Nature or nurture?
Causes of obesity are debated every day by doctors, nutritionists, and geneticists, and of course there are a number of theories. Studies show that 80% of children born to two obese parents will become obese; only 14% of children born to normal-weight parents become obese. Studies on adopted children show that genetics account for only 33% of a child’s weight. So, we sure can use our GENETICS as a lame excuse of being overweight or being unable to lose weight…BUT the above numbers also indicate that we can CONTROL our weight for at least 66%, not? That’s seems more than enough control if we only want to lose 5, 10, 20 or even 40% of our body weight.
What is it that we CAN CONTROL then? Lifestyle factors such as physical activity and eating habits. A slow metabolism can be partially controlled by genetics, but you will learn later how we easily can speed-up our metabolism through some healthy practices!
So is the statement: “You are what you eat” true? Well, basically it is, but remember that our genetics also play a role!
“Move it or lose it”
According the CDC, 37% of obese people don’t exercise. A sedentary individual may begin to gain weight on as few as 1800 calories. Regular exercise burns calories and builds lean muscle mass, which in turn burns more calories. Some top athletes may even burn up to 5,000 calories/day!
Lack of activity can certainly be a cause of obesity! Please learn more about exercise in chapter xxx.
Fast Food = Fast Fat.
Fast food contains more calories and fat, and people consume more than needed. Usually, lower calorie items are available at these fast-food places, but most people don’t order them. The typical fast food meal averages 700-1200 calories. “Supersizing” with fries and soda seems like a bargain but comes with a huge caloric price. For example, a small order of fries contains 210 calories and 10 grams of fat while a supersized order has an astonishing 540 calories and 26 grams of fat. A small soda has 150 calories versus the whopping 310 calories in a 32-ounce one!
Fast food is also eaten too fast. Researchers have shown that the bet way to moderate how much you eat is to eat slower, relax, enjoy your food and focus on your meal.
Other common causes are insufficient sleep and also hormone imbalances, in both men and women. In women, this can be caused by menopause and/or by surgical interventions such as a hysterectomy. We briefly will discuss hormone replacement therapy later in this book.
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The most obvious and common cause is the following:
Most people:
1. Consume excess calories: calorie intake exceeds energy expenditure. Often, people are unable to control portion size AND people eat larger quantities because our processed foods do NOT contain the essential nutrients our body needs, and therefore our body continues to ask for more food (increased hungry feeling).
2. Consume mostly acid-forming foods (learn more in Chapter xxx). Acid-forming foods deplete our body from alkalizing minerals such as calcium and potassium; and slow down metabolism.
3. Lack physical activity.
4. Many people are taking prescription drugs that make you gain weight.
Yours in Optimal Health,
Dr. Mike
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Tags: Basic Metabolic Rate, cardiovascular health, causes of childhood obesity, children's obesity, diet, exercise benefits, exercise facts, healthy lifestyle, metabolic health, obesity, Sensible Weight Loss
Insightful article, I’ll pass it on!
Comment by Joe — January 4, 2010 @ 4:33 pm
Junk food = poison
Comment by James — January 4, 2010 @ 4:42 pm