What causes Obesity?

Obesity is something that does not happen overnight. It is a culmination of a series of eating poor lifestyle choices. For example, a few unhealthy choices could be the following:

• Comfort eating – when one feels depressed they start binge eating just to comfort themselves, it may feel good for a while, but it takes a long time to get rid of the excess fat
• Eating out a lot – not only fast food but eating the meals that can be easily prepared at home at restaurants can lead to overweight because of the amount of fat and sugar
• Fruits and veggies – insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables can lead to a deficiency of necessary vitamins which can then lead to swelling of certain parts of the body
• Eating processed or fast food – fast food of any country or continent is never healthy; because of the high content fat and oil
• Consuming way too many calories – eating large portions or consuming more than required calories are mostly the result of dinner at large friends or family gatherings; people are at times forced to eat more than required out of peer pressure
• Not burning through the consumed calories – people who observe a sedentary lifestyle are mostly obese; because their body does not burn the stored fat
• Genetics – obesity has a strong genetic component; however, it does not mean that all is lost; with a strong willpower and a healthy lifestyle a lot can change
• Not sleeping enough – several pieces of research have proven that the fewer people sleep, the more they gain weight; the reason for which is that the hormones that are released during sleep are responsible for controlling appetite and the body’s use of energy
• Drinking too many sugary drinks – fizzy drinks or soft drinks are brimming with a high amount of calories which are extremely toxic for our health as well as bones; excess amount of which can definitely result in obesity
• Food advertisement – food advertisement encourages people to buy unhealthy food
• Food addiction – there are a few mental disorders like food addiction where patients are either addicted to a certain kind of food or all kinds of food alike; this addiction is closely compared with the addictions like cocaine, drugs, and meth.
• Certain diseases and medications – Several pharmaceutical medicines’ most common side effect is either increase in appetite or weight gain
• Misinformation/Wrong Marketing – here the companies are to blame as well; on several occasion companies provide wrong information such as several weight loss supplements can be the source of obesity
• Social issues – it is not all about poor lifestyle choices; at times lack of money or lack of the availability of healthy food can result in obesity; at times people are obese because they did not have the means to attain a healthy diet

Signs and symptoms of obesity:

Trying to avoid obesity does not mean that one should starve themselves. One should maintain a proper amount of daily intake but keep an eye out for not crossing the line. People generally do not notice their fluctuating weight and are suddenly bamboozled by the fact that they are now Obese. What should people do in such cases? They should ask their doctors that ‘what are the symptoms of obesity?’

Symptoms of obesity in adults are mostly the same as they are in children. The most commonly reported symptoms are:

• Shortness of breath
• Trouble sleeping
• Varicose veins²
• Skin problems [skin breakouts etc.]
• Osteoarthritis

Treatment

At the base of it all weight reduction is generally treated by patients on their own by the following two:

• Consuming fewer calories – Young and old people alike, should eat and drink everything; however, they should keep a check on the amount that they are consuming. Mostly it is not the food that is bad it is the amount or the frequency of consumption that is not healthy and leads to problems.
• Increasing number of exercise – If one follows a strict routine when it comes to exercise and remembers to burn off the calories, then one can easily and without any fear continue to eat whatever they want. However, keep in mind that moderation is never wrong.

However, therapists or doctors may recommend any or all of the following:

• Non-prescription diet pills
• Regular exercise and /or yoga
• A modified diet plan
• Prescription diet pills

Though if the common areas do not work out then the only way out is going through a surgery.

References:

1. Medical News Today - Measuring BMI for adults, children, and teens
2. Medline Plus - Varicose Veins