Weight loss: how to eliminate excess weight and obesity?

Excess weight and obesity are caused by too much fat in the body as a result of the imbalance between high daily calorie intake and energy expenditure. The body takes more than it spends and stores the excess that it has not been able to burn.

Thus, when a person is overweight or obese, there is an excess of fat tissue or body fat. It is not to be confused with the lean mass relating to the weight of muscles and organs.

There are various indicators that allow a medical professional to measure whether someone is overweight or obese:

• Body Mass Index (BMI): the body mass index is determined by dividing the person's weight by the squared height.
• Body Fat Index (BFI): the body fat index is determined by measuring the hip circumference around the navel. The diameter of the waist is then compared to the height of the person. If the BMI of a person is between 25 and 30 kg/m2, the person is overweight. But if their BMI is more than 30 kg/m2, they are obese.

If a woman has a BFI of between 33 and 38%, she is overweight. 39% or more, and it's obese. For a man, the BFI should be between 20% and 25% to be considered overweight. Above that, he's obese.

In 2015, 54% of men and 44% of women were obese or overweight in France.

Why lose weight?

The reasons of excess weight and obesity vary from person to person, but the main cause of excess fat is a diet that is too high in calories and fat.

Some individuals may also be genetically predisposed to obesity. This means some individuals naturally tend to store more fat than others.

Lack of exercise is also a factor that can contribute to obesity. If you spend less energy than you consume, this allows excess fat to be stored.

In any case, obesity and excess weight may have a major impact on the health of the person. It is also important for these people to lose weight in order to avoid the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

Losing weight: how should you go about it?

The best solution to lose weight is to increase exercise and adopt a more healthy diet, but often it is difficult for people who have always followed a rich diet to change their habits.

So, to help obese or overweight people change their lifestyle, a gastric balloon can be used to assist them. This is a successful therapy that helps people lose weight while learning to eat more balanced.