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In the U.S., health experts and celebrities
constantly discuss the causes of obesity
If we already know the causes of obesity, then why is it so hard to
lose
weight? If an alien from Mars watched our television or read our
magazines, he would probably ask how humans got so fat. Was it a
natural plan for our species to grow this large?
Facts about obesity
If you don't live in a cave, you have heard that obesity rates are out
of control. This is true in the U.S. and in many other countries. Here are 20 facts on obesity
that will make you wonder what the heck is
going on.
Common beliefs about obesity
Most people have some ideas the causes of obesity. Common reasons
they give are:
Dieting and obesity
Every doctor and dietitian says if you want to lose weight you must go
on a diet.
But does this actually work?
- Counting
calories diet. Everyone says to eat less and exercise more
if you want to lose weight. Does the typical counting calories diet
work for you? For most people, it works for a few days or weeks. Then
they get so hungry they eat everything in sight.
- Eating
in moderation. Some
dietitians say there are no bad foods.
You can eat anything you like as long as you don't eat too much. Eating
all foods in moderation is similar to counting calories. It often
doesn't work. Counting calories and trying to eat all foods in
moderation are actually causes of obesity.
A toxic food environment
Kelly Brownell, author of Food
Fight, says that one of the main reasons for obesity in
the U.S. is that we live in a toxic food environment. What does he mean?
- Fast
food
causes obesity. Fact or fiction? Read a mini-history of fast food around the world. You decide if fast food causes obesity.
- Junk
food facts. Even if you don't eat in fast food
restaurants, you find junk food everywhere: in grocery stores, gas
stations, vending machines, and at work. You can't avoid the
stuff unless you move to Mars.
- Food
industry trends. It would be nice if the food industry
wanted to help us avoid obesity. The dirty little secret is that most
food industry
trends lead us in the other direction. They want us to eat more, not
less.
- Diet
soda and weight gain.
It tastes good and it doesn't have
any calories. We can find it everywhere. But many studies show that it
doesn't help with weight loss and make even be one of the causes of
obesity.
- Effects
of peer pressure.
If your family, friends, and workmates
eat fattening food, they expect you to join them. Learn how to handle
peer pressure and you will have a better chance of losing weight.
Think of
foods like this as being part of a toxic food environment.
Lifestyle reasons for
obesity
- Sitting
in
chairs. We go from sitting in our car to sitting at work
to sitting in front of the television. Recent research shows that
sitting too much can make us fat.
- Eating
at night. After a hard day at work, you finally have time
to relax. You eat dinner. Then you keep on eating at night until you go
to bed. You don't need the calories but you do it anyway.
- Stress
eating. Some people lose their appetite when they are
stressed out. Others find themselves stress eating. Which kind of
person are you?
Health factors in obesity
- Depression
and overeating. Depression is linked with overeating in
many people.
- Health
conditions and drugs. There
are other causes of obesity, like thyroid problems and drug side
effects. Work with your doctor to find solutions to these
problems.
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