Of all European countries, Britain leads the pack when it comes to obesity. Latest data show that nearly 25% of British adults are obese. In just the last 3 decades, the rates of obesity in the UK have trebled. What is even more alarming is that obesity is now prevalent in children and accounts for nearly 20% of overweight children in the country.

Obesity has been blamed for about 30,000 deaths a year in the UK, of which at least 33% occur before the individual is of retirement age. Further, more than 300,000 obesity-related complications are reported each year and countless more are never reported. The major cause of this exponential rise in obesity is chiefly due to our modern lifestyle which includes a sedentary life, lack of exercise and eating highly processed foods. The medical establishment in the UK is alarmed at these numbers and believes that obesity has now overtaken smoking as the number one cause of illness.

The consequences of being overweight are not trivial. With time it leads to high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and low self esteem. The tragic thing is that obesity is a preventable disorder but yet the public does not seem to understand that.

While some people develop obesity because of their poor lifestyle, there are others who are genetically at risk even though they have no risk factors. Studies reveal that those who are genetically predisposed to obesity often have more fat cells.

One thing that has been acknowledged is that drugs for weight loss may not be the answer in controlling the obesity epidemic and a change in life style is mandatory. Surgery for weight loss is prohibitively expensive and also fraught with life threatening complications. Therefore, along with these weight loss physicians, there has been an explosion of nutritionists, exercise gyms, herbal therapists, psychologists, spiritualists, yogis and a whole host of other experts- all who have been burdened with solving UKs number one health problem.

Try Exercise

Solving the obesity problem is not as difficult as people make it out to be. However, it does require a major shift in lifestyle of which exercise is mandatory. The problem is that many obese people are not motivated. Thus, it is vital that they seek obesity help from a professional. The type of exercise one does really does not matter as long as one remains active. Even walking is a great exercise and is probably the first exercise to start with. However, one must walk for at least 60 minutes everyday for 7 days a week, to lose 2-3 pounds month. Over a year, this can amount to 20-30 pounds of weight loss.

For those who want guidance in exercise, one can have a personal trainer. There are both male and female personal trainers available today who not only motivate you to exercise but also give you advice on foods to eat. The simple message for al obese people is eat less and move more.

Final word: to counter obesity, you need to start today because every ounce you gain takes twice as long to get rid off. Change your eating habits and start becoming active. If you need help on getting started, call or text me for advice and tips on how to succeed at weight loss