Obesity

America is home to the most obese people in the world. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity in adults in the United States has risen by 60% over the past twenty years. Child obesity has more then doubled in the last thirty years. Nearly a third of all American adults are obese. A commonly quoted (although often disputed) number of obesity related deaths is 300,000 annually, second only to tobacco related deaths.

The number of obese people in the United Kingdom has almost tripled over the last 25 years and the trend is increasing. Estimates point to one in five males and one in four women in the United Kingdom as being obese.

So why is obesity such a problem ? Eat more calories than you burn in your daily activity and you will gain weight. Burn more calories in your daily activity than your eat and you will lose weight. Sounds simple, so why isn't it ?

A number of factors over and above calorie counts contribute to obesity. Some of these are:

	Genetics Obesity is more likely to appear in a person with one or both parents being obese
	Foods consumed Increased intake of foods high in fat or sugar. Increased consumption of foods comprised of simple carbohydrates
	Eating habits Eating less often during the day can cause weight increase due to the spikes in insulin production
	Physical Activity Levels The more active you are the more calories you burn
	Medication Certain medications, such as anti depressants and diabetes medications, have been linked to weight increase
	Rate of Metabolism People suffering from obesity will typically have a slower metabolism. A person with a naturally slower metabolism will gain weight at a quicker rate then a person with a faster metabolism.
	Psychological factors Such as depression, stress, anger or boredom. A significant proportion of people seeking treatment for a serious weight problem or obesity, have some kind of psychological disturbance, which triggers responses such as binge eating

So what exactly is Obesity

Obesity can be defined as a condition exhibited by a person having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30. Obesity is a chronic condition where excess fat is stored in the body, and where the resulting body weight is 20% higher than the normal weight for the person's height. Although an increasing number of people exhibiting obesity manage to lose weight as a result of nutritional or lifestyle changes, the majority of these (close to 90%) regain all the weight they lost within a period of 2-5 years. Combating obesity is more then just resorting to a diet. Combating obesity is about making lifestyle changes, changes which can be drastic at times.