Obesity has become a global problem since 2005. Obesity usually occurs between ages 15 and up in adults and children 5 and under. Obesity is defined as an excessive portion of body fat. Another term that is used for obesity is also known as overweight. A person is considered overweight when their weight exceeds 20% of normal weight. A common tool that is used to determine whether an individual is overweight is the BMI (Body Mass Index). If the BMI is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight and a BMI of 30 or over is obese.
Obesity is usually caused by a person consuming more calories than they burn. Another cause is exercising too little and eating more. Aging also has an effect on obesity, as you become older your body requires fewer calories to maintain your weight and your body slows down its ability to metabolize food. For example, if you do the same physical activities and eat the same as you did at the age of 20 years old, at age 40 you will gain weight.
Although obesity is usually caused by a person’s eating habits family genes have an effect on obesity. If your mother was heavy as an adult, you have an approximately 75% chance of being heavy as well. Those who are genetically predisposed to obesity often don’t become obese, they are often able to lose weight and keep it off. A person’s environment plays a significant role in obesity as well. These factors include lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and how active they are.
Active individuals have to intake more calories than a person who is less active to maintain their weight. Physical activities decrease the appetite in obese individuals while the body’s ability to preferentially metabolize fat as energy is increased. In the last 20 years, the thought of obesity has been a result of the decrease in physical daily activity.
Psychological factors interfere with eating habits as people eat out of anger, boredom, or sadness. Those who struggle with managing weight may be facing more emotional and psychological issues; 30% of those who seek help for weight problems have trouble with binge eating. During binge eating large amounts of food are consumed as a person feel to have no control over how much they eat. If psychological problems with weight gain persist a doctor or physician should be notified.
Although it’s not as common illnesses such as hypothyroidism (poor thyroid slows metabolism) and depression can cause overeating which leads to obesity. Medication can cause you excessive weight gain such as steroids and some antidepressants.
Obesity does cause emotional suffering. Physical appearance has a big impact on society which adds attractiveness to being slim or muscular. Those who are obese are usually stereotyped as lazy. Bodies have a complex system in that helps keep weight healthy, in some people this system does not work properly. Even though in some cases obesity occurs unexpectedly maintaining a healthy meal plan and staying active you can gain control of your health.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-obesity?page=2
