By Paul Semugoma

BEING fat is no joke. There are medical problems to deal with; flat feet, hearnias, diabetes and heart disease, breathing problems and lack of mobility among others.
It is uncomfortable. Yet not easy to be ‘cured’.

The basics:
l Fat accumulates over years.
l It is caused by eating more food energy than you use.
l If one eats energy food, but does not use it, it turns into fat.
l If one uses more energy than he or she eats, he or she loses weight.
l It is a lot easier to avoid putting on weight than losing extra kilos.
l Be conscious of what you eat, and drink, and burn off excess food energy in exercise.

And to lose...
l When one is overweight, it is of benefit to lose some of the weight.
l It does not have to be all of it.
l Any weight loss that you make makes you reap the benefits of better health.
l But do not be discouraged. Motivation is everything and this will carry the day.
l Set targets that are realistic. Half a kilo a week is good.
l Do it over months.
l You need to assess how much you eat daily, including snacks and alcohol.
l Note how much you exercise.
- You can then plan a diet, (preferably with a dietician) that should lower your intake without stress.

Why go hungry?
l You do not have to eat less. You just have to eat smart.
l You have to know the foods that you are eating.
l Sugars like the type we put in tea give great energy.
- As soon as they are in the stomach, they are quickly digested.

- The blood sugar level rises and the body turns this excess sugar into fat.
- When the blood sugar level falls and there is nothing in the stomach, so you feel hungry.
- Starchy sugars are good. They are tough.
- They digest slowly, and the sugar in them is released slowly.
- They stay longer in the stomach and you do not feel hungry so quickly.
- It is less likely to be turned into fat.
l They include traditional root foods; cassava, yams and sweet potatoes.
l Fats and oils are a problem. They add to the fat on our body.
l We need just enough fat to make the food tasty.
l You can boil your food instead of frying, avoid oily snacks, fat in cakes and full cream milk.
- Proteins are great. They build and repair the body.
- They also ‘kill’ appetite. Do not take too much of them.
- They include meats, beans and groundnuts.
- Fruits and vegetables are necessary.
The vegetables can act as a filler in the stomach, so you will feel hungry less often.

Burn the fat:
- When you increase the energy expenditure in activity, you are burning off the fat.
- A weight loss plan has to include exercises.
- Start off slowly with 10 minutes a day. Increase gradually.

Behavioural change:
- It is always important to notice and change the habits that contribute to your gaining weight.
- Like snacking between meals, long boozing sessions, the excuses, which occur at exercise time, or the nice comfy sofa by the TV with food within reach.

The benefits are real:
- You will feel better. The medical benefits, even to a partial weight loss are undoubted.
-0 Blood pressure, diabetes, breathing and heart functioning all improve.
- You not only look and feel good, you are in fact actually quite good!
- So, go ahead and plan to lose that weight.

The writer is a medical doctor
A contestant in
the recent Miss fat contest