Dubai: The weather is just an excuse and should not be a problem for people trying to cut down their weight, doctors say.
"Right now we are in March and the evenings are excellent," said Dr Ali Reza Eghtedari, consultant surgeon and head of the obesity clinic at Canadian Specialist Hospital.
He pointed out that the government has provided great facilities for walking and jogging. "Eight months in the year you can exercise outdoors without the risk of dehydration," he said.
He said many people are still unaware that being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle runs a risk of heart attacks and high risk of breast cancer for women.
The surgeon said that all it takes to boost one's body immunity is just 30 minutes of exercise every day.
The obesity percentage is higher in the UAE compared to Europe, he said. The UAE is level with the US, where a large section of the population is morbidly obese, he pointed out.
Awareness needed
Dr Sameem Matto, a diabetologist and internal medicine specialist, says it's all in the mindset.
The cushy air-conditioned environment at home and the workplace, or the weather outside do not matter if you change your mindset, he said.
He said the BMI (Body Mass Index) of patients who come into the Canadian Hospital is checked and it was found that 72 per cent of the patients are overweight.
"We don't realise how big a problem this is," he said. Most of the BMI of the patients clocked in at 30 kilos per square metre, which is severely overweight.
The specialist says there is a need for creating awareness and education on what is a healthy diet right from the school level.
He said children eat their meals watching television. "You are eating but you don't burn it." Dr Matto said that granted there are not many outdoor activities for children, but believes it is our fault that children have become lazy. "You need to park right near the entrance of the mall," he said.
Open invitation
Dr Ali Reza has given an open invitation to visit his obesity clinic at the Canadian Hospital. It runs a free awareness clinic and provides information in Arabic, English, Urdu and Farsi. The next campaign is on April 17 at 6pm.
Being obese or overweight has a huge negative impact on the quality of life, he said. "Your heart, lung, joints, breast, are all affected. It leads to diabetes and strokes. You get depressed, you become aggressive. It's not a normal life."
The surgeon said surgery should be the last resort.
"It is the last resort for the morbidly obese," he said. Surgery involves either making part of the stomach smaller or closing a section of the stomach, so even if you have a craving, you cannot eat.
Lack of education
"Genetics plays a small part," says the surgeon. "People here are suffering due to lack of education. When a child cries, you give him a sandwich (to quiet him down).
"He will always relate to a sandwich in times of sadness.
"You get used to it. It's all in the behaviour."
