They encompass anything in our environment that makes us more likely to eat too much or exercise too little. Taken together, experts think that environmental factors are the driving force for the causes of obesity and its dramatic rise. 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. They also recommend weightlifting and resistance training. Increasing muscle mass may help you burn more calories and raise your basic metabolic rate. When weight disappears, the fat has to go somewhere. Our endocrinologist explains exactly where that is. Learn more about vaccine availability.
Advertising Policy. Refined, processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in fiber can also cause weight gain. People with diets that are high in refined sugars and processed foods are often more prone to visceral fat, which is more dangerous as a predictor of disease than subcutaneous fat.
In terms of gaining or losing weight, the total number of calories you take in versus the calories that you burn every day is what matters, rather than whether those calories are from fat, carbs, or protein. Most experts recommend a diet high in protein , complex carbohydrates, and fiber with moderate portion sizes. A healthy diet is most effective when combined with a regular exercise program.
Strength training in particular is effective in increasing metabolism, building lean muscle mass, and preventing fat gain in the long term. There are three different types of fat cells in the body: white, brown, and beige. Fat cells can be stored in three ways: essential, subcutaneous, or visceral fat. Essential fat is necessary for a healthy, functional body. Subcutaneous fat makes up most of our bodily fat and is found under the skin.
Visceral fat is found in the abdomen amongst the major organs. It can be very dangerous in high levels. A high body fat percentage, and in particular the presence of visceral fat, can increase your risk for a number of diseases. To promote weight loss or prevent weight gain, make sure to eat the same number of calories that you burn, or eat fewer calories than you burn. A high-protein diet combined with regular exercise is particularly effective in preventing stores of visceral fat.
Visceral fat is located near vital organs like the liver and stomach. Find out about diagnosis, the complications it may cause, and more. You may be surprised to learn that the fat in your body is made up of different colors. Scientists have identified both white and brown fat. Focusing on body fat percentage instead of weight is much more useful to track fat loss progress.
Here are the 10 best ways to measure your body fat…. Calorie Control Council website. Body composition. Georgia State University website. Accessed on October 26, Diets for weight loss.
Updated August 22, Healthy percentage body fat ranges: guidelines based on body fat index. Am J Clin Nutr. Stay away from fad diets. Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.
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What Our Patients are Saying A leading indicator of our success is the feedback we get from our patients. Home Health Library. Measuring Your Body Fat There are several ways you can find out your percentage of body fat. Other ways of measuring body fat include: Underwater weighing—Under water, lean tissue sinks and fat floats. Your underwater weight can be used to estimate the amount of fat mass you carry. Underwater weighing is highly accurate, but it can be expensive and time consuming, and it requires special equipment.
The Bod Pod—This machine works by measuring the amount of air your body displaces. Like underwater weighing, the Bod Pod is highly accurate, but it can be expensive and requires special equipment.
The Bod Pod is, however, slightly more convenient than underwater weighing, since it does not require underwater submersion. The Bod Pod also takes less time. The advantages of this scan are that it is quick and it takes bone into consideration when comparing body fat to muscle. Bioelectrical impedance—This method works by measuring the speed of an electrical current as it travels through your body.
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