Why Do We Gain Weight?
There are many factors that cause us to increase body weight,
yet three stand out from the rest.
Our genetic make: Every cell in our body has a central control
panel, that is a nucleus that
contains our genes and chromosomes. This is the instruction
manual for your body and this is inherited from your parents.
It is this instruction manual that is largely responsible
for how your body, and even your mind, behaves.
The environment in which we live: Our personal environment
may
also contribute or cue you to adopt poor eating or exercise
habits. This is especially true in today's society, which
is
dominated by speed and convenience. For example, escalators,
elevators and remote-control appliances make us less physically
active. Also, greater availability and the constant marketing
of
foods that are high in calories, fat and added sugars, and
larger portion sizes promote unhealthy eating behaviors.
There may also be personal reasons why you are consuming
too
many kilojoules from food and drinks, or not being physically
active enough. For example, when feeling down or bored you
may
eat more than you need, or if you are feeling depressed it
is
more difficult to get active.
Knowing the reason why you may be consuming excess kilojoules
or
not participating in physical activity, is an important first
step in changing your lifestyle habits to help you reach a
healthy weight.
Our lifestyle: What we eat and drink and how active we are.
This
is the gradual gain in weight as a result of eating food and
not
exercising enough.
The extent to which we can affect our genetic make up and
our environment are limited. However, lifestyle is the area
in which we can significantly manage and if need be, improve
our body weight to ensure we maintain a healthy weight for
our height, age and gender. This is why learning a healthy
nutritious eating pattern and adopting it for life, that is,
lifestyle changes has a significant impact on our ability
to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Gaining and losing weight works according to some a simple
biological principle. When you consume more energy in the
form
of food and drinks that your body uses each day you will gain
weight. When you consume less energy in the form of food and
drinks that your body requires each day you will lose weight.
Despite what some advertisers would have use believe, weight
loss does not occur as a result of any of the following:
§Supplements that will melt the fat while you sleep
or while you
wash §Exercises that don't take any effort and cause
no sweat
§Unique food combinations that will allow you to eat
what you
want and still lose weight
In order to lose weight you will need to know approximately
your
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Your RMR is the number of calories
your body burns at rest in a 24 hour period. When your body
gets
about 500 less calories than it needs each day as a result
of
eating less or exercising more, you will lose one pound of
weight per week. To illustrate how efficient the human body
is
in motion, the average female would need to go for a brisk
walk
for 1.5 to 2.0 hours in order to burn 500 calories.
When you consume 500 calories a day more than your body's
requirements, you will gain approximately one pound a week!
To
illustrate how easy it is to gain weight, one 7oz bag of corn
chips has approximately 1000 calories. If you ate a bag of
corn
chips every day in addition to three square meals its possible
you could gain 2 pounds in a week!
About the author:
Debbie De Leng is a weight loss coach. To see what you can
do to take control of your weight, or for a free consultation,
visit her website at: http://shrink-district.org/?refid=goart-24354
