Around GMA

Article Inside Page

March 4 is World Obesity Day. All over the world, there are countless people who suffer from obesity and have the tendency to take it lightly until serious symptoms start to manifest.

Many of us have made jokes about Quarantine 15 or gaining weight during the lockdown, but the truth is, it's no laughing matter.

Obesity has been declared a disease in 2013 and it can have heavy consequences and can even result in death.

In the Philippines, it is said that 1 out of 3 Filipinos are at risk for obesity, making it major public health concern.

Especially now that we're going through the pandemic, and we've all discovered that obese people have a greater risk of dying from COVID-19.

So, in order to help people fight obesity, pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, in partnership with the Royal Danish Embassy in Manila, held a virtual discussion titled #BeatObesityWIthMe.”

Panel of medical experts during the #BeatObesityWithMe online discussion / Source: Novo Nordisk

During the online event, a panel of mostly medical experts discussed different ways on how to effectively manage and fight obesity.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Grete Sillasen of Denmark emphasized how the current pandemic has served as a wake-up call for everyone to start taking weight management more seriously.

Ambassador Grete Sillasen of Denmark together with event moderator Dr. Beinjerinck Ivan Cudal, Novo Nordisk Philippines VP and General Manager Cihan Serdar Kizilcik and Novo Nordisk Philippines Senior Medical Manager Dr. Cyrus Pasamba / Source: Novo Nordisk

She said, “We've been occupied with COVID-19, but COVID-19 has done something else. It has put the spotlight on our health, because it has put the spotlight on the many vulnerabilities of our societies.

And actually, there's a new word that has come out of COVID-19 and it is COVIDbesity.

“Because this was a problem before COVID-19--obesity--but it has not become less in a situation where so many people around the globe have been locked down.

“So, if they had a problem before, for many, it has been aggravated because they haven't been moving.”

Ambassador Sillasen added, “So, I would say that this campaign is really coming at a right time, where we need to look at what we can do, in order to start again fighting obesity as that very serious illness that is.”

Diagnosis and treatment

There are several steps in properly diagnosing and treating obesity. The first, obviously, would be to determine whether you are overweight or obese.

Persons with body mass index (BMI) of 25 are overweight, while those with a BMI of 30 are the ones who are considered overweight.

Although both conditions call for proper weight management or change in lifestyle, obese people are more at risk for other more serious illnesses related to obesity.

So, if you suspect that you may be overweight or obese, it's best to consult a physician, so they can properly diagnose you and recommend the right medication or treatment.

Physicians work hand in hand with nutritionists and dietitians to come up with an individualized healthy eating plan for each patient.

Obese patients need to weigh themselves weekly and doctors should also monitor them monthly throughout their weight loss journey.

Aside from a healthy eating plan and exercising, obese patients can also be given certain medications to help with their weight loss, given that it is recommended by their doctor and are proven safe to use.

Some of the medications mentioned by Dr. Mia C. Fojas, president of the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO), are orlistat and liraglutide.

Dr. Fojas said orlistat works by letting you excrete 30% of the total fat that you consume, while liraglutide is an injectable medication that works similarly as bariatric surgery, in a sense that it suppresses appetite or makes you feel full sooner.

Dr. Fojas also warned about anecdotal fad diets or taking weight loss pills that are not approved by authorities as they may have harmful effects to the body.

Hazel H. Docuyanan, immediate past president of the Philippine Society of Hospital Pharmacists (PSHP), confirms this by saying, “Kasi maraming over-the-counter ngayon na pampapayat, e.

“'Pag tiningnan mo 'yung content, medyo nakaka-alarm 'yung ibang mga laman kasi you know na meron siyang hindi magandang effect sa puso.

“Dahil 'yung kadalasan sa mga pampapayat, pinapabilis niya talaga 'yung metabolism mo.”

This is why in order to properly diagnose and treat obesity, it's best to consult your doctor, instead of trying fad diets or weight loss pills you see online.

You can also consult with your local pharmacist, as they can also give you well-informed advice about certain medications.

Ma. Gilda Sebua-Saljay, president of the Philippine Pharmacists Associations, Inc. (PPHA), said, “Kapag open 'yung drugstore, may pharmacists po diyan. 'Wag po silang mag-hesitate (to approach) pharmacists to seek for advice.”

Weight loss done right

Zenaida F. Velasco, president of Nutrition-Dietitians' Association of the Philippines (NDAP), says there's a whole process of designing a healthy eating plan for obese people and going on a diet doesn't mean starving yourself.

"So, when you consult a dietitian, we don't call it 'I am giving you a diet. kasi ang connotation ng diet, papatayin sila (sa gutom), they would have to go through starvation.

“Ang ginagawa po ng dietitian ay gumagawa siya ng healthy eating plan that is very individualized. Sabi nga, 'No one size fits all.'

“And it has to be a sensible weight loss regimen, wherein we're looking at 1 to 2 pounds weight loss per week. Hindi pwedeng marami.”

Lifestyle modification is also an integral part of any weight loss journey and obesity educators can greatly help in this aspect.

Obesity Nurse Educator Ceceni Rose pare said, “We are more on the motivational side and support. “

“We feel as a nurse educator that they really need to understand 'yung nature nung condition nila kais 'pag naintindihan nila 'yung nature nung condition nila, magkakaroon ng acceptance.

“And if there's acceptance, magkakaroon ng mas madaling adherence or compliance sa treatment na binigay ni doctor, na binigay ni dietitian and nutritionist.”

As for working out, Dr. Mia Fojas says the ideal exercise for weight loss is 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

She also said, “Evidence based weight loss 5%--at least 5 to 10%--in a span of 12 weeks, that's 3 months, that's significant already. And that means that whatever you are doing--diet and exercise--is working. So, that's how you assess kung okay 'yung ginagawa mong weight loss regimen.”

Practical tips

If you're currently on a weight loss journey, perhaps you can use some the practical advice shared by Dr. Mia Fojas and Nutritionist-Dietitian Zenaida Velasco during the discussion:

1. Have a “mind over plate” mentality.
2. Eat slowly and chew your food very well.
3. Avoid using big plates as this can tempt you to put more food on your plate.
4. Grow your own vegetables, so healthy food will be more accessible for you.
5. Do SIPA, or short incidental physical activities, if you cannot go to the gym.
6. Exert more effort when cleaning the house to increase your heart rate by a bit and burn more calories.
7. If you're overweight, it's better to lose some weight first from eating healthy and doing light exercises, because doing moderate exercises can be difficult when you're still overweight and it can even lead to injury.

If you want to take your weight loss journey up a notch, you can also join the 4-week challenge on The Body of Truth FB Page. There will be different challenges per week, such as a 3-kilometer walk. Plus, you'll also get more info about obesity and how to fight it.

Be sure to head to GMA Lifestyle's page for more content like this.

You might also want to read about some famous diet plans.

Be inspired by the quarantine celebrity body transformations in the gallery below.