What causes obesity?
Options
Replies
-
It really takes so little. You don't have to be a lazy slob to gain 20 pounds in a year. You don't have to binge. You don't have to have an unhealthy relationship with food. You just need to eat, over the course of a week, 1346 calories more than you expend.
That's like...
Monday: A second piece of buttered toast for breakfast.
Tuesday: A granola bar.
Wednesday: 8 ounces of wine with dinner.
Thursday: Mayo instead of mustard on your sandwich.
Friday: Half a cup of ice cream.
Saturday: A beer.
Sunday: Slathering your pancakes with extra butter.
Or, heck--you could eat at or even slightly under maintenance 6 days a week, and on the 7th meet friends at Chili's for a couple of drinks and a big platter of appetizers.
And that's for a 20-pound gain over the course of a year. Halve it for a 10-pound gain, and in five years you'll still be 50 pounds overweight.
That's pretty much what did it for me. The combination of too much food coupled with increasing sedentism. For me to control my weight, I have to keep active and pay attention to make sure my calorie intake isn't greater than my output. Or, in other words: Eat less, move more.
woah, thats a really good point. I never really thought how easy it is to go over if you are already eating maintenance. good show.
let me boil this down to one sentence ....You ate in a slight calorie surplus and decreased activity to zero.0 -
In my experience, the biggest problems are a lack of education about nutrition/fitness and a cultural acceptance of obesity. I grew up in a place where these things were not taught and it was acceptable/expected to eat ALL the food.0
-
Lack of education and/or a sheer desire to change.
It's a choice and nothing more.
`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'0 -
My parents teaching me to clean my plate after every meal.
Using food as rewards.
High fructose corn syrup and all the other chemical additives to foods.
Just to name a few, ultimately it is your choice why you are obese. Mine was because I have had 5 foot surgeries on my left foot and I used that as an excuse.
Agreed!0 -
Choice - It's as simple as that. You can't blame everyone and everything for you own bad choices. That's like saying the spoon made you eat a gallon of ice cream. Seriously! Our nation has all but lost person responsibility.
I am obese because I chose to eat Mc Donalds, Hungry Howies, Taco Bell, etc. Not one of them put a gun to my head. I glady handed them my money.
Unless a person admits they have a problem, they cannot work to cure it.0 -
Lack of education and/or a sheer desire to change.
It's a choice and nothing more.
`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
You have no idea how hard I laughed at this.0 -
We've been hardwired to fight tooth and nail for our food, now we can make a phone call or hit the corner store and get as many calories as we could possibly desire or imagine. With billions of annual dollars up for grabs every companies German scientists have manipulated the "bliss factor" for every processed and fast food on the planet.....there is no escape, we are screwed. :happy:0
-
So many sweeping generalisations, so little time.
The reasons for the obesity epidemic are complex and the fixes for it are going to be a long time coming.
Recent research into hunger hormones, genetics and even the role of viruses indicate there is more to the story than people simply being lazy, not to mention the socioeconomics of obesity.
Moralising about gluttony and blaming individuals shuts down inquiry and curiosity into a multi-factorial, complex problem with no easy answers.
If obesity is genetic than why are my sisters thin and most of my family relatively normal sized and I am the fat one? Out of all my cousins I am the biggest and I am the only younger cousin with a serious weight problem. I know i eat way more than my sisters and I always have. My one sister eats like half or a quarter of her food and then says how full she is. My other sister is so self-disciplined with her eating and activity. She was very good at sports as a child and became a lifeguard as a teenager and runs a lot now.
I don't know? There's quite a bit of research being done on discordant twins in the UK, which suggests some stressful life event during childhood may have an effect on obesity levels. There's also the possibility that the environment in the womb during development can have a negative effect.
The research is far from complete and there's still a lot of questions not answered, but it's very interesting indeed.
A link to the Horizon program where I'm getting my information lol ..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dzfgb
Well my sisters and I had pretty much the same life events. They are two and four years younger than me.
My mom did have some bleeding when she was pregnant with me but everything else was healthy. I had no problems at birth. I was a normal 7 lb baby. I was thin and healthy for about 6 years before i started gaining weight when I started school. I really started gaining weight when I moved away from my relatives who I saw very frequently. We would do a lot of things together like go swimming at the beach and ocean and play at each others houses and go to the park. That stopped after we moved away. After that we were much more sedentary, but my sisters did not gain weight. We did do some activities. We were still in sports ( I swam and did soccer and softball) but we definitely were not as active as before. My dad and I got into a unhealthier weight range. That still does not explain why I have gotten as big a I have. I have had a one aunt who was heavier and my mom sad my great grandma was heavier too. I think it is not genetic. It is just bad habits I have and choices I have made to eat way too much and not do things because of embarrassment and shyness. For years I did not want to do things because of my weight. I thought I was too fat to be seen even 30 lbs overweight. I never wanted to pursue relationships because I thought they would not want to get to know me because of my weight and that I had nothing to say of value because I was fat.
My parents were very thin when they were married. My mom was about 115 and my dad was 155. He has been 220-260 for the past 10 years or so. My mom has only gained some weight the past few years. She is about 20 lbs over a healthy BMI. They are both working now to get healthy and encouraging me too as well.0 -
I blame food corporations. They lobby just about everything from the food pyramid to eating 3 square meals a day. I think we're up to 5 meals as healthy now right? Breakfast is the most important too right? Ever see those commercials for healthy cereals? Eat, eat, eat! That's all they ever promote. Being obese is now the new acceptable normal.0
-
Diet Soda!
I drink diet soda every day and I'm losing weight continuously by exercising and eating at a deficit... Next answer?0 -
There's a lot more instant gratification involved in eating a box of cookies than strapping on those running shoes and working out before/after a long day at work. Self control and discipline ain't easy. Indulgence is, but there are consequences.0
-
I blame food corporations. They lobby just about everything from the food pyramid to eating 3 square meals a day. I think we're up to 5 meals as healthy now right? Breakfast is the most important too right? Ever see those commercials for healthy cereals? Eat, eat, eat! That's all they ever promote. Being obese is now the new acceptable normal.
I don't think the average obese person likes being obese though. I have always hated being overweight. I never changed my eating habits because I did not really think I could change them. People always talk about how hard it is to lose weight and only a small percentage of people keep the weight off. That is not very encouraging or motivating for those who need to lose weight to think they actually can do it. Now I know I have to lose weight. If I don't life will be miserable. I have to change. I don't even care how my body looks. I just want to be a healthy weight and be able to do things again and have my life back.0 -
So many sweeping generalisations, so little time.
The reasons for the obesity epidemic are complex and the fixes for it are going to be a long time coming.
Recent research into hunger hormones, genetics and even the role of viruses indicate there is more to the story than people simply being lazy, not to mention the socioeconomics of obesity.
Moralising about gluttony and blaming individuals shuts down inquiry and curiosity into a multi-factorial, complex problem with no easy answers.
If obesity is genetic than why are my sisters thin and most of my family relatively normal sized and I am the fat one? Out of all my cousins I am the biggest and I am the only younger cousin with a serious weight problem. I know i eat way more than my sisters and I always have. My one sister eats like half or a quarter of her food and then says how full she is. My other sister is so self-disciplined with her eating and activity. She was very good at sports as a child and became a lifeguard as a teenager and runs a lot now.
I don't know? There's quite a bit of research being done on discordant twins in the UK, which suggests some stressful life event during childhood may have an effect on obesity levels. There's also the possibility that the environment in the womb during development can have a negative effect.
The research is far from complete and there's still a lot of questions not answered, but it's very interesting indeed.
A link to the Horizon program where I'm getting my information lol ..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dzfgb
Well my sisters and I had pretty much the same life events. They are two and four years younger than me.
My mom did have some bleeding when she was pregnant with me but everything else was healthy. I had no problems at birth. I was a normal 7 lb baby. I was thin and healthy for about 6 years before i started gaining weight when I started school. I really started gaining weight when I moved away from my relatives who I saw very frequently. We would do a lot of things together like go swimming at the beach and ocean and play at each others houses and go to the park. That stopped after we moved away. After that we were much more sedentary, but my sisters did not gain weight. We did do some activities. We were still in sports ( I swam and did soccer and softball) but we definitely were not as active as before. My dad and I got into a unhealthier weight range. That still does not explain why I have gotten as big a I have. I have had a one aunt who was heavier and my mom sad my great grandma was heavier too. I think it is not genetic. It is just bad habits I have and choices I have made to eat way too much and not do things because of embarrassment and shyness. For years I did not want to do things because of my weight. I thought I was too fat to be seen even 30 lbs overweight. I never wanted to pursue relationships because I thought they would not want to get to know me because of my weight and that I had nothing to say of value because I was fat.
My parents were very thin when they were married. My mom was about 115 and my dad was 155. He has been 220-260 for the past 10 years or so. My mom has only gained some weight the past few years. She is about 20 lbs over a healthy BMI. They are both working now to get healthy and encouraging me too as well.
*Shrugs*, As I said, I don't know. Hormones (grhelin, leptin)? Thryoid? Lack of incidental exercise? A combination of all those plus a large helping of bad luck?
There IS a link between genes and obesity, although there's still a lot of questions about how and why that should be.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/obesity/0 -
I do think that there are some significant societal changes that make it very difficult to prevent weiight gain:
1. We have way too many food additives with unknown impact. Feed someone 1800 colories of typically really processed American food, and the same number of calories of whole foods. You will have wildly different heath outcomes over time,
2. We have made it virtually impossible for people to get discretionary activity. How many of you have tried to walk to your daily errands in typical suburbia? Many cities don't even have sidewalks, so there is no safe path to school/work/home/the store even if you live a short distance away. Most cities are designed so the only way to traverse the city is via car.
3. Our processed food is designed to be addictive, not nutritious.
Even though people have to take ownership of their health, and indulging in healthy behaviors, there are roadblocks at every turn.0 -
I do think that there are some significant societal changes that make it very difficult to prevent weiight gain:
1. We have way too many food additives with unknown impact. Feed someone 1800 colories of typically really processed American food, and the same number of calories of whole foods. You will have wildly different heath outcomes over time,
2. We have made it virtually impossible for people to get discretionary activity. How many of you have tried to walk to your daily errands in typical suburbia? Many cities don't even have sidewalks, so there is no safe path to school/work/home/the store even if you live a short distance away. Most cities are designed so the only way to traverse the city is via car.
3. Our processed food is designed to be addictive, not nutritious.
Even though people have to take ownership of their health, and indulging in healthy behaviors, there are roadblocks at every turn.
good answer. high 5.0 -
So many sweeping generalisations, so little time.
The reasons for the obesity epidemic are complex and the fixes for it are going to be a long time coming.
Recent research into hunger hormones, genetics and even the role of viruses indicate there is more to the story than people simply being lazy, not to mention the socioeconomics of obesity.
Moralising about gluttony and blaming individuals shuts down inquiry and curiosity into a multi-factorial, complex problem with no easy answers.
If obesity is genetic than why are my sisters thin and most of my family relatively normal sized and I am the fat one? Out of all my cousins I am the biggest and I am the only younger cousin with a serious weight problem. I know i eat way more than my sisters and I always have. My one sister eats like half or a quarter of her food and then says how full she is. My other sister is so self-disciplined with her eating and activity. She was very good at sports as a child and became a lifeguard as a teenager and runs a lot now.
I don't know? There's quite a bit of research being done on discordant twins in the UK, which suggests some stressful life event during childhood may have an effect on obesity levels. There's also the possibility that the environment in the womb during development can have a negative effect.
The research is far from complete and there's still a lot of questions not answered, but it's very interesting indeed.
A link to the Horizon program where I'm getting my information lol ..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dzfgb
Well my sisters and I had pretty much the same life events. They are two and four years younger than me.
My mom did have some bleeding when she was pregnant with me but everything else was healthy. I had no problems at birth. I was a normal 7 lb baby. I was thin and healthy for about 6 years before i started gaining weight when I started school. I really started gaining weight when I moved away from my relatives who I saw very frequently. We would do a lot of things together like go swimming at the beach and ocean and play at each others houses and go to the park. That stopped after we moved away. After that we were much more sedentary, but my sisters did not gain weight. We did do some activities. We were still in sports ( I swam and did soccer and softball) but we definitely were not as active as before. My dad and I got into a unhealthier weight range. That still does not explain why I have gotten as big a I have. I have had a one aunt who was heavier and my mom sad my great grandma was heavier too. I think it is not genetic. It is just bad habits I have and choices I have made to eat way too much and not do things because of embarrassment and shyness. For years I did not want to do things because of my weight. I thought I was too fat to be seen even 30 lbs overweight. I never wanted to pursue relationships because I thought they would not want to get to know me because of my weight and that I had nothing to say of value because I was fat.
My parents were very thin when they were married. My mom was about 115 and my dad was 155. He has been 220-260 for the past 10 years or so. My mom has only gained some weight the past few years. She is about 20 lbs over a healthy BMI. They are both working now to get healthy and encouraging me too as well.
*Shrugs*, As I said, I don't know. Hormones (grhelin, leptin)? Thryoid? Lack of incidental exercise? A combination of all those plus a large helping of bad luck?
There IS a link between genes and obesity, although there's still a lot of questions about how and why that should be.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/obesity/
I have had my hormones and thyroid checked. They are all fine surprisingly.
I think the whole gene idea is only useful to researchers and scientists who may be able to treat those genes in the future to prevent obesity. For the average person pre-discovery it only seems to give an excuse to be fat. I lose weight when I eat low calorie and exercise. I have felt great lately and not even really tempted to overeat or binge. I try to get a balanced diet with carbs, fat, fiber and protein and it has been working. I have treats every other day. I have been losing steadily 2 lbs a week. Doesn't this display that if genes are involved they can at least be deterred if you change your habits?0 -
Yup, Ask Dr Google, perhaps?0
-
Yup, Ask Dr Google, perhaps?
genius.0 -
-excusesToo much food, not enough movement.
And laziness. Lots of laziness.
I understand the laziness aspect, but playing devil`s advocate, a lot of people lead busy lives working or looking after the children..so how do they find the time to move?
I know lots of people with kids and they make time to move..either get up at four am in the morning and go the gym, run, etc..or have a home gym and work out from home..work out on lunch break at work ..etc etc..if you want to find an excuse to not move then you easily can ..
-lack of planning0 -
I do think that there are some significant societal changes that make it very difficult to prevent weiight gain:
1. We have way too many food additives with unknown impact. Feed someone 1800 colories of typically really processed American food, and the same number of calories of whole foods. You will have wildly different heath outcomes over time,
2. We have made it virtually impossible for people to get discretionary activity. How many of you have tried to walk to your daily errands in typical suburbia? Many cities don't even have sidewalks, so there is no safe path to school/work/home/the store even if you live a short distance away. Most cities are designed so the only way to traverse the city is via car.
3. Our processed food is designed to be addictive, not nutritious.
Even though people have to take ownership of their health, and indulging in healthy behaviors, there are roadblocks at every turn.
My take away from this is that processed food is bad. Well that and not eating nearly as much processed food this experience has taught me that I feel a lot better if I don't eat overly processed food. However, if two people stick to 1800 calories and that is their TDEE neither is going to gain weight no matter how much processed crap one eats and no matter how little the other eats. But, the one eating processed crap is probably going to be constantly hungry and will most likely be the one to end up going over that 1800 calorie TDEE over time.
Where I live doesn't have sidewalks in a lot of places. But, I don't really care I own the streets and if people driving don't like it they can lobby for sidewalks so I'm not walking in the middle of the street. I seriously don't care if someone driving thinks I am in the way. I'm not the eejit that designed this city without sidewalks.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 392 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 926 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions