What makes you overweight

Studies also have found that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to have overweight or obesity. Food and Activity People gain weight when they eat more calories than they burn through activity. Environment The world around us influences our ability to maintain a healthy weight. For example: Not having area parks, sidewalks, and affordable gyms makes it hard for people to be physically active.

Comparison of body fatness measurements by BMI and skinfolds vs dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents. Comparison of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometric and anthropometric measures of adiposity in relation to adiposity-related biologic factors. Association between general and central adiposity in childhood, and change in these, with cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence: prospective cohort study.

BMJ , , p. Estimates of excess deaths associated with body mass index and other anthropometric variables. Relation of body mass index and skinfold thicknesses to cardiovascular disease risk factors in children: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Comparison of bioelectrical impedance and BMI in predicting obesity-related medical conditions.

Silver Spring , 14 3 , pp. Usually, obesity results from inherited, physiological and environmental factors, combined with diet, physical activity and exercise choices. The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity.

A healthier diet, increased physical activity and behavior changes can help you lose weight. Prescription medications and weight-loss procedures are additional options for treating obesity. Body mass index BMI is often used to diagnose obesity. To calculate BMI , multiply weight in pounds by , divide by height in inches and then divide again by height in inches.

Or divide weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. Asians with BMI of 23 or higher may have an increased risk of health problems. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat.

However, BMI doesn't directly measure body fat, so some people, such as muscular athletes, may have a BMI in the obesity category even though they don't have excess body fat. Many doctors also measure a person's waist circumference to help guide treatment decisions. Weight-related health problems are more common in men with a waist circumference over 40 inches centimeters and in women with a waist measurement over 35 inches 89 centimeters.

If you're concerned about your weight or weight-related health problems, ask your doctor about obesity management.

You and your doctor can evaluate your health risks and discuss your weight-loss options. Although there are genetic, behavioral, metabolic and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through normal daily activities and exercise.

Your body stores these excess calories as fat. In the United States, most people's diets are too high in calories — often from fast food and high-calorie beverages. People with obesity might eat more calories before feeling full, feel hungry sooner, or eat more due to stress or anxiety. Many people who live in Western countries now have jobs that are much less physically demanding, so they don't tend to burn as many calories at work.

Even daily activities use fewer calories, courtesy of conveniences such as remote controls, escalators, online shopping and drive-through banks. Environmental influences come into play very early, even before you're born. Researchers sometimes call these in-utero exposures "fetal programming. The same is true for babies born to mothers who had diabetes. Researchers believe these conditions may somehow alter the growing baby's metabolism in ways that show up later in life.

After birth, babies who are breast-fed for more than three months are less likely to have obesity as adolescents compared with infants who are breast-fed for less than three months. Childhood habits often stick with people for the rest of their lives. Kids who drink sugary sodas and eat high-calorie, processed foods develop a taste for these products and continue eating them as adults, which tends to promote weight gain.

Likewise, kids who watch television and play video games instead of being active may be programming themselves for a sedentary future. Many features of modern life promote weight gain. In short, today's "obesogenic" environment encourages us to eat more and exercise less. And there's growing evidence that broader aspects of the way we live — such as how much we sleep, our stress levels, and other psychological factors — can affect weight as well.

Between and , the average man added calories to his daily fare, while the average woman added calories a day. What's driving this trend? Experts say it's a combination of increased availability, bigger portions, and more high-calorie foods.

Practically everywhere we go — shopping centers, sports stadiums, movie theaters — food is readily available. You can buy snacks or meals at roadside rest stops, hour convenience stores, even gyms and health clubs.

In the s, fast-food restaurants offered one portion size. Today, portion sizes have ballooned, a trend that has spilled over into many other foods, from cookies and popcorn to sandwiches and steaks. A typical serving of French fries from McDonald's contains three times more calories than when the franchise began. A single "super-sized" meal may contain 1,—2, calories — all the calories that most people need for an entire day.

And research shows that people will often eat what's in front of them, even if they're already full. Not surprisingly, we're also eating more high-calorie foods especially salty snacks, soft drinks, and pizza , which are much more readily available than lower-calorie choices like salads and whole fruits.

Fat isn't necessarily the problem; in fact, research shows that the fat content of our diet has actually gone down since the early s. But many low-fat foods are very high in calories because they contain large amounts of sugar to improve their taste and palatability. In fact, many low-fat foods are actually higher in calories than foods that are not low fat.

The government's current recommendations for exercise call for an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. Our daily lives don't offer many opportunities for activity. Children don't exercise as much in school, often because of cutbacks in physical education classes. Many people drive to work and spend much of the day sitting at a computer terminal.

Because we work long hours, we have trouble finding the time to go to the gym, play a sport, or exercise in other ways. Instead of walking to local shops and toting shopping bags, we drive to one-stop megastores, where we park close to the entrance, wheel our purchases in a shopping cart, and drive home.

The widespread use of vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, leaf blowers, and a host of other appliances takes nearly all the physical effort out of daily chores and can contribute as one of the causes of obesity. The average American watches about four hours of television per day, a habit that's been linked to overweight or obesity in a number of studies.