Know All About The Leading Causes of Obesity

Are You Obese?

You are obese if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or more. The most common methods of measuring obesity are BMI and Waist Circumference.

BMI is Calculated as Follows

Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.

Here is how you will be categorized according to BMI. Check out if you are obese; it is best to know at the earliest if you are obese or near it, so that you can start working towards losing weight and avoid the harmful consequences of obesity.

Waist Circumference

This is another method to measure obesity but is rarely used. Measure your waist circumference by wrapping a measuring tape around the area just below the rib cage and above your hip bone. A waist circumference of 35 inches and greater is unhealthy for women and for men it’s 40 inches and greater.

Causes of Obesity

Genetics

If one of your parents or both are obese then you are more likely to be obese. Though genetics cannot be the sole reason for obesity it affects the hormones that impact fat regulation. Leptin deficiency is a genetic cause of obesity. Leptin performs the vital function of sending signals to the brain to eat less when the fat levels in your body rise. But, when your body cannot produce enough of Leptin your brain doesn’t receive signals to eat less. Consequently, you lose control over your eating habits and become obese.

Sedentary Lifestyle

A lot of people find it tough to go to the gym. They hate following the same routine over and over every day. Most of us have to sit for long hours in front of the computer at work. Some of us watch TV for hours at a stretch, almost everyday. Many never engage in any kind of physical activity like walking, jogging, swimming, playing a sport etc. This slowly adds to the calories in our body without us even making a note of it.

Psychological Reasons

Emotions can create a havoc in our lives by influencing our eating habits. We start to eat excessively if we are bored, sad, stressed or angry. Our response to these emotions is typically, eat a lot. Often obese people engage in binge eating, which means you have episodes of uncontrollable eating.

Before it gets too late, check your BMI and work towards a healthy life. Eat healthy, get moving and get insured. Explore and buy online heath insurance plans offered by Bajaj Allianz and get insured today!