Obesity has become a worldwide problem with as many as more than 300 million people suffering from it. When a person’s body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30, that person is said to be obese and if the person’s body mass index is near around 28, he/she is said to be overweight. The people who are overweight are at risk of turning obese soon if they do not control their between-meal snacking and bad eating habits. The causes for obesity are many; here are some major causes of obesity.
Over-eating: Many people have a habit of eating to the optimal capacities of their body. After eating they start feeling full and difficulties to stay mobile. Whenever you eat, you should keep some space in your stomach and should not stuff it completely. Overeating can lead to slow digestion and the fats may then get deposited into your body, leading to weight gain.
Heredity: It is believed that an obese father or an obese mother transfers her obesity to their child. Heredity is the major reason for childhood obesity. Also, an obese parent might not be following a healthy lifestyle, which he/she may pass on to their children. This can cause childhood obesity.
Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is a cause for obesity and it can turn fatal too. It is seen that most of the obese people have diabetes or cholesterol problems. Controlling on your bad food habits can be a way to stay away from diabetes and high levels of bad cholesterols.
Reduced metabolism: Metabolism is the rate/time taken by your body to convert the calories taken-in into energy that can be used to help the body function properly. If your metabolism is slow, the excess fats might get deposited in your body and lead to weight gain but if your body converts calories into energy fast, you can stay healthy.
Certain diseases: A number of diseases including some neurological disorders, some injuries to the brain and the spinal cord or diseases like cancer can cause you to gain weight excessively.
Certain drugs: Certain drugs that have a high protein content or those which have steroids in it, may give you unwanted bulges and weight gain. Ask your doctor to prescribe some alternate medicines if the drugs you are taking are making you obese.
Lifestyle: The type of lifestyle that you follow is a major contributor to your obesity. Watching TV or playing games on the PlayStation or on the computer for a long time and being a couch potato can make you obese. This is also a reason why more and more cases of childhood obesity are known today. The kind of food you eat, the frequency of eating and the content in the food matters a lot too. Today’s lifestyle allows you to eat junk food that is high on fats, fibres, oil and is not balanced at all.
Bad eating habits: Many obese people eat more than 5-6 times a day, which is unhealthy. Your body needs time to convert your food into energy and so between meals snacking is not healthy at all. You should only have two meals, breakfast and an evening brunch and not more than that to stay healthy.
