No one likes being called fat or obese. Unfortunately, obesity is the most common problem faced by people worldwide. This can be caused due to various reasons, some obvious and some not so obvious. Obese people suffer from problems like social embarrassment, low self esteem and low self confidence. They find it difficult to fit in as they are always in a dilemma of whether people would make fun of them. Hence, they tend to be shy and don’t mix with people. This is not true for all obese people. As mentioned above, apart from a few obvious reasons, people are not aware of all the reasons that cause obesity. Listed below are some of the top causes for obesity.
Top Causes
1. Diet
Did you know that one beef burger contains a whopping amount of 279,000 calories? The excess calories one takes in is the reason for the accumulation of unwanted fat in the body, leading to obesity. Ideally, the amount of calories per day should be 1,800 to 2,000 calories for a woman and 2,000 to 2,200 calories for a man. The best way to divide these calories is to distribute them across three meals in a day, each consisting of 300 to 400 calories for women and 400 to 500 calories for men. Include a snack or two in a day. However, restrict them to 100 to 200 calories per snack.
2. Lack of exercise
It is not always possible to check one’s diet. What with the day being so hectic, fast food is an easy replacement for lunch. It is only natural that sticking to the ideal amount of calories intake in a day is not possible. And lack of exercise only adds to a person becoming obese. Earlier, work and entertainment involved a lot more physical activities. Hence, even though people didn’t exercise regularly, they kept fit. However, in this modern world, work includes just sitting in one place all day long and entertainment includes watching movies, going to a restaurant or pub, or playing video games. These are not physical activities, so exercising is absolutely vital. Not performing any exercise only allows the calories to turn to fat and settle in the body, adding to an increase in body weight. Burning those extra calories is only possible if one works out.
3. Lack of sleep
Most people pride themselves of being able to work even after getting very little sleep. Some people sleep for only six hours which is two hours short of the recommended eight hours of sleep. Many people are also unaware of the fact that this causes obesity. This is how the body works: When one is deprived of sleep there is an imbalance of hormones in the body. The hormones that tell the brain the stomach is full fail to register this information in the brain correctly. Hence, one tends to overeat, not realizing the stomach is already full. People who don’t get enough sleep feel lethargic and weak and so do not have the energy to exercise, adding to the cause of obesity.
4. Pollution
Were you aware that pollution is one of the top causes behind obesity? Pollution in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe adds to us putting on weight. This is because they cause the hormones in our body to go off-balance. Once this happens, our hormones fail to function properly and the pounds begin to pile up. To avoid this, it is best to wear a mouth mask covering your nose when out in polluted areas. Drink filtered and contamination free water and check what you eat. Avoid eating food from vendors on the street. As far as possible, try to eat food prepared at home.
5. Medications
There’s a drug for everything these days. People take medication for just about anything: sleeping disorder, anxiety, stress or some disease or illness. These drugs may have some side effects, putting on weight being one of them. Some of the drugs that cause obesity include contraceptives, antidepressants, and drugs for diabetes, blood pressure and hormonal disorder. Shunning of weight put on due to medication is not easy and requires a lot of exercising. Drinking ample water also helps.
6. Air conditioning and heaters
This may sound a bit absurd but, yes, air conditioners and heaters are also a cause behind obesity. This is what happens: In the cold weather, the body burns calories to raise our body temperature and in a warmer weather, you naturally don’t feel hungry. So you eat less and put on less weight. Shivering in the cold and sweating in the heat is evidence of calories burning in the body. Hence, when you use air conditioners and heaters, you don’t allow your body to burn those calories. Many people are not aware of this and even if they’ve read about it somewhere, they think the information is false. However, it is not. Recent findings and over 100 studies prove that this information is true and using air conditioners and heaters do lead to obesity.
7. Older mothers and heredity
Recent studies have also shown that mothers who give birth at an older age usually give birth to obese children. This again could be a cause of hormonal imbalance. The reason why we see more obese children with each passing day is because women of today’s generation prefer giving birth at an older age. Ambition, higher education and a successful career are some obstacles keeping a woman from giving birth at a younger age.
Obesity can also be hereditary. Genetic influence also plays an important role in causing obesity. Scientists have discovered that “fetally driven feedback loops” can contribute to obesity. You may have noticed many a times that children of obese parents usually turn out to be obese as well.
