The Real Reasons Why We Gain Weight & How to Deal With It

From 1999-2000 through 2017-2020, US obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 41.9% during the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%

Obesity is a life-threatening epidemic that is shaping our society and is only getting worse year after year. Obesity may seem harmless, but it is the beginning of deadly diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. Obesity is a disease that can be treated, unlike so many others, through the correct diet, appropriate exercise routine, and proper care from a coach. In this article, I will explain where obesity comes from and how you can prevent/heal from it.

How do you know if you are obese?

Your BMI and weight determine obesity; if your BMI comes in at 30 or above for your height and weight, you are considered obese. Obesity can often be caused by medications that alter your body's ability to metabolize food and change your metabolic rate, especially if you have a stressful lifestyle that has created some unhealthy habits. These events can cause a person to go down a rabbit hole where they struggle to lose weight for years. Obesity brings high blood pressure, depression symptoms, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and other health conditions.

Risks of Obesity

Heart disease

- Your body weight is directly associated with many cardiovascular risk factors. As your weight increases, so do your blood pressure, LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), triglycerides, blood sugar, and inflammation. These changes put you at risk for numerous heart conditions.

- Numerous studies have demonstrated that excess body weight and coronary artery disease are directly correlated. The BMI-CAD investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 21 long-term studies that followed more than 300,000 participants for an average of 16 years. The participants that were overweight had a 32% higher risk of CAD compared to the participants that were average weight, those who were obese had a 81% higher risk.

Type 2 diabetes

- Your body weight raises the risks for type 2 diabetes. In the nurses' health study, which followed 114,000 middle-aged women for 14 years, the risk of developing diabetes was 93 times higher among women with a BMI of 35 or higher at the start of the study compared with women with BMIs lower than 22. Fat cells secret hormones and other substances that create inflammation. As your BMI grows, the inflammation slows down the body's response to insulin and changes the body's metabolism. Leading to higher blood sugar and then eventually diabetes.

Colon cancer, breast cancer

- Obesity and cancer are directly correlated, like heart disease and diabetes, due to cancer being a much more complicated disease. In an expert panel in 2007 where the World Cancer Research Fund and the American for Cancer Institute concluded that there was convincing evidence of an association between obesity and cancer of the esophagus, pancreas, colon, rectum, breast, endometrium, kidney, and gallbladder. The constant use of these body organs and parts puts a person at risk of exhausting the lymphatic system, creating a chance for cancer.

Depression and Lower Quality of Life

- Depression and mood are directly correlated with weight gain or obesity. Because it is uncomfortable to feel overweight, and the feeling of not being small or worried about what others think of you can directly affect your mood and mental state. Especially obesity in children putting them at risk for bullying, mood changes, and even hormone imbalances. New evidence confirms that the relationship between obesity and depression may be a two-way street: A meta-analysis of 15 long-term studies that followed 58,000 participants for up to 28 years found that people who were obese at the start of the study had a 55 percent higher risk of developing depression by the end of the follow-up period, and people who had depression at the start of the study had a 58 percent higher risk of becoming obese.

Causes of Obesity

Lifestyle and behavior

- Being overweight or even obese comes mainly from lifestyle and behavior changes. For example, an injury or depression can create some lifestyle changes that cause you to eat too much and not move enough. When we get into too much of a surplus, our body begins to slow its ability to produce ATP, which is our cells' energy. When this happens, we feel less motivated to exercise, putting us at a higher risk of emotional eating.

Traumatic past and self-esteem issues

- Our past is directly correlated with who we become; for example, having a traumatic past with your family, school, and relationships affects your mental health and can create emotional stability and self-awareness issues. Getting bullied, verbally abused, feelings of abandonment, and loneliness are all linked to emotional eating and eating disorders, which come in many forms. Understanding if you have been traumatized can help you figure out the root cause of your weight gain. Getting with a professional to help process some of these emotions and experiences can help you develop a long-term solution and help you get back to a healthier state of mind.

Genetic behaviors & eating patterns

- Recent studies have revealed that if you have overweight or obese parents, your risk of being obese rises by 80%. So understanding your genetics is vital in helping you figure out how to control your weight. It will be more challenging to lose weight, but you can take control with time and correct help.

Excess eating due to ingredients in food

- The standard American diet consists of 70%-processed foods containing ingredients that change the reward centers in our brains. Ingredients such as seed oils like peanut, canola, sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil are all oxidized and rancid oils that can create plaque buildup in your arteries and constrict your insulin hormone. Your insulin hormone helps your body release hormones to let you know when your body is satisfied. When the hormone ghrelin can't function, it causes us to overeat, and when this happens too often, it can put us at risk for diabetes, weight gain, and fatty liver. Preservatives and artificial sweeteners cause issues in the brain, mainly in the PFC (Pre Frontal Cortex), where dopamine is mainly stimulated. Preservatives and artificial sweeteners confuse the brain causing it to produce more dopamine when we eat these foods, making them more addicting. Especially when you feel stressed, your brain will create an association that processed foods relax your mind, leading to emotional eating, and then the weight gain begins.

Note**: These are all curable causes. I want everyone to know that if you are struggling with something, please seek help and do not feel like you are alone because you are not. There are millions of people out there struggling. It's okay to ask for help.

How to Naturally Reverse Obesity

Figure out the root cause of your eating behaviors

- In our lives, we all have struggled with our eating habits. It's when t becomes the primary source of your happiness. We need to figure out why it is such emotional support for you. When you feel the urge to eat, ask yourself, "Am I hungry right now?" Am I feeling stressed? What am I feeling at this moment?" By asking yourself these self-awareness questions, you will uncover the root cause of your eating habits. Slowly but surely, the more you practice this, the easier it will become, giving more and more power over your mind each time you do it.

Start slowly incorporating more whole foods

- Processed foods contain zero nutrients, so it is no surprise you can eat those foods until you are sick. On the other hand, whole foods are so filling and nutrient dense. The more whole foods you eat, the less risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. It has been shown that the whole foods you consume, the less processed foods your brain craves. Your brain secretes dopamine in the state of an addictive habit to reward your behavior. But if you replace the reward with something healthier, it will take the craving for that food away. For example, instead of eating 12 donuts, you grab a bag of cashews. The more you practice this, the better, so next time you feel the urge to grab something processed or fast food, try holding something more filling for the body.

· This sounds easier said than done, but this is important because there is a time and place for having foods like donuts, sweets, pizza, ice cream, and other unhealthy foods. However, taking back your health and enjoying some of those foods into old age is more important than eating them all the time.

Begin moving as much as possible

- Fitness is a lifestyle, not a hobby or a chore; the more we can begin to look at that way, the easier it will be to incorporate it into our lives. You do not have to go to the gym every day for an hour to be in shape and lose weight. It is so simple to get started with moving your body. Start with taking three breaks a day to take a 5-7 minute walk around the parking lot, and do some exercises at your desk. It takes 15-25 minutes a day of moving consistently for your body to start melting away the weight. As you grow more comfortable with the movement, you can incorporate going to the gym if that is what you desire. I suggest moving as many days as possible, but be realistic with yourself and give yourself time to adjust to it. Start with 2-4 days a week.

Work on mental health as much as possible

- Weight gain and obesity are usually the results of trauma to the brain. Mental health is the most critical aspect of reversing obesity. Knowing where you are mentally is the beginning of figuring out the solution. I recommend always finding professional help that can guide you through the past and help you develop a good nutrition and fitness protocol to help you create a sustainable lifestyle, so you don't get burnt out and lose motivation.

- Find support from those you love, and don't be afraid to tell others what you are struggling with—the ones you least expect to have the most empathy will be there for you. The more support you have in these situations, the easier it is to stay consistent. I know this because I used to be overweight, and it was the most complex challenge I ever started, but once I started, it was the best feeling ever.

Obesity is a disease, and it is not easy to change, but with the help of others and a plan in place, anything is possible. So, take some of the tips and studies from this article and begin implementing them to see if I can help you or someone you love.