Lifestyle Factors that Cause Obesity - Obesity Surgery Guide

We all lead busy lives. Many of us have to constantly juggle the competing demands of work and family. The pace of life has increased over the years and we have adapted to this. This means we spend less time preparing or cooking food often reaching for a ready meal instead. Ready prepared ‘convenience' foods are very popular but many of these meals contain high levels of saturated fat, sugar and salt.

Walk around any supermarket and you are faced with a vast amount of food to choose from. When you are time crunched, quick, ready meals are a good option. It is all too easy to treat yourself and whilst there is nothing wrong with doing this once in while it is when it becomes a regular habit that it becomes a problem.

Also, some people are ill informed as to the types of food they should be eating and why. There are people whose diet mainly consists of fast food, chocolate and cakes which can be down to a lack of knowledge about nutrition in general. The problem with these kinds of foods is that they taste good and cause us to crave more of them. They also cost a lot less than healthy foods and for families on a tight budget that is often a deciding factor.

These high fat foods tend to contain lots of calories. It is easy to forget just how easy it is to snack on these kinds of foods. Children especially do not realise this and because they enjoy the taste of sweet, sugary things will do so without thinking of the consequences. And if more calories are consumed than expended then weight will increase.

An easy way of remembering this is in terms of ‘energy balance': calories in versus calories out. If you want to maintain your weight then you aim to balance your food intake with energy expended. If you eat more than you burn off you will gain weight but if you burn off more than you consume you will lose weight. The trick is trying to maintain this balance which can be difficult.

The other factor in all of this is lack of exercise. If you are out all day at work and are busy at home and the weekends it becomes very difficult to find the time to exercise. This is a problem for many people who when asked often say that they don't have the time to go to a gym or do any form of exercise.

Also, many people were put off exercise by bad experiences at school. If you are one of those people who found games lessons a nightmare then you are less likely to engage in sport or exercise in general. More men than women engage in sport and boys tend to be more active than girls. This may be because boys and men tend to be more interested in sport and, this is still a contentious issue, particularly competitive sport.

If you are carrying excess weight then your mobility is likely to be affected and this will prevent you from doing any sport or exercise. Extra weight puts a strain on the bones and joints which makes any form of weight bearing exercise uncomfortable or impossible. It can also make you feel tired a lot more often and depressed.

People with chronic weight problems may be suffering from a lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem and are self-conscious about their appearance. That is another reason not to visit a gym or an exercise class.

Joining a gym can be expensive. Taking up a sport can be expensive. If you have to manage a household budget or money is tight generally then paying out for a gym membership or sports equipment can be an unnecessary luxury.

Lifestyle Factors that Cause Obesity - Obesity Surgery Guide

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