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The factors contributing to weight gain

Dear Readers:

L.G. IS A 38-year-old woman from St. Catherine. She claims to have been very slim until reaching her mid-20s when she started putting on weight. She used to weigh 125 lb. She now weighs more than 200 lb. and is 5ft 6 inches tall. L.G. has no children but admits that the pace of her life has slowed as she works at a desk job for some 10 years now.

Changes in body weight, when simplified, apply as a result of differences between energy intake and energy output. That is, how much you eat, versus how much exercise you get and how many calories you burn. Excess input (overeating) will then result in fat deposition and the same result, weight gain, will occur with decreased energy needs and decreased exercise. However, the determinants for body weight do not allow this simple equation to apply without considering a number of other factors such as genetics, the chemical make up of the individual and their environment.

The environment has become a major factor. The prevalence of obesity over the past 30 years has increased way beyond the genetic factor. Even if a person has a genetic predisposition to becoming fat, they will not gain weight unless they eat more than their body requires to function. The heavier a person the more energy is required for bodily functions. A direct relationship exists between body size and energy expenditure.

Energy requirements

Even with this fact, people of equal weight, sex and age, often have different energy requirements. However, little documentation exists to prove that some individuals, otherwise healthy, have abnormally low energy expenditure. In order to maintain their excess weight, overweight people need more energy than people of regular weight. They tend to eat more! It is difficult to lose weight at a consistently high rate because as you begin to drop the weight, the amount of energy the body requires is reduced. The body will then lower its energy expenditure so weight loss tends to slow.

If intake is further reduced, the person will continue to lose weight. Obesity is the disease of the 21st century affecting 20 per cent of people in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and over 50 per cent of people in the United States of America (U.S.A.) This is absolutely not the case in Africa! At least two factors seem to be at work. Diet and lifestyle. The African worker is very active in the fields and eats a lot of grain. In the west, hours of T.V. watching and T.V. dinners, desk jobs and increased inactivity, result in obesity.

People also respond to increased stress in their lives with behavioural changes. Some people will eat more as the pleasure of eating helps them gain temporary relief from depression. Too many cars, elevators and other labour-saving devices are taking from us our sources of energy expenditure and contributing to heart disease and diabetes! Exercise on a regular basis is needed to significantly change weight and and maintain the weight loss. Many people also continue to eat long after their hunger is satisfied. Their continued appetite is stimulated by the smell and "look" of food.

Several hormones found in the body are involved in appetite control; hormones such as insulin, glucagon, the sex hormones and several peptides. Significant research is taking place in manipulating these hormones, an ultimate 'diet' pill is actually very close in the making. Until then, and for the sake of good health generally: limit the amount of food you put on your plate, eat slowly, drink at least eight glasses of water daily and exercise regularly.