Monday 12 January 2015

Obesity - 1

What is Obesity?

        When more calories are consumed than burned, then a person will gain fat and weight .When a person reaches a certain body weight , he/ she is considered as Obese or Overweight.

        The terms Overweight /Obesity are used interchangeably; However as per Institute of Medicine, the technical meanings are not identical.

       Overweight refers to excess of body weight of all tissues, which include bones, muscles and Fat.

       Obesity refers specifically to the excess of body fat.

The cause of Obesity:


  • When energy balance is not maintained, it affects body weight.
  • When low calories are consumed than spent, it leads to low body weight.
  • When more calories are consumed than burnt, it leads to high body weight.
  • So it is very important to maintain the balance.

Where do you store Fat?

  • When you gain weight quickly, you store the fat in your face, neck, chest and abdomen.
  • You can also store fat inside your body around the intestines and liver, where you cannot see it.


Many people who think that they eat good diet and never exercise have excess fat inside the body regardless of whether they look fat or even normal.

In my next blog, I will discuss about BMI, BMI Ranges, Causes of obesity and few other interesting facts.

Friday 2 January 2015

Calories & Energy Balance - Part 2

In our earlier blog, we have discussed regarding Calories, How are they measured and about Empty calories.

Calories are the measure of energy in food.
How much energy is there in your food?
  • The calories in 5 pounds of spaghetti can brew a pot of coffee.
  • The calories in one piece of cherry cheese cake can light a bulb for 1.5 hours. 

Choose your Calories wisely:

When we talk about calories in foods, we’re really talking about kilo calories or 1000 calories.

  • All activities burn calories. That’s why, in addition to our regular exercise  programs, it’s a good idea to  work extra movement to burn up the calories. 
  • We can take the stairs instead of elevator or park your car at a distance from the shopping center. All such activities will help us to increase the calorie burn.

People burn calories differently:

The amount of calories you burn depends up on:
  • Body Size
  • Composition
  • Age
  • Gender


In a family, everyone burns calories differently.


Manage your calories by:

  • Choosing your calories wisely.
  • Balancing your energy intake with your energy output.The calories that we take should be balanced to the calories that we consume every day.