Natalia M Hernandez Medina S01340067 02/16/2022

What can cause adult obesity?

Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the world. It is generally caused by

eating a lot and moving too little. It’s a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases

and health problems, like heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure and even certain

cancers. Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. It develops gradually over time. But what can cause

one to be obese. This is because of poor diet, binge eating and inactivity.

A diet that is high on calories, that lacks the nutrients from fruits and vegetables, it’s full

of fast foods can contribute to weight gain. But why do people consume so much fast or

process food. This is due to the food advertisement. Let’s face it, when a MacDonalds

commercial comes up we crave their burgers, nuggets and fries, we don’t think or crave the

chicken salad they offer. But eating fast foods isn’t the only way to intake a high amount of

calories and process sugars. Drinks can influence in intaking lots of calories without feeling full.

These can be soft sugared beverages, especially alcohol. Consuming foods high on calories,

sugar, preservatives and low on protein can make people eat large quantities without feeling

full. After consuming large quantities of junk food one can feel full, but shortly after one will

feel hungry again due to the lack of nutrients in your body.

Emotions and mental state are also a big factor in obesity. For example, depression can

eventually cause a person to binge eat. Binge eating is a severe eating disorder characterized by

recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food. People that suffer from binge eating may

feel they have an addiction to food. They have episodes where they eat uncontrollably,
compulsively even when they are not hungry, unfortunately they are unable to stop. This is how

some people describe the cycle of binge eating.

“A few days into your healthy eating plan and things are going well. Then often out of
nowhere you find yourself eating; eating everything that you can lay your hands on.

Cakes, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, bread, cereal, – you know you shouldn’t be eating it, however,
you can’t stop yourself compulsively eating, and you complete your binge. Quickly and in secret
you devour the food. For a brief period, you are in oblivion, finding release and feeling numb as
you escape from your troubles.

You feel a momentary rush of pleasure and excitement. You have left the world and nothing
around you feels as important as eating.

All too swiftly though, the food is eaten, the wrappers and packaging strewn on the side and
you are perusing the damage. Guilt, shame and self-loathing quickly descend and you cannot
believe it has happened again.

You berate yourself for your lack of willpower and feel hopeless to change. Tomorrow, you
promise yourself, will be different.” (https://weightmatters.co.uk/binge-eating-disorder-
treatment-london/)

And that leads us to, lack of movement. Jobs also play an important roll in obesity. Now

day jobs require less movements, and even those jobs that Do require you to move, the

physical movement is minimal. The number of time spent in front of the screen is highly

associated with weight gain. People don’t watch TV when walking, cycling or running because

its not comfortable. What is comfortable is watching your favorite show in your side of the

couch, laying back with some snacks near you. The average adult spends 3 hours watching TV,

90 min per day, a total of 450 min in 5 days. The department of health and social care

recommends less than that. At least 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Such as

cycling or fast walking every week. It doesn’t need to be done in one session but can be broken

down into smaller periods. For example, 30 min a day for 5 days.
 Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the world that doesn’t happen

overnight. Caused by poor diet, binge eating, and inactivity as established before. Giving in to

your favorite foods, eating enormous amounts of it and not moving much, causes one to gain a

lot of weight and can even result in death. At least 2.8 million people each year die because of

being obese. That’s why professionals recommend to look for help when you think you can’t

lose weight on your own.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/186833/average-television-use-per-person-in-the-us-since-
2002/

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/obesity/conditioninfo/cause

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/causes/#:~:text=Obesity%20is%20generally%20caused
%20by,by%20the%20body%20as%20fat.

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/bed

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742

https://www.itsbiggerthan.com/about-the-movement/?
&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=factors%20contributing%20to
%20obesity&utm_campaign=&utm_content=_-mkwid-s_dc-pcrid-550406634719-pkw-factors
%20contributing%20to%20obesity-pmt-e-&gclid=CjwKCAiAvaGRBhBlEiwAiY-
yMAK61DmqkYo5KVAQwL1msPCTJGbaDSPN12GvROJ1zNd6gLvtTFqmlRoCt-oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html

https://weightmatters.co.uk/binge-eating-disorder-treatment-london/