The leap from overweight to 'obese' is a not a large one. Once the body is used to ingesting more quantities of food, and storing the extra calories and fat, the body takes over, leading to obesity so quickly that at first one can hardly believe that the word describes him/her. Nothing is as alarming as the growth of obesity. Obesity is a concern for everyone, young and old.

This is because it is one of the major contributors to multiple health related problems. Problems that are both physical and mental, especially depression, which arises due to a feeling of low self-esteem due to the body's shape and size. Although they outwardly appear jovial, in most the sense of depression is high. Since losing weight takes time, moreso for them, they just give up, lose their motivation, ultimately binging on their favorite foods.

It takes more than just a strict diet to ensure that one's obesity is reduced. Apart from patience and mental strength, it needs routine exercise and often even medication of a certain nature. The ailments and diseases that can occur due to obesity:

A few things to keep in mind

• Dinner should be consumed one and half hour prior to bed time
• Use only vegetable oils and avoid saturated fats
• 15-20gms of fat intake per person per day from all food sources
• 6gms of salt intake per person per day from all food sources
• Choose citrus fruits, sweet lime, orange, apple, guava, pear, watermelon, papaya, figs, grapes, melons and pomegranate, avoid regular banana, mango, chikko, custard apple
• Choose pressure cooking, steaming, stir frying, grilling over deep frying and leaching