Cut the Fat

I huffed and puffed and almost blew myself away! The days of getting back to fitness after the holy trilogy of Durga Puja, Dussehra, and Diwali is an uphill task. This year was a double whammy for me with the festive season preceded by three months of excruciating cervical spondylosis-related pain. So, here I am once again, feeling like I am starting my fitness journey from scratch — what four months of inactivity can do to the old bones and muscles! With each passing year, even as it physiologically becomes more arduous to exercise, it also becomes that much more imperative. It feels absolutely amazing to lounge on the couch, eating a bag of chips, watching some show — not all of us are natural athletes; many just want to vegetate, and relish the sedentary life. As a woman, our hormones too actively demand lethargy, chocolates, and lots of wine. But here’s the kicker to jolt us to good sense — all adults in every 5th Indian household are overweight and one in four Indian adults are obese.

Being fit is not about vanity alone — of course, it’s wonderful to defy age, but health and wellness is more about fighting off future ailments or at least being in the best shape possible should disease’s unfortunate glare catch you. And look, it happens a lot. Call it genetic disposition, unhealthy lifestyle, or plain bad luck, we cannot completely predict our health’s trajectory. Obesity is the latest killer on the loose in India, which has worried even the Indian government, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn against this silent crisis. News reports suggest that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union Health Ministry are now working on the first-ever National Obesity Guidelines.

Collective action is the need of the hour, as the problem at hand is huge. The number of obese Indians has tripled in the last 10 years. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019–21), 24 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Obesity in children under the age of 5 was disturbingly also on the rise, from 2.1 per cent in NFHS-4 to 3.4 per cent in NFHS-5. With waist circumference as a tool to assess obesity instead of solely relying on body mass index (BMI), it was further found that 40 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men have abdominal obesity. Yup, big tummies, wide hips — sounds too familiar. Even among states, we can see who has the bigger pot belly — Kerala leads with 65.4 per cent, Punjab follows with 62.5 per cent, along with Delhi and Tamil Nadu at 59 per cent and 57.9 per cent respectively. Abdominal obesity is lowest in Jharkhand (23.9 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (24.9 per cent). The ease of online food delivery and quick commerce means that we are eating more outside food while expending even less energy. And with growing fat come the dangers of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other kinds of maladies.

Whether it’s our history and biology, culture or food-eating habits — most Indians have not picked out a winning genetic hand. While much of the population remains undernourished, a big majority is being overfed. As per a recent Lancet report, over 450 million Indians (21 crore men and 23 crore women) will be overweight or obese in the next 25 years. India is itching to overtake both the US and China, and the most alarming factor is the advancement of obesity in the 15-24 age group.

The business opportunity for weight loss medication and treatment is therefore also going through the roof. Mounjaro’s foray into the Indian market was well-received, and its parent company, Eli Lilly’s recent tie-up with Indian pharma company, Cipla, for national expansion has made blockbuster news. Several home-grown nutraceutical brands are also competing to offer weight loss miracle pills and powders. The competition is heating up, and understandably so. The market for anti-obesity drugs in India is brimming with potential. As per reports, the anti-obesity drug market is presently worth Rs 3,500 crore and likely to grow 8x to Rs 25,000 crore in the next five years.

At the personal level, we aren’t to throw in the towel just yet. Let’s make some smart choices and minor changes immediately, and see where it takes us. Reduce carbohydrates and increase protein intake; add more greens and fruits to our plate; cut back on meat as a sage decision. Overconsumption of salty, fatty, or sugar-laden foods must stop pronto. Ultra-processed, packaged, and junk food and drinks should be removed from the pantry. And of course, exercise — lift those weights, go for a run, stretch like a yogini, or simply just walk and get in your steps — the idea is to just keep moving. And when you next see an obese person or someone with an expansive waist, remember that a big tummy is no longer a sign of prosperity but rather of closeted disease.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is an author and media entrepreneur