16:03 3rd September 2020 | Weight Management

In these parts of the world, the plumper the better! Weight gain is a sign of "good" living. In some parts, women are even "fattened" before their marriage rites are fulfilled. However, weight gain looks like a fashionable thing until grave health complications begin to arise.  

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The first thing to note is this – there is a healthy weight and there is an unhealthy weight. You could actually be underweight or overweight and you need to be sincere with yourself and identify what category you fall under. This can be deduced by something called a BMI (Body Mass Index). Your BMI is a measurement of your weight in relation to your height.  You can use this formula to calculate yours:  

BMI = Weight/Height 

*Below, we have listed different figures that will help you identify the healthy and the unhealthy BMI range. 

• Underweight - 18.5 or less 
• Normal weight - 18.5-24.9 
• Overweight (or mild obesity) - 25-29.9 
• Obese (or morbid obesity) - 30-34.9
• Extremely obese (or malignant obesity)- 35 and above 

*Source: CDC 

Watching your weight begins with your eating habits. What do you eat/drink throughout the day? Sugary drinks? Sugary beverages? Sweet snacks? Floury meals? What food class makes up more of your food portions? Carbs? Fat? Ask yourself these questions and give yourself sincere answers. 

In addition, how active are you? Are you a couch potato, or relatively sedentary? The stressful “Lagos life” is not a substitute for exercise. You need to daily sweat it out, work your joints and keep active, use your muscles and get your heart beating!  

“Na fat I fat, I no kill person.” This statement can lead to some of the below listed chronic medical conditions (this is an inexhaustive list): 

• Type 2 Diabetes – This affects your body’s ability to absorb sugar and can lead to other complications. 
• Infertility – Weight gain causes hormone imbalance  
• Hypertension – High blood pressure can affect vital organs and overall life expectancy is cut short 
• High cholesterol  
• Fatty liver disease – this can impair liver function and lead to liver cancer 
• Sleep apnea – this causes snoring and sometimes choking in one’s sleep 
• Heart disease – this can lead to cardiac arrest at any time, which could be fatal 
• Stroke – partial body paralysis, which greatly affects the quality of one’s life 
• Cancer  

You may also say, “it runs in my family. Everyone’s on the big side!” Genetically speaking, you can give that “fat” gene expression by how you live and what you eat. Environmental factors can give those genes expression, so the decision to keep that weight down is truly yours. 

Medicentre provides support for those seeking to lose weight with your Nutrihealth package. Our doctors have been successfully assisting patients to manage their weight right from home during this pandemic, and we are more than happy to help you, too.

We are here for you. Click here to Book an online appointment or call +234 810 664 8871 today!

Stay healthy with us!

Email: [email protected]

Call: 01 631 0092 / Whatsapp: +234 (0)810 664 8871.

Visit us at Ikeja, Ikotun, Isolo or Victoria Island

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