2012-09-10_03_Weight Loss - What Really Causes Obesity

There are many purported reasons why we get fat, but the one thing that overshadows them all is simply overeating. Though this does not account for every instance, it does for most. It's more than just overeating though, in most cases. There are underlying reasons for overeating. The most common will be presented here

Obesity - a pandemic in the United States, leads the globe in this life-threatening condition. The top five reasons for obesity are:

• Overeating
• Lack of Exercise
• Lack of Sleep
• Medications
• Smoking Cessation

Most of us who are obese, got there through consuming more calories than is needed by the body. This serious health problem entails massive accumulations of lipid materials we know as fat. Besides a very few who have glandular problems and other health problems that cause obesity on their own, the problems shown here often lead to overeating.

Americans have a good reason to be fat. We live in the Kingdom of the Super Size and Ronald McDonald is King. Most people have completely lost the sight of what healthy food really is, and worse, it is all the bad foods that Americans prefer to indulge in.

If you are obese, you have a long list of dreaded diseases that you are in danger of contracting. It is imperative that you take corrective measures as soon as possible to stop and reverse your obesity.

Challenging as it is to reduce, in most cases, it can be done. Corrective action relies heavily on finding out why you became obese in the first place. You will face making needed changes that check the underlying causes.

What Are the Common Causes of Obesity?

We have noted above that the most common cause of obesity is the consumption of more calories than your body needs. There are other causes, but most fringe on this prime suspect. Today, Americans are eating portions that are much, much larger than they were 20 or 30 years ago with the super-sizing and generally heaping plates that would feed an entire family of six in Asian countries.

People don't become obese stuffing themeslves with fruits and vegetables, rather obesity stems from consuming food that is calorie dense. Most of these come from animal-based foods which is highly preferred in American diets.

The Sedentary Lifestyle

Technology has a dark side! From changing the channel on the TV, to finding entertainment whilst laying on the couch, physical activity has often been reduced to an absolute minimum.

Physical education has been removed from many elementary schools in the United States. This goes hand-in-hand with laying around, not going out, jumping rope, hiking, swimming, shooting hoops, or even taking an occasional walk.

We no longer need to grow our own food. In fact, what is grown has little appeal to most folks these days. The packaged stuff in the stores look far more appetizing. We muster up our meals from quick meal hoping in car through grocery store or drive through.

Lack of Sleep

Doing this causes two mechanisms to trigger.

Sleep deprivation results in increased secretion of Ghrelin, which is a hormone whose action is to stimulate appetite. The antidote to this is adequate sleep. this hormone is a natural response to sleep deprivation from which adequate sleep is the shield of protection.

The second trigger automates self-preservation response. Lack of sleep is interpreted by the body as a stressful situation, where the response is to slow down metabolism to preserve any calorie reserves or fat. This is true for any stressful condition.

What happens is the fats in body get protected because of the stress. The body naturally does this as self-preservation.

Medication

The side-effects of certain medicines stress the body so that it goes into self-preservation mode.

Some medications have been directly linked to excessive weight gain. The medication usually excites appetite or hinders some other bodily function that in turn, affects weight.

Smoking Cessation

Obesity occurs when victims attempting to remove a smoking addiction replaces it with a food addiction. This extremely common swap can be overwhelming to those trying to quit a dangerous habit and wind up with an equally bad one in its place. There are very good alternatives to drugs that can be used to intercept the urges to replace eating with smoking.

Conclusion:

The first three items, overeating, lack of exercise and not getting enough sleep, can be fixed. The second and third inevitably contribute to the height in appetite. Every person has the power of self to eat less, get exercise and improve sleep habits. Is difficult but can be done.

Changing the way you think of food and changing the way you move your body can be extremely powerful. Only you can make these changes, in fact you doctor cannot provide the solution for you it involve mindset. Many alternative health methods that have been proven work very well with the psychological aspects of weight gain and what causes it.