What Is Morbid Obesity

What Is Morbid Obesity

Being morbidly obese is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) more than 35. In addition to helping assess whether you are at a healthy body weight for your size, BMI is used to estimate body fat. While not ideal, BMI can provide a broad sense of appropriate weight ranges for a given height.

What Leads to Morbid Obesity?

Your body uses the calories you eat to power itself when you eat. The body requires calories to digest food and pump blood even while you're at rest. The body stores those calories as fat if they are not needed. If you keep eating more calories than your body can need for daily activity and exercise, your body will retain fat. Too much fat deposited in the body leads to obesity and severe obesity.

Antidepressants are among the drugs that might lead to weight gain. Medical disorders like hypothyroidism can cause weight gain as well, but they can typically be treated to prevent obesity.

 

Who Has a Higher Chance of  Morbid Obesity?

If individuals consume more calories than their systems can metabolise, anyone can put on weight and become obese.

A few researchVerified Sources have demonstrated that genetic variablesThe way your body stores energy may be influenced by Trusted Source. To learn more about the connection between genes and weight, additional study is being conducted.

Your eating patterns and degree of daily activity are just two of the numerous behavioural elements that contribute to obesity. Many people form their eating habits as youngsters and find it difficult to modify them as they become older in order to maintain a healthy body weight. It's possible that as an adult, you work a desk job and have less time for physical activity, meal preparation, and exercise. 

Weight gain can also result from other causes like stress, worry, and sleep deprivation. Individuals who stop smoking frequently gain weight temporarily. Additionally, women may find it difficult to shed the weight they gain after pregnancy or may put on more weight as they approach menopause. While they may not always cause morbid obesity, these factors can undoubtedly hasten its emergence.

Identifying Morbid Obesity

In addition to doing a physical examination, your doctor will inquire about your weight history and current weight-loss attempts. They'll inquire about your past medical history, as well as your food and exercise routines.

How to Determine BMI

Your BMI is computed by dividing your weight in kilogrammes by the square of your height in metres. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has a calculatorTrusted Source that you can use to get your BMI.


The following BMI ranges correspond to the following categories of obesity:

• Underweight: less than 18.5 percent; 
• Normal: 18.5 to 24.9 percent; 
• Overweight: 25.0 to 29.9; 
• Obese (class 1): 30.0 and 34.9; 
• Morbid Obesity (class 2): 35-39.9.

There are drawbacks to using BMI as a diagnostic tool for obesity. Your body fat percentage is merely estimated by your BMI. For instance, because they have more muscle mass, athletes may weigh more than average. They may have a low body fat percentage but fall into the obese or morbid obesity BMI category. Because of this, in order to obtain an accurate assessment of your body fat %, your doctor may employ further testing.

The Body Fat Percentage Calculation

You could also have a skinfold test to determine your percentage of body fat. In this examination, a physician uses a calliper to gauge the thickness of a skin fold from the arm, belly, or thigh. Bioelectrical impedance testing, which frequently requires the use of a specialised scale, is an additional method for determining body fat percentage. Finally, using specialised technology to compute water or air displacement, body fat can be quantified with more accuracy.

Additional Examinations

If your weight increase is being caused by hormone imbalances or other medical issues, your doctor can prescribe more blood testing.

The Drawbacks of Severe Obesity

One health risk is obesity. If left untreated, obesity can result in additional major health issues like:

• anomalies in blood lipids, heart disease, and osteoarthritis
• stroke
• diabetes type 2
• Periodically stopping your breathing while you sleep is called sleep apnea.
• reproductive issues
• gallstones some types of cancer
• fat syndrome of hypoventilation
• metabolic syndrome

Handling Severe Obesity

For morbid obesity, there are numerous therapeutic options.

Exercise and Nutrition

The best strategy to lose weight over the long term is unknown, but maintaining good health starts with eating a balanced diet and doing regular exercise.

It's also critical to acquire stress-reduction techniques that can be applied in place of overindulging in food or reaching for a snack while under pressure.

Together with a dietitian, you should work with your doctor to establish reasonable goals that will support gradual weight loss through diet and activity. Seeking support from friends, family, or your community can be beneficial when trying to implement lifestyle changes that will result in long-term weight loss.

Drugs for Weight Loss

Drugs for weight loss may be recommended in specific circumstances. Although these drugs may cause weight loss, most patients gain the weight back once they stop using them. Many over-the-counter and herbal supplements make weight loss claims, but many of these have not been scientifically proven.

Operation

If you have attempted alternative weight-reduction strategies but have not been able to sustain your weight loss over the long term, surgery may potentially be an option to manage your obesity. It frequently aids in lowering the risk of various conditions that are linked to extreme obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea.

Surgery can have problems, so you should discuss your options with your physician to see if you should have surgery. Two popular kinds of weight-loss surgery are as follows:

Surgery for Gastric Banding

Your upper stomach will be bandaged by the surgeon during this process. This makes you feel full after consuming little amounts of food, which restricts how much you can consume at once.

Surgery for a gastric bypass

With this procedure, you will have a different digestive tract path since part of your stomach and small bowel will be bypassed. You will feel satisfied after consuming less food.

Stopping Severe Obesity

Morbid obesity and obesity are dangerous disorders that have the potential to be fatal. Preventing obesity requires leading a healthy lifestyle that incorporates frequent exercise and a balanced diet.

Exercise and Nutrition

Morbidly obese people should steer clear of "fad" diets and put more of their attention on altering their eating habits. Suggested actions comprise:

• eating fewer meals and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet
• tally the calories
• eating with awareness and avoiding processed carbohydrates, trans fats, and saturated fats

Engaging in physical activity is beneficial to general health and particularly crucial when attempting to reduce weight. You must engage in moderate-to-intense activity for more than three hours a week in order to start losing weight. Your heart rate increases dramatically with vigorous activity. Make sure to consult your physician prior to starting any intense workout regimen. Some instances of healthy physical activity are: 

jogging, running, swimming, jumping rope, vigorous strolling, and biking, Dragging snow or doing garden work are examples of regular tasks that might be considered moderate exercise.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or questions.