The Obesity Code

Lesson 1. What is obesity and why is it an epidemic? Obesity is a health disorder which results when a person is taking in more calories than he is burning.  When a person’s Body Mass Index is 25 or exceeds 25, he is considered to be obese. Obesity increases the risk of several health hazards which can result in death. Obesity is usually self-diagnosable and can be cured if you invest your time in self-care. Understanding what causes obesity can be difficult and you'll have to concentrate on the difference between the Proximate Cause and the Ultimate Cause.  The proximate cause is the cause which is immediately responsible whereas the ultimate cause is the cause which initiated the chain of events leading to the consequences. Understanding the ultimate cause will lead to effective treatment. The proximate cause of obesity is obvious, which is the intake of more calories than burning it. But the ultimate cause behind obesity is “personal choice”. What you choose to eat, what physical activities you choose to perform directly leaves an impact on your mind and body. If you are choosing to eat unhealthy, if you are choosing not to be active, it is evident that you’ll face the consequences.  But in cases of puberty and pregnancy the weight gain is inevitable despite the lifestyle you choose. At the end-stage of puberty, women bear 50 percent of more body fat than that of men. Neither is it the fault of the lifestyle you chose nor is it a character flaw. In spite of the fact that men consume more calories than women, women tend to have more body fat as compared to men. Hormones take toll on the body of men and women differently. Again, in pregnancy the weight gain is also induced by the hormonal changes that the women’s bodies experience. Having differentiated between the proximate and ultimate causes, we tend to believe that the magical solution to obesity is to eat less. And that it is a matter of  calories in and calories out. It is recommended by many well reputed doctors to “control total calorie intake to manage body weight” which results in the suggestion of  “eat less, move more”.  But when we are all clear on the notion of what is causing obesity why aren’t we getting any encouraging outcome? Lesson 2.  Obesity due to diet. Obesity hasn’t been a grave health hazard since the beginning of time. The development of the civilizations was followed by obesity. Many