A 42- year old woman from Maharastra has lost a whopping 214 kgs in 4 years, giving up her title of one of Asia’s heaviest women.
Amita Rajani now stands slim at 86 kgs post her successful bariatric weight loss surgery. Pre-operation she weighed around 300 kgs.
Women More at Risk for Obesity
The operation was carried out by Dr Shashank Shah, surgeon and founder of LaparoObeso Centre at Lilavati Hospital and Hinduja Healthcare Surgical Hospital.
Calling obesity the “mother of all diseases,” he added it is “more common in women compared to men.
This is so because women have physiological reasons for weight gain like pregnancy or menopause while men are subjected to abdominal obesity. Significant abdominal obesity can give rise to chronic life-threatening disorders like cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.Dr Shashank Shah
In 2015, The Times of India chronicled the beginning of Rajani’s weight-loss journey through surgery where she lost 117 kgs post surgery. Speaking to TOI, plastic surgeon Dr Ravin Thatte added that outside of lifestyle, obesity is also a “genetic problem.”
India’s Obesity Statistics Have Shot Up
Every fifth person in India used to be overweight to some extent. But, since over a decade, every third person in India is overweight.Dr Shashank Shah
Shah added, “This is due to environmental influence which has affected the metabolism and obesity has now become an epidemic. Lifestyle does boost the baseline tendency to gain weight. It is a disease of metabolism induced by the environment and the substances which disrupt or injure the endocrine system. In some cases like Amita, these disturbances are extremely severe.”
Functioning Normally, Amrita Feels ‘Independent’
Earlier, I was bed-ridden but I am independent now, and can move freely after battling the bulge.Amrita Rajani
While Rajani’s journey and commitment to regaining control over her health must be commended, it is important to remember that it is possible to be health conscious and avoid body shaming.
At any weight, everyone deserves a life of dignity, but it is important to be wary once the weight starts impacting your health.
(With inputs from The Times of India)
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