Causes and risks for obesity
Description
Many people with obesity who lose large amounts of weight and gain it back often think it is their fault. They may blame themselves for not having the willpower to keep the weight off. Many regain more than they lost.
Not everyone has the same ability to stay at a healthy weight. Even among people in the same environments who eat the same type of foods, some become obese and others do not. Our bodies have a complex system to help keep our weight at a healthy level. And this system does not work the same for everyone.
Your body's gas gauge
Think about the gas gauge in your car. If your gas tank is full but your car's gas gauge is broken, it may read empty. You would want to put in more gas, even when the tank is already full.
If you are someone who struggles to maintain a healthy weight, the reason may be that one or more of the signals that tells your brain when you have eaten enough does not work normally. In other words, your tank (stomach) may be full, but your brain (gas gauge) does not realize that.
Genetics
Why are some people overweight, while others are thin? Why do some people have trouble losing weight and keeping it off? Why do others find it easier to lose weight and keep it off?
Our bodies are set to keep our weight within a certain range. That weight range is partly determined by our genes. Our genes carry certain traits that we inherit from our parents. If you have the genes for obesity and you eat a lot of high-calorie foods and don't exercise, you will probably develop obesity. It will likely be harder for you to stay at a healthy weight than someone who does not have the genes for obesity.
Obesity is not caused by just one gene. There are hundreds of genes that influence body weight. Some people may have more genetic risk factors for obesity than others.
Learned behaviors and habits
The way we eat when we are children may strongly affect how we eat as adults. When we repeat these eating behaviors over many years, they become habits. They affect what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat.
Children are very good at listening to their body's signals of hunger and fullness. They will stop eating as soon as their body tells them they have had enough. However, at some point a well-meaning parent may tell them they have to finish everything on their plate. This forces them to ignore their fullness and to eat everything on their plate.
As adults, these same people may say that they feel guilty if they do not eat everything on their plate. And today, portion sizes are so large that eating everything on your plate may mean you are eating too many calories.
Other learned behaviors include using food to:
- Reward good behaviors
- Seek comfort when feeling sad or stressed
- Express love
These learned habits lead to eating no matter if someone is hungry or full. Many people have a very hard time breaking these habits.
The foods we eat when we are children may influence our food likes and dislikes for life. Being raised on foods that are processed and high in fat, salt, and sugar may make it difficult to start eating natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, when we become adults. Not knowing how to prepare these foods can also keep people from eating them.
Our environment
We are surrounded by many things that make it easy to overeat and hard to stay active.
Many people don't have enough time to plan and prepare healthy meals. Some reasons are:
- Families with more than one adult who works
- Working longer hours
- Having longer commutes
Less free time also means less time to exercise. Also, more people today work desk jobs compared to jobs in the past that had activity built in to them.
Devices such as remote controls, mobile telephones, escalators, elevators, and computers all make life easier for us. But fewer trips up and down stairs and fewer walks down the hall at work to talk with a co-worker mean that we are storing more calories instead of burning them off. The average American eats 100 to 200 more calories a day more than they did 10 years ago. This can lead to a weight gain of 12 to 25 pounds (5.4 to 11 kilograms) every year.
Many things have also changed how and what we eat. Some of these are:
- Children see up to 40,000 food commercials every year. Most of these are for candy, fast food, soft drinks, and sugared cereals.
- More foods today are processed and high in fat.
- Vending machines and convenience stores make it easy to get a quick snack, but they rarely sell healthy foods.
- More people eat out, most often at food courts, fast-food restaurants, and all-you-can-eat buffets.
Other causes of obesity
Sometimes, medical problems or treatments cause weight gain. Some of these are:
- Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- Medicines such as birth control pills, antidepressants, and antipsychotics
Other things that can cause us to gain weight are:
- Quitting smoking. Most people who quit smoking gain 4 to 10 pounds (1.8 to 4.5 kilograms) in the first 6 months after quitting. Some gain as much as 25 to 30 pounds (11 to 13 kilograms).
- Stress, anxiety, feeling sad, or not sleeping well.
- Menopause. Women may gain 12 to 15 pounds (5.4 to 6.8 kilograms) during menopause.
- Pregnancy. Some women don't lose weight gained during pregnancy.
Reviewed By: John E. Meilahn, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Chestnut Hill Surgical Associates, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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