Excess Fat


What is it?

While eating, the body uses calories to operate and even when at rest, the body needs calories to pump the heart or digest food. If calories are not used, the body stores them as fat. Excess fat is the buildup of unused calories stored in the body.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of excess fat are weight gain and a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is an estimate of your body fat content and is calculated using your height and weight measurements. Physically, the notable symptoms are an increase in body size and cellulite formation.

What are the causes?

It's well known that poor food choices and inactive lifestyles are the two most likely causative factors of excess fat. Other factors include lack of sleep, prenatal effects, genetics, introducing new medication to your system, pollution and smoking.

What should you avoid?

To avoid excess fat there are a few key precautions to consider, however it varies among people as every body type is different. The main habit to avoid is consuming more calories than the body can burn. Understanding one’s metabolism and how much calories it can burn daily is a crucial dietary factor. Avoiding drastic diets (yo-yo diets) that offer a temporary solution and adopting a healthy and balanced diet regime will be more permanent and consistent. Lifestyle elements like inactivity, unbalanced sleep cycle, smoking and alcohol will reduce the metabolism and increase the chance of gaining excess fat. Drinking plenty of calorie-free water makes the body feel full and reduces eating. Water is the medium in which most cellular activities take place, including the transportation and burning of fat.

Who is affected?

Individuals with an unbalanced and unhealthy lifestyle are mainly affected, such as smokers, insomniacs, and binge eaters. Women who have recently given birth tend to have baby weight a few months after delivering. Premature babies or newborns with deficiencies could be prone to future excess fat.