Obesity & Metabolic Health
Weight is health, not appearance.
Measuring it
- BMI: weight in kg divided by height in metres squared. 25–29.9 is overweight; 30 or more is obese.
- For Asian populations, health risks rise at lower BMI — 23 or more already counts as increased risk.
- Waist matters too: more than 90 cm (men) or 80 cm (women) signals fat around the organs.
Metabolic syndrome
- A cluster of three or more: large waist, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low good cholesterol.
- Together they multiply the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
- All five respond to the same core habits — which is good news.
What actually helps
- A modest, steady loss of 5–10% of body weight already cuts disease risk sharply.
- Change drinks first: water instead of soda, juice and sweetened coffee.
- Regular movement — walking, cycling, household work — most days of the week.
- Smaller portions, more vegetables and protein, fewer fried and processed foods.
- Sleep 7–8 hours; poor sleep drives hunger hormones and cravings.
When to get medical help
- Have blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked at least yearly.
- Doctors can prescribe medicine or refer for structured programmes when diet alone fails.
- Bariatric surgery is an option for severe obesity with related disease.
- Avoid crash diets and unregulated slimming products — they rarely last and some are dangerous.
Seek medical help urgently if
- Chest pain or severe breathlessness with exertion
- Very loud snoring with daytime sleepiness (possible sleep apnoea)
- Dark, velvety patches on the neck or armpits (a sign of insulin resistance)
- Rapid weight gain with swollen legs — needs checking
General information only — not a substitute for medical advice.