Causes of Being Overweight

There are numerous factors related to diet, lifestyle, environment, and genetics that can contribute to excessive weight gain.

Two of the most common contributors to obesity are poorly-balanced diet and sedentary lifestyle. When combined, they set a person on a sure path toward obesity. How physically active we are directly influences all the chemical processes in our body that define our metabolism. By taking in large quantities of fatty, calorie rich food, for example, an inactive body is supplied with a lot more energy than it ultimately uses. Rather than let all this energy go to waste, the body stores it as fat tissue, which is meant for long term energy storage. Clearly, this simple balance between energy put into the body and energy used by the body has a large impact on the accumulation of body fat and development of obesity.

Although a diverse, healthy, natural diet combined with exercise seems a simple enough formula for avoiding weight gain, a 2008 survey showed that 142 million Americans, age 20 or older, are overweight or obese. More than 9 million children and adolescents were also categorized as overweight or obese according to BMI statistics, and many more are considered at risk for becoming overweight. Much of this has to do with the modern lifestyle. Working parents may substitute fast food meals for more balanced, less fatty home-cooked meals in the interest of time. Trends in the workplace have shifted toward less physical labor and more sitting, as manual labor has slowly been replaced by machinery. Some also blame the mass efforts to quit smoking in the interest of health for part of the obesity problem. While dangerous in other ways, the appetite suppression of nicotine kept many figures trim by controlling eating habits. Far more people drive cars to work than walk or bike, as well. Many recreational activities that involve sitting, including video games, television, and time spent on the internet, are also thought to have replaced more active hobbies, particularly in children.

Genetics may also impact obesity through various genes involved in controlling appetite and metabolism. One factor that may compound this influence is the likelihood that the overweight may bond with and eventually have children with another overweight person. This can increase the likelihood of the child developing genetically-influenced obesity. Some studies also suggest the possibility that certain ethnic groups, such as Native Americans, are more likely to develop obesity based on environmental influences that impacted their nutritional habits and survivability in the past. The "thrifty gene" hypothesis suggests that generations of survival with lower fat calorie intake, for example, can result in naturally efficient metabolism that can store lots of energy, even with little food. If these people are suddenly presented with high calorie diets, as they become infused with more "modern" culture, they are at greater risk for excess developing obesity.

Conventional Weight Loss Strategies

For most weight loss programs, lifestyle changes are key. Dieting alone can produce short term weight loss, but without exercise, the lower weight can be very difficult to maintain for any length of time. A combination of the two is generally required to produce long-lasting results. To ensure that the weight stays healthy, doctors recommend that people restructure their lives to make these new changes habits.

There are numerous diet books out there, listing strategies for quick weight loss. Generally, it is much healthier to lose weight gradually, no more than 2 pounds per week. Occasionally more dramatic weight loss is recommended by doctors (before surgeries, for example), however these weight loss programs should always be done under the care of a doctor.

There are many styles of diets out there, the popularity of each waxing and waning depending on what books are on the bestseller list. Low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, have been quite popular in recent years. These high fat, high protein diets change the body's metabolism by inducing a state called ketosis. During this process, the body shifts from burning glucose for energy to burning stored body fat, as it senses low insulin levels. While this diet can be very useful for extremely heavy people preparing to undergo surgeries, it is not recommended by the American Heart Association for general health or weight loss issues.

Low-fat diets can lower blood cholesterol and also aid in weight loss. Because carbohydrates do have considerable caloric content, overall calorie intake needs to be reduced for these to be effective.

Low-calorie diets that balance carbohydrate and fat intake while maintaining an overall lower daily calorie intake can also be quite effective. Weight Watchers and the DASH diet are popular low-calorie plans, designed to help a person focus on healthier foods, reduce their sodium intake, and remove empty calories (such as soft drinks) from their diets.

Very low-calorie diets, which bypass fat and carbohydrate intake and focus on protein consumption, can be dangerous and are generally not recommended. These crash diets can result in electrolyte imbalances, muscle loss, and gout. It may also be tempting to skip meals, but this can put the body into starvation mode, causing it to store even more fat.

Physical exercise can help rebalance a body's energy, helping it to use the nutrients from food in more efficient ways. During exercise, metabolism shifts to focus on burning fat as an energy source, helping to remove excess weight being stored. High levels of physical activity alone can promote weight loss, though eventually, the body will reach an energetic equilibrium. In order to lose weight, the energy used by the body must exceed the energy produced by the nutrients in the diet.

Some doctors also prescribe medications to help with obesity. Currently, there are only two anti-obesity medications approved for long term use by the FDA. One is Xenical, a drug that prevents fat absorption in the intestines. The other is Meridia, which suppresses appetite by acting on neurotransmitters in the brain. Each of these has side effects and usage should be closely monitored by a doctor.

For people that fail to lose weight even through dietary changes and medications, there are also surgical procedures to help combat obesity. Common surgeries involve restriction of stomach volume so that it can accommodate less food, making the person feel full more quickly. The length of the bowel can also be surgically shortened, reducing the amount of nutrient absorption that can occur. These procedures are only recommended for the morbidly obese that have been unable to lose weight any other way.

Patients Medical's Weight Loss Programs

Initiating big changes in your lifestyle can be difficult, even if you know they will be the best for your health. We are prepared to help you tackle your weight loss goals, no matter how great or small, revolutionizing your lifestyle for a longer, healthier life.

During our initial consultation, we will do a comprehensive interview about your lifestyle, diet, and medical concerns you may have. We can then help devise a weight loss program that is perfect for you. We will:

• Consider your current lifestyle. From your dietary habits to your physical fitness, we will help develop a program appropriate for you. If you dislike cooking, for example, we can offer healthy meal and snack suggests that don't require you to do so.
• Emphasize variety. Nutritional diversity is critically important for good health, so your new diet should be no different. While diets generally restrict calories, they don't necessarily need to be uninteresting, forcing you to eat the same things every day. Many dieters quit because they are unhappy with the low-calorie substitutions of their high calorie favorites. We can instead direct you toward new, healthier avenues of food to explore.
• Create realistic milestones. Weight loss can be very daunting, at first, if goals for exercise and weight loss are too large. We will help you set realistic goals and monitor your progress.
• Provide additional supplements, as necessary. In addition to vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements, we also offer UltraMeal® 360 ° Medical Food, which is specially designed to help rebalance a body's metabolism while providing it with everything it needs.
• Our weight loss division is lead by Dr. Dana Cohen, who has many years of experience working with patients on weight loss issues. Dr. Cohen is board certified in Internal Medicine and worked at the Atkins Center prior to joining Patients Medical.

We are located at: Patients Medical PC, 800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 (Between 42nd & 43rd Street), Manhattan, NYC, New York, NY 10017.

Appointment Request * Denotes a required field

Not Rated Yet       (0 out of 5) Be the first one to rate this page. Was the content on this page helpful?       Was our website easy to use?       How can we improve this page or your experience with our web site? Type the text from the image into the box below.   The information entered on this page will not be used to contact you unless you provide contact information in your comments. Privacy Policy | Legal Note: clicking "Submit" button will automatically close this window.

First Name:*		Last Name:*
City:*		State:*	Alabama Alaska Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory
E-mail:*		Phone:*
	Please contact me by: E-mail Phone Receive our FREE newsletter I would like to: Request Information Post A Comment
Your comments:

Article Last Updated: 06/26/2009