Obesity - This Is How You Can Prevent It

Obesity - this is how you can prevent it

The best measures to combat overweight or obesity are a balanced diet and regular exercise. The normal weight range, defined according to the BMI model, leaves plenty of scope for personal freedom and preferences. Basically, a healthy lifestyle with regular physical exercise and diet according to the recommendations of the nutrition companies is considered to be sensible to avoid obesity…

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In order to keep the body weight stable, the energy balance should be balanced - this means consuming about the same amount of calories as the body consumes. If you notice a tendency to gain weight, it is advisable to make changes in your eating and exercise behavior in good time. Because with increasing duration and severity of obesity, it becomes more and more difficult to get this under control. Some health consequences are irreversible despite weight loss.

Tips against obesity

The most important rules of healthy eating that have a direct impact on avoiding obesity:

• Variety against obesity: the more diverse and varied the diet, the better it is to avoid one-sided cravings.
• Healthy fillers: as paradoxical as it sounds - hunger is a poor guide to avoiding obesity. You should therefore eat yourself full of healthy foods. Grain products such as bread, pasta, rice or cereal flakes and potatoes that used to be considered fattening foods keep you full for a long time and are low in fat. Whole grain products in particular provide the body with long-lasting carbohydrates and fiber.
• Lean snack in between: Vegetables and fruit - as a small snack or snack in between - contain few calories and also provide the body with filling fiber.
• Little fat and high-fat foods: Fat provides essential fatty acids and is important for a healthy body. Compared to the other nutrients, however, fat is particularly rich in calories - it is therefore recommended to use it sparingly and consciously. Fat is not always visible - especially in meat products, dairy products, pastries and confectionery, as well as in fast food and finished products, there can be a great deal of fat. For more information, see Saving Fat.
• Moderate use of sweets: Conscious use of sugar is important. Because too much not only promotes the development of caries, but also obesity. Consume sugar and foods or drinks made with different types of sugar (such as glucose syrup) only occasionally and in small quantities. For more information on how to save sugar, see Diet Tips.
• Eating takes time: Those who eat slowly and chew for a long time recognize the signs of satiety better and eat less overall.

Balanced calorie intake

The daily energy requirement varies greatly from person to person and depends on various factors. Age, gender and physical activity all play a role. The energy requirement is made up of the basal metabolic rate, work rate and metabolic activity. Regular exercise is very important for a balanced energy balance. The more you move, the higher the energy consumption. The following table can be used as an approximate guide for the daily calorie requirement. The values are the recommended daily intake for people of normal weight.

For more information, see Energy Consumption.

Calorie requirement per day

Age	Women average kcal / day	Men average kcal / day
7 to under 10 years	1,700	1,900
10 to under 13 years	2,000	2,300
13 to under 15 years	2,200	2,700
15 to under 19 years	2,500	3,100
19 to under 25 years	2,400	3,000
25 to under 51 years	2,300	2,900
51 to under 65 years	2,000	2,500
65 years and older	1,800	2,300

Source: BMSGPK / AGES: Nutrition at a Glance, DA-CH reference values for nutrient intake

Avoid being overweight in children

Overweight children often remain overweight into adulthood. Therefore, one should pay attention to a healthy body weight even in childhood. Nutrition is a key component in this. A balanced diet with smaller portions distributed throughout the day, regular eating of fruit and vegetables and avoiding fast food as well as high-sugar drinks and high-calorie snacks helps. Sufficient exercise is also necessary to keep a healthy weight stable over the long term. Parents and legal guardians play a key role in avoiding childhood obesity - so set a good example.

Further information is available from:

• Overweight in children - questions and answers (ÖGK).
• Child nutrition
• Healthy break in school
• Nutrition in kindergarten

Note The recommendations given here for the prevention of certain diseases or for nutrition in certain diseases are to be understood as the basis for individually tailored measures. They cannot replace a personal consultation or diagnosis by a doctor or a diaetologist.