‘Size Zero’ Fever Grips Hyderabad, Women Fall Prey To Harmful Techniques, Triggering Vicious Cycle

At a time when obesity is one of the most common health problems in the country, city doctors warn of a dangerous weight-loss trend. Many people, doctors say, seek ‘quick fix solutions’ to shed their weight, but in most cases these solutions turn out to be disastrous and often back-pedal the results to even more gain in weight!

Besides, the quick solutions including cotton ball diets, tapeworm tablets, slimming soaps and arsenic diet bring in more health problems among those suffering from obesity.

It’s no surprise that a long day at work makes fast food more tempting or that a breakup can send you straight to the loving arms of someone loves. And researchers have long known that stress can drive us to overeat, making us gain weight. But a new study shows that it works the opposite way too: Your actual body fat affects the way you deal with worries—and the more fat you have, the more stressed out you feel by everyday life.

We’re not just talking about the alarm you feel from too-tight pants—according to the study, body fat, technically called adipose tissue, sends a signal to your brain that starts a vicious cycle where you eat because you’re stressed out and then the weight you gain heightens the alarm response which leads to more stress eating. Plus, Stress Eating Can Make You Burn Fewer Calories.

A survey conducted by Doconline, an online medical platform, reveals that women in the city are more prone to obesity and at the same time, they are keener than men to slim down. The survey, based on the interactions with over 10,000 obese patients from the city, finds that six out of every 10 women are aware of cutting down flabs and are taking various preventive measures in this regard. On the other hand, three out of every 10 city men adopt weight loss diets.

Asked about the emerging trend of weight loss, Dr Latha, a consultant physician of Doconline told #KhabarLive, “Slow weight loss is the healthy way to go. It is not only easier to maintain but also highly effective. Women and men who take to weight loss diets and exercises must make out that those who lose weight fast will also end up gaining it faster. People may fork out more money on quick fix dietary solutions but danger often lurks there.”

Fat tissue has glucocorticoid receptors, which help communicate stress levels to the brain to help regulate metabolism. This can be helpful when it’s telling your brain to control its stress reponses and energy balance, but, over time, the chronic bombardment of messages from the fat to slow down your metabolism can create a self-perpetuating cycle of weight gain and worry. So instead of tension simply causing us to gain weight, now our weight gain is causing us to feel more chaos in our lives.

“The big question is the nature of that signal to the brain. We need to learn how to go in and break that cycle of stress, eating, and weight gain,” Dr.Latha said, adding that this research could lead to better ways to help people deal with hectic events.

While this news might seem depressing at first, it offers us two important clues on how to live a healthier life. According to the scientists, the less body fat you have, the less anxiety you’ll feel—so it’s worth it to pick up the heavy weights at the gym. Plus, the study shows the importance of breaking the stress-weight gain cycle early by taking measures to both manage weight and reduce worry immediately. Not sure where to start?

The team of doctors who interacted with the weight loss seekers from the city has found that the availability of curated and non-curated contents on various websites has been leading obese patients to go in for unhealthy practice of weight loss.

Dr Shilpa Polumahanti, a general physician said, “From failing menstrual cycles to not being able to conceive, easy weight-loss solutions have been affecting city women quite heavily.” #KhabarLive