Weight Matters

Unless you are aiming for a drop dead figure or gunning for a Guinness record in the smallest waist or the heaviest bottom category, do you ever really pay attention to how much you register on the weighing scale?

"Most people don’t," reveals Dr. Luisito Llido, head of the newly-inaugurated Weight Management Center of St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City.

Surprisingly, according to Llido, despite the ever-growing popularity of slimming salons, the ordinary Filipino is not yet conscious of the implications of weight to his general health.

Sure, most people may complain about bulging tummies and flab in the abs, but unless there is a compelling medical or emotional reason to arrest weight gain, what do plain Janes and simple Joes really do to solve their...ah...weighty problem?

A lot of things, it seems. Deciding to go on the famous three-day diet that reportedly guarantees a smaller waist and firmer figure after only–believe it or not–three days, one desperate lady limited her breakfast to only a soda cracker and half a grapefruit on the first day, as opposed to her normal fried rice, fried egg and sausages fare in the morning. As a result, she almost collapsed on her way to the door. "I could hear my stomach grumble on the bus on the way to work," she says, noting that she banished the whole idea of the diet the moment she stepped into the company canteen.

Another lady counters: "Hey, what’s the big deal? I just buy bigger clothes!"

Nowadays, though, weight gain is becoming a legitimate concern, not just on the personal level but on a global scale.

Llido discloses that 34 percent of the total US population are obese. Here in the Philippines, while there is no available data on our own overweight and obese population, a pioneering study done by St. Luke’s Hospital showed that 25 percent of its in-patients are overweight, 11-12 percent are obese, while 8-10 percent are underweight. Thankfully though, more than half or 51 percent still fall under the normal range. But it should be noted with concern that we are following the same pattern as the US.

"There is an increasing trend in the overweight and obese percentages," confirmes Llido. "And the fact is, our next generation is definitely heavier. So we are expecting more problems related to overweight and obesity in the next generation."

So what’s all these fuss about weight?

"For as long as my husband is not complaining about my figure," says a married co-worker, "why punish myself with a trip to the gym, which is like torture?"

"Why can I not be allowed to eat everything I want? I’m not married, so who cares?" says another.

"I was Miss Body Beautiful before but my boyfriend still cheated on me," complains a former die-hard slimmer.

"Everyone is aware that being overweight or obese is associated with a lot of diseases," said Llido. "The no. 1 problem of overweight or obese people is the accumulation of cholesterol or fats in the body which can later lead to blood vessel problems, coronary heart disease, hypertension and the onset of diabetes. It’s a vicious cycle."

Bur how do you know that you are overweight?

It’s actually very simple, explains Dr. Llido. The center uses the internationally accepted standard called the Bio Mass Index (BMI).

"To get your BMI, divide your weight in kilos by your height in meters multiplied by itself," he instructs.

If you have a BMI above 25 but below 30, it means that you are normal but if it’s over 30, you are obese.

To compute one’s health risk, the center also uses the so-called waist-hip ratio.

"Ideally," explains Llido, "the waist should be smaller than the hip. As the waist-hip ratio goes up, it indicates a higher health risk."

So How Do People Really Get Fat?

There are a lot of reasons, but primarily it is food and lifestyle, Llido says.

"We now have a lot of choices for food, especially those that are fat- and carbohydrate-based, which will induce more fat retention in the body," he explains.

The Filipino diet is basically a healthy diet, he adds, but with more fastfood choices coming in offering food that are really heavy on fats, there is a greater tendency for malnutrition.

Surprising as it may sound, overweight people are indeed malnourished. Being overweight or obese is a form of malnutrition in the same way that being underweight is.

"All these conditions will follow the same patterns of sickness and the body will respond poorly whether you are overweight, underweight or obese," he explains.

In setting up the new Weight Management Center at St. Luke’s, Llido says that they hope to create multi-disciplinary programs for people with weight problems that they feel are not being addressed properly at the moment by mainstream slimming centers.

"What makes us different is that we are based in a hospital setting. Beauty may be part of what the others are trying to do but our priority here is definitely health," he emphasizes.

"The doctors managing the patients are actually of different specialties," he reveals. "So, we have an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, a pulmonary specialist and a medical specialist who supervise the exercise regimen. We also have a nutrition specialist, a surgeon, physical therapists who manage the exercise programs and even psychologists who help patients whose weight problems are related to attitude."

The goal, says Llido, is to help patients modify their eating habits, increase physical activity, and help them make healthier choices and understand their bodies–and themselves–better.

For example, Llido reveals that sometimes, weight gain is really a problem that stems from how people view themselves. Are you using food, for example, to feel better about yourself?

But one thing is certain. No matter what people may say, weight should not be taken lightly.