Obesity: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

According to the reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2007-08, more than 68 percent of the total population of United States of America is suffering from obesity. This makes roughly two third of their total population. To add to this, studies also show that 72 percent of men and 68 percent of women are obese. The figures are shocking.
Superficially it may not seem to be a problem but obesity or being fat is not a medical ailment as such. It is a condition when a human body gains more fat than considered to be healthy for a human being. The fat level is measured by the body mass index which is calculated by dividing the total body weight to the height of a person. Depending upon the body mass index a person may be classified as overweight, obese and morbidly obese which means very fat.

Causes of Obesity
Obesity can only be caused by one reason which is consuming more calories than a body can burn. This leads to body storing those calories as fats for future use but since the consumption is always more than the requirement, the body keeps on depositing layers of fat. This eventually makes a person obese.
The causes can be further broken down into simpler subtypes:

• More than required consumption of calories
• Less than required utilization of fats

It is a common phenomenon and leading a certain type of lifestyle will lead to obesity. This includes:

1. High consumption of alcohol
2. Unhealthy eating habits
3. Stress eating
4. Physically disabled patients
5. Heredity factors and genetics
6. Use of certain medications
7. Lack of exercise

Treatment of Obesity
Since the condition is caused by excessive eating and less exercising one can only get back in shape by either eating less or exercising more. While most of the people opt for the simpler solution by crash dieting, doctors advise that it is highly unhealthy practice. The right way to lose weight is exercising more and more. This does not necessarily involve joining a gym to lift weights but common day to day activates such as playing games and sports, walking or swimming can provide the required amount of exercise to the body.
Treatment via healthy diet
One should avoid all kinds of junk food if he is obese. Such types of food aggravate the problem. In fact one should resort to healthy eating habits such as green leafy vegetables and salads. Avoiding cheese and butter helps. Choosing a particular type of meal also helps. One should avoid sleeping within two hours of consuming anything.
One's diet should be able to meet the energy requirements for his day to day activities. Feeling weak and low initially is normal but if the weakness continues for a prolonged time period then the diet plan is not right. One should also avoid to instantly reducing his consumption. The process should be gradual and over a prolonged time period.
Treatment via exercises
Burning calories and fats that have deposited in the body as layers of blubber is essential. The exercise should aim at burning more and more calories without making you want to eat again. The body should strip off the excess weight while exercising.
One should not try to exercise heavily during a short span of time. One can start his exercise by simply going for a walk. Later as one builds stamina, it could be replaced by jogging and even running. Other forms of exercises can include climbing stairs, walking to work, lifting household items.
In case of morbid obesity doctors may advise use of medicines and surgeries to drastically reduce the weight of a person.

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