About obesity
What is obesity?
It is normal for all of us to have a small amount of fat in our bodies as it is a most efficient way of storing energy. However, obesity is when these fat stores become excessive due to a calorie intake that exceeds energy usage.
Why are we concerned about obesity?
Obesity is a concern because it has serious implications for health, causing reduced life expectancy and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osetoarthritis and joint problems, sleep apnoea/breathing problems, low self-esteem, psychological problems and even cancer. Your life expectancy is reduced by nine years if you are morbidly obese.
Obesity myths
1. Obese people eat far too much. FALSE obese people do not eat much more than lean people, taking in on average just 250 calories more per day than lean people.
2. You can lose weight by exercising alone. UNLIKELY to lose 7st and go from a BMI of 40 to 25, you would have to walk from London to New York and then run five marathons.
3. Dieting is the only answer. UNLIKELY to go from a BMI of 40 to 25 you would need to diet for one or two years continuously which would be very difficult to maintain for such a long period of time and so the likelihood of success is just 3%.
Contact us
For further information or to arrange an appointment, please contact us on 020 8936 1199.
