Obesity: Five ways to prevent weight gain!

New Delhi: Obesity rates are growing at an alarming rate owing to hectic lifestyles, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, etc.

Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it increases the risk of many health problems, including heart attack, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

Despite a busy schedule, experts recommend that one should always find time to exercise to avoid gaining excess weight. Vandana Luthra, Founder and Vice-chairperson, VLCC, suggests some amazing tips to avoid excess body fat. Here's how:

• Eat breakfast every day, it is the most important meal of a day.
• Watch out for empty calories and take food which are low on sugar and fat content. It is important to get a balanced diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains included in it.
• Exercise daily for a minimum of 30 minutes as it helps to reduce body fat as well as protect one against chronic diseases associated with obesity like diabetes, heart disease. It will also help to decrease stress and high blood pressure. Exercising is good to decrease fat around the waist and total body fat which will slow the development of abdominal obesity.
• Get enough sleep on a daily basis as irregular bedtime and insufficient sleep lead to weight gain. Sleep-deprived people may be too tired to exercise, decreasing the "calories burned" side of the weight-change equation.
• Consult a specialist if overweight and don't be afraid to ask for help.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese.

(With IANS inputs)