Overweight and obesity - how to lose weight

Overweight and obesity is one of the most common health problems in the world and is unfortunately a problem for both children and adults. Most people who are overweight or obese achieve great health benefits by losing 5-10% of their weight. There are many good aids for you who want to get to a healthy weight.

Why do you put on weight?

Some may think that it takes a lot to put on weight, but all it takes to put on weight is that you use less energy than you take in. For example, an extra one and a half biscuits a day (100 calories) can make you put on four kilos in a year.

Facts about overweight and obesity

• Approximately one in five people in Norway is obese (BMI of over 30).

• A 40-year-old today weighs about five kilograms more than a 40-year-old 30 years ago.

• The incidence of obesity increases with age and is greatest in the 50-60 age group.

• 83% of adults in Norway are nowhere near being moderately physically active for at least thirty minutes a day (the recommendation from the health authorities). Little or no physical activity can increase the risk of overweight and obesity.

• People who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease , diabetes , some forms of cancer, wear and tear in the hips/knees/back, gallstone disease, fatty liver and sleep difficulties .

• Abdominal fat or abdominal fat is associated with an increased level of unhealthy fat in the blood, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Various causes of overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity are a growing problem in large parts of the world, and are seen as a lifestyle problem. So it is difficult to highlight one cause of overweight and obesity. But a number of different factors have been investigated to see if they can be important for the development of overweight and obesity:

• Growing up with divorced parents.

• Parental weight.

• Maternal weight gain during pregnancy.

• Where in the country you live.

• Your TV habits.

• How much/little physical activity you are.

• Amount of stress in everyday life.

• High consumption of fast food and sugary drinks.

• Genetic factors

What is overweight and obesity?

Overweight and obesity are defined by the World Health Organization with BMI . Find your BMI here.

• Overweight: 25-29.9 kg/m2

• Obesity: >30 kg/m2

The main cause of overweight and obesity is an imbalance between energy intake from food and energy consumption through physical activity. To maintain the weight, these two must be equal. For a weight reduction, the consumption must be greater than the intake, so the body must use its surplus store to get enough energy. With weight gain, it is the opposite, then the intake is greater than the consumption and the body has no other choice but to store the energy. So simple, and so difficult!

BMI is the most common way to measure obesity. Alternatively, you can use "abdominal measurement" (measurement of waist circumference) to assess the degree of obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Positive health effects of losing weight

If you are overweight, you will get great health benefits already if you manage to lose 5-10% of your body weight. If you have a lot of "belly fat" and manage to get a few centimeters narrower around the waist, it also has a number of positive health effects.

• Reduced risk of getting a number of cardiovascular diseases.

• Reduced risk of getting type 2 diabetes .

• Less risk of getting muscle and joint problems.

• Lower risk of certain types of cancer.

• You increase your lung capacity, get better fitness and become less short of breath.

• 
  

How to lose weight?

If you are overweight and want to lose weight, there are many ways to reach your goal. The main challenge for many is to make the weight reduction last for life.

There are many different diets, and sometimes there is a big focus in the media on the distribution between carbohydrate, fat and protein in different diets. However, research has shown that as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.

In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, there are a number of weight control products in pharmacies that can contribute to increased weight reduction.