Page 24 - Waterfall_Issue 2_Feb_2022

Waterfall News
often than not, I cannot treat the
pain that life has dealt their souls.
However, most of my patients
share a common thread of trauma.
They are the victims of try-and-fail.
The New Year’s resolutions to lose
weight always stall by February and
invariably lead to a freezer full of
awful pre-made ‘weight-loss meals’ from 2021
or a gym membership that equates
to signing away your soul to the
treadmills and upside-down yoga
classes. Regardless of whether the
goal is made at the start of the year or
later on, I have seen countless diets
turn into defeats, and I have been
witness to all the carefully concocted
exercise regimes that will betray even
the most enthusiastic of goal-setters.
From my experience, there are a
few things you can do to approach
weight-loss goals in a realistic
fashion that can lead to success.
1. Come to terms with your
situation: There is a big difference
between being at a healthy weight
and trying to tone up, and being at
an unhealthy weight and trying to
lose a large portion of your body
mass. Where a person with a lower
body mass index will probably be
able to lose a kilo or two after the
Festive Season feasting, a person
living with obesity will not easily
be able to lose the necessary
weight. Obesity is a recognised
medical disease and should be
treated as such. If you suffered
from heart disease, you would
have it treated by a cardiologist,
right? So why are you trying to
treat your obesity on your own?
2. See a professional: As mentioned,
you should seek a medical
professional to address your obesity
from a scientific perspective. Seek
out doctors who specialise in
treating obesity, as many other
doctors still hold prejudices towards
people living with obesity and are
22 Waterfall Issue 2 2022
uninformed about the disease.
Solutions such as diet and exercise
are red flags, as they are but a small
factor in the greater treatment of
the illness. More so, any proficient
specialist will know that tackling
obesity is not about willpower or
simply “eating less and exercising
Pictured above and below: One of Prof Tess’ patients more”, but rather about taking into
account many environmental and
genetic factors. For assistance, you
can visit www.sasso-online.org
to access information about
accredited medical specialists.
And beware! ‘Fitfluencers’ are not
professionals. Listen to sound advice
regarding your health and not
social media! Even if you are trying
to lose a small amount of weight
or trying to get fitter, you can do
your body more harm than good if
you do the wrong types of exercise.
I always recommend professional
Pilates and yoga that will be gentle
on your joints and good for core
strength. You can learn the basics
from a few classes and then continue
from the comfort of your home.
3. Be absolutely realistic: It is
completely unproductive to set goals
that you cannot keep. Will you really
wake up at 5am each day to go to the
gym? Even on a cold day where your
bed is contentment itself? More is not
always better. Doing 10 minutes of
quality core exercises at home will be
better in the long run than an hour of
heaving weights around in the gym
only to look impressive. Be honest
with yourself and try your best.
Little by little, you will see results.
Tackling obesity
is not about
willpower or simply
“eating less and
exercising more”