Why do you fall prey to obesity?

Over weight or obesity is soaring at an alarming rate in most countries. The top notch doctors of various countries are passing alarming signals about over weight. The life style changes among the younger generation and physical inactivity are the major factors attributed to obesity. Take a look at more on obesity and its effects from the article.This article covers

• What is over weight?
• Obesity statistics in US
• What are the ill effects of obesity?

In today's materialistic world, where looks are of prime importance to people of all age groups, it is of utmost importance to have if not a perfect, but a slim figure. However, with hectic lifestyles and people paying less and less attention to their diets, overweight, or obesity is fast becoming a major problem for the general population, with more and more people asking themselves as to why am I so fat?? And the question remains…why do people get fat?

In the medical community, "overweight" is defined as a condition in which a person's weight is 10-20% higher than "normal", which is defined by a standard height/weight chart. Obesity is generally termed as a condition in which a person's weight is 20% or more above normal weight; while "morbid obesity" refers to a person who is nearly 50-100% over the normal weight.

However, it is important to note that your weight is generally just a rough indicator of the amount of fat that your body contains, and usually the percentage of your weight that comes from fat tissue is far more important than your total body weight. A person's total body weight comprises of not only fat but also bones, bodily fluids, and of course, muscles. Keeping this in mind, it is necessary to be aware that a height/weight tables could very well indicate that a lean, muscular person is "overweight", while a person whose weight is within the "normal" range might actually be carrying around more fatty tissue than being healthy. If you look into a mirror and have to ask yourself "Why am I so fat?" then you have a problem which needs to be looked into more seriously.

Alarming Obesity Statistics In USA

If we look at the overweight statistics of the US today, nearly 40 million Americans, that includes more than one-quarter of all adults and about one in five children, are obese, and there are more than 300,000 excess deaths in the US caused due to obesity each year. Though, the statistics are not so alarming at other places, the numbers are fast moving up, mainly caused by the increased consumption of junk food or 'fast' food preferred by most youth today.

Some of the latest obesity statistics from the US bring forth the following:

• 58 million overweight
• 40 million obese
• 3 million morbidly obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25's overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

While shocking, these overweight and obesity statistics bring to light some of the very real problems affecting people today - again making us wonder as to why do people get fat?

While the tendency to be overweight is generally inherited, obesity can also occur when a person consumes more calories than they are capable of burning. Some of the other causes of why people get fat are as follows:

Age

As one gets older, the body's ability to metabolize food is lowered, as is the amount of calories required by the body to maintain weight. Therefore, while people continue to have the same diet as they when they were 20-years-old, their body, however, gains weight.

Gender

It is no great secret that women generally tend to be more overweight than men. This is because men have a higher resting metabolic rate than females, and thus they require more calories in order to maintain their body weight. Also note that with the onset of menopause in women, the body's metabolic rate slows down, thus leading to weight gain.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle behaviors including what a person eats and how active he/she is has an immediate effect on weight.

Physical Activity

Until and unless an individual exercises regularly, the fat in the body keeps building up, thus adding to the person's weight. Active individuals require more calories than less active ones to maintain their weight and physical activity also tends to decrease appetite in obese individuals while increasing the body's ability to metabolize fat.

Continue to:Illness & Medication

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