Why do people put on weight?
In general terms you put on weight simply because the amount calories you consume exceeds the amount of calories that are being used, or burnt up, by the activities you undertake throughout the day. The excess calories, those that are not used up, are stored by your body in the form of fat and the ‘fatter’ you become the more your weight will increase.
So in very simple terms in order to remain at a constant weight or avoid putting on additional unwanted weight you should merely reduce your food intake and increase your activity levels to a point where the two balance out.
This is very simple in theory but extremely difficult to achieve in reality for most people.
Because of the kinds of lives most of us live we tend to do very little physical exercise throughout the day as part of our normal daily routine. Many of the physically exerting jobs that people did in the past have now been mechanised with much of the hard work being done by machinery which is most probably operated from a computer terminal.
The lack of activity is also carried on throughout our personal and social lives. Much of our spare time is spent either sat in front of a computer screen or television.
When we sit for long periods of time we also have the tendency to eat. Many of the types of foods that we eat whilst relaxing in front of the tv are likely to contain either large amounts of sugar or saturated fat (crisps etc), increasing our calorie intake dramatically.
Our modern life styles also tend to be more stressful than those of our parents and grandparents. When we become stressed we all have a tendency to reach for a sweet or sugary pick-me-up.
There is also a tendency for people to stay up later in the evening which reduces the amount of sleep that we get. Studies have shown that there is strong evidence to suggest that there is a definite link between sleep deprovation and weight gain. This would appear to be partly due to the increased levels of ghrelin (a hormone) that is produced when we are tired. High amounts of ghrelin tends to make you feel hungry which is likely to result in increased food intake.
What can we do to prevent weight gain ?
Get more exercise!
The recommended minimum amount of exercise for an adult is 150 minutes per week.
This can be any type of exercise that is considered to be ‘moderately intense’ which means any form of exercise that will increase your heart rate and cause you to break out into a sweat. This does not mean that you have to rush out and join a gym! Anything as straightforward as taking a brisk walk or cycling will fit the bill.
We all have a tendency to take the easy option and will take the car or a bus for even the shortest of journeys. If you decide to walk or cycle for some of these short journeys it is surprising how many calories you will burn off throughout the course of a week.
Eat less!
If possible simply reduce the amount of calories you consume. The easiest way to do this is simply to have slightly smaller portions. This is far easier than trying to follow a strict diet regime.
Also try and cut out, or at least reduce, foods that are obviously high in calories.
Beware if you are tempted to buy foods that are labelled ‘low fat’ at the supermarket in the belief that they will help you to lose weight. Although the fat content may be less than the regular alternative some of these products actually contain high levels of sweeteners and sugar and can actually contribute to weight gain.
If you are sitting watching television in the evenings or suffer from the symptoms of stress and cannot overcome the need to eat try and reject the usual convenience style of snack. Alternatively consider items such as fruit or other low calorie options such as rice cakes, crackers and plain popcorn.
If you are really struggling to overcome a weight problem there are also products available on the market which are designed to help you. There are products that will help with appetite reduction and also products that can help to increase the amount of fat that the body burns ‘ fat burners ‘.
If you decide to lose weight with pills to help you then it is worth pointing out that the best weight reduction pills are those that have been fully clinically tested and contain only natural ingredients.
