (age, gender, presence of other conditions and any therapies
hired, specific needs, etc.) and establish a “calendar” of the
weight loss that has the dual purpose of stimulating adherence to the program
dietary and physical activity (which should always be provided in combination) and of
allow strategies and goals to be recalibrated, depending on the results via
via reached.
As already reported for children/adolescents, also for the
adults psychological/psychiatric support can be very helpful, if we
realizes that he attributes to food valences that have little to do with hunger
(e.g., compensation for frustrations and nervousness). In cases of severe obesity or
Very severe, the doctor may prescribe certain appetite-reducing drugs
or support weight loss, or consideration may be given to the
bariatric surgery, weighing its pros and cons well.
Absolutely to be avoided, however, is any kind of
Supplement or “miracle” remedy touted online or by centers
aesthetics, gyms, clinics of dubious reputation: experience has shown that they do not
serve no purpose and can damage health, at great cost.
Slimming down after the
“hip”
Given that metabolism physiologically slows down starting
from age 40 and increasingly in later years, slimming down will require more
commitment and time after this age. But one should not be discouraged or give up
because it is precisely after “age” that eliminating (or reducing) pounds of
Too much becomes more important to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes
Type 2 or help keep them under control.
Numerous studies have shown that a weight loss of equal
to at least 10% of the initial one significantly reduces the risk
global cardiovascular and may even reverse type 2 diabetes in
early stage. In addition, at any age, losing weight helps to snore less, to
alleviate (or resolve) gastroesophageal reflux disease, to avoid many sore
back, not to put too much stress on the hip and knee joints,
and to maintain satisfying sexuality for longer.
Of course, to achieve this and get these benefits, you need a
some good will and be convinced that it is a good right thing. The
suggestion is to start trying hard, without
wait until you are too old, but remembering that losing the
excess weight is possible and useful at any age.
Sources:
- National
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute – NIH (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/overweight-and-obesity)
- National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases – NIDDK
(https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/helping-your-child-who-is-overweight)
- World
Health Organization – WHO
(https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/5keys_healthydiet/en/;
https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet)
- Arnold
M et al. Duration of Adulthood Overweight, Obesity, and Cancer Risk in the
Women’s Health Initiative: A Longitudinal Study from the United States. PLoS
Med 2016;13(8):e1002081 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4987008)
- Johnson
RJ et al. Perspective: A Historical and Scientific Perspective of Sugar and Its
Relation with Obesity and Diabetes. Adv Nutr 2017;8:412-422
- Gardener
H et al. Diet Soda and Sugar-Sweetened Soda Consumption in Relation to Incident
Diabetes in the Northern Manhattan Study. Curr Dev Nutr 2018;2:nzy008
