The numbers are extremely alarming. In Qatar, 70% of adults are overweight and 41% are obese while 68% of adults in the US are overweight and 34% are obese. The threat that Qatar is facing in this regard acquires shocking proportions when the population of both the countries are compared.
If the US population is over 317mn, Qatar’s is just over 2mn, not even 1% of the former. Yet, Qatar tops the chart in terms of overweight and obese individuals. It is not the first time that these figures have been announced. The latest public discussion in this connection happened at a health seminar organised recently under the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s (WCMC-Q) Sahtak Awalan campaign.
WCMC-Q professor Dr Ravinder Mamtani pointed out that being overweight or obese is associated with a number of serious health issues, including type-2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Referring to the real-life scenario faced by many individuals, the expert explained that losing weight brings many benefits but the problem is that people who successfully lose weight often put it back on.
The fact that fad diets tend not to be effective was driven home at the event. Even if the dieter loses some weight they are likely to go back to their old habits and put it back on again. The best method is to give the individual knowledge and practical skills to make sensible, informed choices about what they eat and how much they exercise.
Once the individuals concerned have achieved their healthy new weight, the skills they have learned will allow them to maintain that weight, leading to long-term health benefits and improved quality of life. It is also important that people realise that they really do have the power to lose weight and to keep it off if they learn how to do so. It is about skill power as much as willpower.
Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows that it is a very difficult and long-winding process. It is easy to gain weight, but it is just the opposite to lose a few kilos. This is where the relevance of regular physical activity and an intelligent control over fatty and starchy foods comes in.
While questioning who is overseeing the actions of weight loss clinics across Qatar, a participant said many of these establishments promoted a high protein/low carbohydrate diet, contrary to the advice given by Dr Mamtani who espoused a balanced, calorie-controlled diet in conjunction with moderate exercise.
Though there are different schools of thought about weight loss diets, one fact is crystal clear; that if Qatar is not to earn the undesirable tag as one of the fattest nations in the world, a radical change in the dietary and exercise habits is the need of the hour.
The silver lining is that there is a growing awareness. Venues such as the Doha Corniche and Aspire are witnessing an increasing number of health-conscious individuals sweating it out regularly. May be what is needed now is a collective and conscious decision to limit the intake of unhealthy foods. This is where willpower comes in, as Dr Mamtani rightly pointed out. If there is a will, there is a way and that way, in this context, should be to a healthy life.