This week marks National Obesity Week, a week set aside to create and increase awareness regarding the impact obesity has on our lives, says non-executive chairperson, Renny Letswalo from Cambridge Weight plan.

In the past twenty years more South Africans have become obese, this is based on statistics by the the Discovery Vitality ObeCity index for 2017 and this increase in weight is costing the country R701 billion a year.

According to the index the disorder is more prevalent in women than men and affects over 600 million adults and 108 million children in the world. In South Africa the highest prevalence of obesity in women was noted at 42%.

In order to determine whether you’re obese or not, doctors use Body Mass Index (BMI) scoring. A BMI score below 25 is normal and should be below 25 as far as possible, anything over 25-30 will grade you as medically overweight while 30 or more is considered obese.

The effects of the disorder can be detrimental and a waist ratio measurement can be used to determine how much extra fat you are carrying. Letswalo adds that “obesity’s effects can be felt in ones organs - impacting every aspect of the body. From liver causing diabetes, to the heart making it pump harder than it should, to brain health, to hormonal imbalances to certain cancers.”

Letswalo compares obesity to a loaded gun which is waiting to trigger primary health conditions the body system will be forced to fight. 

He gives us tips to follow in taking the first steps to combat obesity:

Find support

He mentions that finding support on your journey is a key component in maintaining weight loss and seeing results. 

Tips and tricks to burn the fat

Start a low calorie diet, “It gives enriched sustenance and balanced nutrition with safe fat-burning properties to ensure that you can achieve a healthy body weight quickly and easily,” says Letswalo.

Lifestyle changes

You need to wean yourself off old habits, while it isn’t easy it is necessary to reach lifelong health. Eat more vegetables and drink more water.

Get active

Getting in the swing of things will kick start your weight loss journey. First choose a workout plan that suits you best and stay on it. It is recommended that adults spend 30 minutes doing moderate exercise five times a week to keep up the health.

Reduce or stop drinking

Reducing the amount of alcohol consumption is very important for comprehensive weight loss. Alcohol has no nutritional value and is high in calories.

 “Losing weight and maintaining your desired weight is not without its challenges. It is a commitment you have to make every day. It requires time and effort and requires that you make permanent changes,” says Letswalo.

Determination is vital and you need to ask yourself what will drive you to your end goal.