Should i become obese

Very likely it is due to genetic differences in their energy metabolism. At some point in the development of mankind, the ability to store fat efficiently would have given one a survival advantage.

In this day of food abundance, however, this same efficiency puts one at risk of developing obesity. Clearly, genetics alone is not the answer. While an individual may be born with a genetic composition that predisposes them to develop obesity, not all of them will become affected by obesity.

People do not become affected by severe obesity overnight. While children born with higher birth weights are at an increased risk of developing obesity in later life, most people with severe obesity were a normal weight at birth. Children are, however, quickly introduced into our obesity genic environment. Early on this particular child is a healthy weight for her age.

She graduates from high school and enters college. Due to her demanding college schedule, she finds that her meal patterns are disordered and she often just grabs something on the run.

Many times what she grabs is not the healthiest choice, but it is fast and easy. Late night study sessions usually involve chips, soda and an occasional pizza. It becomes increasingly difficult to find time to exercise and by the time freshman year is over, she gained 20 lbs. Over the summer, she is able to drop some weight by getting back to the gym and eating more sensibly.

By the time she graduates from college, she has gained 40 lbs. After graduation, she gets a great job in the city. She has a beautiful desk, which she sits behind for hours a day.

During her breaks, she will meet her coworkers and they will share a candy bar and soda while discussing their life events. December 31st, she promises to lose the 10 lbs she has gained that year. Life continues and she meets a wonderful man whom she marries. Now with her career and a home to take care of, finding time to exercise is almost impossible.

A single "super-sized" meal may contain 1,—2, calories — all the calories that most people need for an entire day. And research shows that people will often eat what's in front of them, even if they're already full.

Not surprisingly, we're also eating more high-calorie foods especially salty snacks, soft drinks, and pizza , which are much more readily available than lower-calorie choices like salads and whole fruits. Fat isn't necessarily the problem; in fact, research shows that the fat content of our diet has actually gone down since the early s. But many low-fat foods are very high in calories because they contain large amounts of sugar to improve their taste and palatability.

In fact, many low-fat foods are actually higher in calories than foods that are not low fat. The government's current recommendations for exercise call for an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. Our daily lives don't offer many opportunities for activity. Children don't exercise as much in school, often because of cutbacks in physical education classes. Many people drive to work and spend much of the day sitting at a computer terminal.

Because we work long hours, we have trouble finding the time to go to the gym, play a sport, or exercise in other ways. Instead of walking to local shops and toting shopping bags, we drive to one-stop megastores, where we park close to the entrance, wheel our purchases in a shopping cart, and drive home. The widespread use of vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, leaf blowers, and a host of other appliances takes nearly all the physical effort out of daily chores and can contribute as one of the causes of obesity.

The average American watches about four hours of television per day, a habit that's been linked to overweight or obesity in a number of studies. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a long-term study monitoring the health of American adults, revealed that people with overweight and obesity spend more time watching television and playing video games than people of normal weight.

Watching television more than two hours a day also raises the risk of overweight in children, even in those as young as three years old. Part of the problem may be that people are watching television instead of exercising or doing other activities that burn more calories watching TV burns only slightly more calories than sleeping, and less than other sedentary pursuits such as sewing or reading.

But food advertisements also may play a significant role. The average hour-long TV show features about 11 food and beverage commercials, which encourage people to eat. And studies show that eating food in front of the TV stimulates people to eat more calories, and particularly more calories from fat.

In fact, a study that limited the amount of TV kids watched demonstrated that this practice helped them lose weight — but not because they became more active when they weren't watching TV.

The difference was that the children ate more snacks when they were watching television than when doing other activities, even sedentary ones. Obesity experts now believe that a number of different aspects of American society may conspire to promote weight gain. Stress is a common thread intertwining these factors.

For example, these days it's commonplace to work long hours and take shorter or less frequent vacations. In many families, both parents work, which makes it harder to find time for families to shop, prepare, and eat healthy foods together.

Round-the-clock TV news means we hear more frequent reports of child abductions and random violent acts. This does more than increase stress levels; it also makes parents more reluctant to allow children to ride their bikes to the park to play. Parents end up driving kids to play dates and structured activities, which means less activity for the kids and more stress for parents. Time pressures — whether for school, work, or family obligations — often lead people to eat on the run and to sacrifice sleep, both of which can contribute to weight gain.

Some researchers also think that the very act of eating irregularly and on the run may be another one of the causes of obesity. Neurological evidence indicates that the brain's biological clock — the pacemaker that controls numerous other daily rhythms in our bodies — may also help to regulate hunger and satiety signals.

Ideally, these signals should keep our weight steady. They should prompt us to eat when our body fat falls below a certain level or when we need more body fat during pregnancy, for example , and they should tell us when we feel satiated and should stop eating. Close connections between the brain's pacemaker and the appetite control center in the hypothalamus suggest that hunger and satiety are affected by temporal cues. Irregular eating patterns may disrupt the effectiveness of these cues in a way that promotes obesity.

Similarly, research shows that the less you sleep, the more likely you are to gain weight. Lack of sufficient sleep tends to disrupt hormones that control hunger and appetite and could be another one of the causes of obesity.

In a study of more than 1, volunteers, researchers found that people who slept less than eight hours a night had higher levels of body fat than those who slept more, and the people who slept the fewest hours weighed the most. Stress and lack of sleep are closely connected to psychological well-being, which can also affect diet and appetite, as anyone who's ever gorged on cookies or potato chips when feeling anxious or sad can attest.

Studies have demonstrated that some people eat more when affected by depression, anxiety, or other emotional disorders. In turn, overweight and obesity themselves can promote emotional disorders: If you repeatedly try to lose weight and fail, or if you succeed in losing weight only to gain it all back, the struggle can cause tremendous frustration over time, which can cause or worsen anxiety and depression.

A cycle develops that leads to greater and greater obesity, associated with increasingly severe emotional difficulties. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

This condition is called leptin resistance and is believed to be a leading factor in the pathogenesis of obesity. Food, especially junk food, is everywhere now. Shops display tempting foods where they are most likely to gain your attention. Another problem is that junk food is often cheaper than healthy, whole foods, especially in America. Convenience stores in these areas only sell sodas, candy and processed, packaged junk foods. This, in turn, contributes to weight gain.

Added sugar is half glucose, half fructose. People get glucose from a variety of foods, including starches, but the majority of fructose comes from added sugar. Excess fructose intake may cause insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels. People all over the world are being misinformed about health and nutrition. There are many reasons for this, but the problem largely depends on where people get their information from.

Many websites, for example, spread inaccurate or even incorrect information about health and nutrition. Some news outlets also oversimplify or misinterpret the results of scientific studies and the results are frequently taken out of context.

Food companies also play a role. Some promote products, such as weight loss supplements, that do not work. Weight loss strategies based on false information can hold back your progress. If you have concerns about your waistline, you should not use this article as an excuse to give up. Unless there is some medical condition getting in your way, it is within your power to control your weight. It often takes hard work and a drastic lifestyle change, but many people do succeed in the long run despite having the odds stacked against them.

The fact is that modern eating habits and food culture must be changed to be able to reverse this problem on a global scale.

The idea that it is all caused by a lack of willpower is exactly what food producers want you to believe, so they can continue their marketing in peace. Even though poor diet and inactivity can lead to obesity, it's not always that simple.

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Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the world. Obesity and Willpower. Share on Pinterest.