World Obesity Day - Why People Become Overweight?

Obesity doesn't happen overnight. It develops gradually over time, as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices.

Obesity occurs when a person has too much fat stored in his/her body. This extra weight can come from body water, fat, bone and muscle. Obesity usually occurs when you consume more calories than you can burn. It is caused due to a variety of factors such as being physically inactive, eating foods containing a high fat content, overeating and genetic makeup. Obesity can have a lot of complications such as cancer, arthritis, stroke, heart diseases and diabetes.

How do people become obese?

1. Consuming too much calories: Nowadays people are consuming more food than they did in the previous generations. Consuming too much unhealthy calories can make people obese which may lead to a lot of complications in the future.
2. Leading a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle: With the growth of technology, people have become more inactive and are leading a more sedentary lifestyle as compared to their past generations. With the advent of shopping malls and grocery outlets people don’t have to walk miles for food. This also leads to an inactive lifestyle which later results in obesity.
3. Not getting enough sleep: According to studies, sleep deprivation may also lead to obesity. This happens due to an increased appetite because of hormonal changes. Sleep deprivation leads your body to produce less amounts of a hormone (leptin) which increases appetite.
4. Medications: Certain medications can also lead to rapid weight gain. In such cases, alternate therapy should be opted especially for those people who are predisposed to obesity and weight gain.
5. Obesity gene: According to statistics people who have the FTO gene variant in their bloodstream tend to eat more than usual. They also prefer fatty and high energy foods.

It is very difficult for obese people to reduce their weight. By changing in lifestyle like Diet, Physical activity level, water intake and sleeping pattern, if changed under supervision of specialist with dedication, discipline and faith in their dietitian, can give wonderful results for lifetime. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.