Multi-tasking can lead to overeating because you’re not paying attention towhat you are eating. When you eat more mindfully, you really taste the food –and are more likely to feel satisfied sooner. “Food should touch more of yoursenses to be satisfying, instead of just filling in the hole,” Moores says.
‘Why Am I Fat?’
You’re stuffed after a big restaurant dinner — but then the dessert cartrolls around, and you just have to order that gorgeous chocolate mousse.Or you’re munching from a big bag of chips while checking emails, and when youlook up, the bag is empty. Sound familiar?
Environmental factors — like package size, portion size, the variety offood you’re served, and the size of your plate — can influence your eatingmore than you realize, experts say. Indeed, if we always ate only when we werereally hungry and stopped when we were full, there would be no obesity epidemic.
The key, experts say, is to become more aware of these causes of overeating,which can help you resist the temptations and avoid weight gain.
“Once you become aware of the environmental cues that can sabotage yourdiet, you can react accordingly and make smart decisions,” says nutritionexpert Susan Moores, RD. Simple things such as bringing tempting snacks intoyour house, moving the candy jar at work out of sight, making fruits and vegetables more visible in yourrefrigerator, and eating more deliberately and slowly, can cut down onovereating and help you lose weight, Moores says.
Here are eight factors that can cause overeating and weight gain:
1. Sights, Sounds, and Smells
Overeating can be triggered by the alluring smell of bacon cooking, thesound of popcorn popping, advertisements for junk food, and so on. “You areinfluenced by your surroundings, and our studies show these kinds of cuesresult in eating more food,” says Cornell University researcher Brian Wansink,PhD, author of Mindful Eating.
2. Distracted Eating
“Eating amnesia” is the act of almost unconsciously putting food in yourmouth, usually from a big bag or bowl while sitting in front of the television,reading a book, checking emails, or during happy hour.
It’s also easy not to register the tastes you take while cooking, or thoselast few bites from the kids’ plates that you finish off.
Multi-tasking can lead to overeating because you’re not paying attention towhat you are eating. When you eat more mindfully, you really taste the food –and are more likely to feel satisfied sooner. “Food should touch more of yoursenses to be satisfying, instead of just filling in the hole,” Moores says.
3. Food, Food Everywhere
Everywhere you turn, there are opportunities to eat — at drive-throughrestaurants, vending machines, even gas stations. And when food is in front ofus, we tend to eat more of it, experts say.
Wansink and colleagues found that when candy was easily accessible onworkers’ desks, they ate an average of nine pieces a day, and didn’t realizehow many they ate. But when the candy was kept in their desk drawers, they ateabout six pieces per day. And when they had to get up from their desks to reachthe candy six feet away, they only ate four pieces.
Curb your instinct to overeat sweets and snacks by moving them out of sight– and putting more healthful foods into plain view. Resist the urge to splurgeon unhealthy foods by carrying your own healthy snacks.
4. Food that’s Fast, Convenient, and Inexpensive
Fast-food restaurants on every corner offering inexpensive food alsoencourage us to eat more and more often. Combo meal deals sound like a bargain,but they are loaded with fat, sodium, and calories.
Also, “when you eat lots of fast food, it all starts to taste the same, andyou can become satisfied with a small range of flavors and sometimes it is hardto get enough,” says Moores.
To help yourself resist the temptation, work on developing a taste for thesubtle, natural flavors of food, suggests Moores.
Dietitians recommend limiting visits to fast-food restaurants to once aweek. And, they say, choose the healthier menu options — like salads andgrilled chicken sandwiches — even if they cost a little more.
5. Portion Distortion
Our idea of a normal portion has become skewed, in part because so manyrestaurants serve oversized portions. “Giant portions seem to have evolved intothe norm, and many people have trouble understanding how much they should eat,”Moores says.
To understand what a portion should look like, pull out the measuring cups,and see how your portions stack up against WebMD’s Portion SizePlate tool or the standards from the U.S. government’s mypyramid.govweb site.
Another answer to the portion dilemma is to eat more foods that are lesscalorically dense. These are foods that contain lots of water and fiber, butnot many calories — like fruits, vegetables, salads, and broth-based soups.Researcher Barbara Rolls, PhD, and colleagues at Penn State University foundthat it’s possible to reduce calories without increasing hunger by eating more of these types of foods.
Mindful eating can help here, too. “Eat slowly, taste the food and becomemore in touch with what you are eating and how it tastes so you can enjoy itmore and start to appreciate satisfaction with smaller portions,” Mooressays.
6. Giant-Size Packages
You’ll find plenty of bargains on mega-sized packages at super-discountstores like Costco or Sam’s. But unfortunately, experts say, these giantcontainers can affect us on an unconscious level and cause us to eat more.Researchers have found that when you eat from a large container, you are likelyto consume 25% to 50% more than you would from a smaller package — especiallywhen you’re eating snacks and sweets.
“First, try to get out of the habit of always eating something while you aresitting, relaxing, or watching television,” says American Dietetic Associationspokeswoman Tara Gidus, MS, RD. “Try a cup of tea, glass of water, or chew apiece of sugarless gum. If you want a snack, portion it out of the bag orcontainer or buy smaller packages like the 100-calorie snack packs.”
7. Not-So-Dainty Dishware
Researchers have found that we tend to eat more when we’re served fromlarger containers. Wansink and colleagues found that when students were givenfood in larger bowls, they served themselves 53% more and consumed 56% morethan those who used smaller bowls.
When you use smaller bowls, plates, spoons, and cups, you won’t feeldeprived because the food will look more plentiful, Wansink says. Daintierdishware and smaller utensils can also help slow your eating.
8. Too Much Variety
A buffet restaurant can be a dieter’s nightmare. Too many choices encourageshaving a taste (or more) of everything, and before you know it, your platerunneth over. “Too much variety on your plate at one meal can often mean toomuch food overall,” says Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, director of nutrition at Washington University and past president ofthe American Dietetic Association.
So use variety to help meet your nutritional needs, but concentrate on theright foods. Eating a variety of foods is great, as long as the foods are lowin calories and rich in nutrients — like fruits, beans, vegetables, brothsoups, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
Show Sources
Susan Moores, RD, St. Paul, Minn.
Brian Wansink, PhD, director, food and brand lab, Cornell University; author, Mindless Eating.
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association.
Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, president, American Dietetic Association; nutrition director, Washington University.
Rolls, B., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 2006:83.
Wansink, B., et al, Journal of the American Medical Association, 293:14 (April 13); 1727-1728.
Wansink, B., Annual Review of Nutrition, 2004, vol 24, pp. 455-479.
Painter, J., et al, Appetite, June 2002; 38:3; 237-238.
Burton, P., et al, Appetite, July 2007; vol 49; pp. 191-197.
How do you lose belly fat?
There are many reasons why people gain belly fat, including poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress. Improving nutrition, increasing activity, and making other lifestyle changes can help people lose belly fat.
Belly fat refers to fat around the abdomen. There are two types of belly fat:
- Visceral: This fat surrounds a person’s organs.
- Subcutaneous: This is fat that sits under the skin.
Health complications from visceral fat are more harmful than having subcutaneous fat.
People can make many lifestyle and dietary changes to lose belly fat.
Being overweight is one of the leading causes of major diseases.
Common causes of excess belly fat include:
1. Poor diet
Sugary food such as cakes and candy, and drinks such as soda and fruit juice, can:
- cause weight gain
- slow a person’s metabolism
- reduce a person’s ability to burn fat
Low-protein, high-carb diets may also affect weight. Protein helps a person feel fuller for longer, and people who do not include lean protein in their diet may eat more food overall.
Trans fats , in particular, can cause inflammation and may lead to obesity. Trans fats are in many foods, including fast food and baked goods like muffins and crackers.
The American Heart Association recommends that people replace trans fats with healthy whole-grain foods, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.
Reading food labels can help a person determine whether their food contains trans fats.
2. Too much alcohol
Consuming excess alcohol can cause a variety of health problems, including liver disease and inflammation.
A 2015 report on alcohol consumption and obesity found that drinking excess alcohol causes males to gain weight around their bellies, though study results in females are inconsistent.
3. Lack of exercise
If a person consumes more calories than they burn off, they will put on weight.
An inactive lifestyle makes it hard for a person to get rid of excess fat, particularly around the abdomen.
4. Stress
A steroid hormone known as cortisol helps the body control and deal with stress. When a person is in a dangerous or high-pressure situation, their body releases cortisol, and this can impact their metabolism.
People often reach for food for comfort when they feel stressed. Cortisol causes those excess calories to remain around the belly and other areas of the body for later use.
5. Genetics
There is some evidence that a person’s genes can play a part in whether they become obese. Scientists think genes can influence behavior, metabolism, and the risk of developing obesity-related diseases .
Environmental factors and behavior also play a role in the likelihood of people becoming obese.
6. Poor sleep
A 2013 study links weight gain to short sleep duration, which could lead to an excess of belly fat. However, causality cannot be inferred from this study.
Short duration of sleep is linked to an increase in food intake, which may play a part in the development of abdominal fat.
Not getting enough good sleep also may, potentially, lead to unhealthy eating behaviors, such as emotional eating.
7. Smoking
Researchers may not consider smoking to be a direct cause of belly fat, but they do believe it to be a risk factor.
A 2012 study published in the journal PloS one showed that, although obesity was the same between smokers and nonsmokers, smokers had more belly and visceral fat than nonsmokers.
The following steps may help people lose unwanted belly fat:
1. Improving their diet
A healthy, balanced diet can help a person lose weight, and is also likely to have a positive effect on their overall health.
People may want to avoid sugar, fatty foods, and refined carbohydrates that have low nutritional content. Instead, they can eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates.
2. Reducing alcohol consumption
A person trying to lose excess abdominal fat can monitor their alcohol intake. Alcoholic drinks often contain additional sugar, which can contribute to weight gain.
3. Increasing exercise
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to many serious health problems, including weight gain. People trying to lose weight should include a good amount of exercise in their daily routine.
Undertaking both aerobic exercise and strength training can help people tackle their belly fat.
4. Getting more sunlight
A 2016 review indicates that exposure to sunlight in animals could lead to a reduction in weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.
The review notes that few studies have looked at the effects of sunlight on humans with respect to weight gain, and that more research is required.
5. Reducing stress
Stress can cause a person to gain weight. The release of the stress hormone cortisol influences a person’s appetite and could cause them to eat more.
Stress-relieving tactics include mindfulness and meditation, and gentle exercise like yoga.
6. Improving sleep patterns
Sleep is vital to people’s overall health.
Sleep’s primary purpose is to allow the body to rest, heal, and recover, but it can also affect a person’s weight.
Getting enough quality sleep is essential when a person is trying to shed weight, including belly fat.
7. Quitting smoking
Smoking is a risk factor for increased belly fat, as well as many other serious health concerns. Quitting can significantly reduce the risk from excess belly fat, as well as improve overall health.
A person has a higher risk of various health issues if they have excess belly fat. Causes include poor diet, lack of exercise, and short or low-quality sleep.
A healthy diet and active lifestyle can help people lose excess belly fat and lower the risk of problems associated with it.
Last medically reviewed on May 9, 2021
- Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
- Anxiety / Stress
- Nutrition / Diet
- Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
How we reviewed this article:
Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Abdominal obesity and your health. (2017).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/abdominal-obesity-and-your-health - Behavior, environment, and genetic factors all have a role in causing people to be overweight and obese. (2018).
https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/index.htm - Fats. (2021).
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats - Fleury, N., et al. (2016). Sun exposure and its effects on human health: Mechanisms through which sun exposure could reduce the risk of developing obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/10/999/htm - Kim, J. H., et al. (2012). Cigarette smoking increases abdominal and visceral obesity but not overall fatness: An observational study.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045815 - St-Onge, M.-P. (2013). The role of sleep duration in the regulation of energy balance: Effects on energy intakes and expenditure. [Abstract].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319909 - Taking aim at belly fat. (2021).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/taking-aim-at-belly-fat - Traversy, G., et al. (2015). Alcohol consumption and obesity: An update.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4
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Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, Fitness — By Bethany Cadman — Updated on May 10, 2021
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Why people become overweight
Everyone knows some people who can eat ice cream, cake, and whatever else they want and still not gain weight. At the other extreme are people who seem to gain weight no matter how little they eat. Why? What are the causes of obesity? What allows one person to remain thin without effort but demands that another struggle to avoid gaining weight or regaining the pounds he or she has lost previously?
On a very simple level, your weight depends on the number of calories you consume, how many of those calories you store, and how many you burn up. But each of these factors is influenced by a combination of genes and environment. Both can affect your physiology (such as how fast you burn calories) as well as your behavior (the types of foods you choose to eat, for instance). The interplay between all these factors begins at the moment of your conception and continues throughout your life.
The calorie equation
The balance of calories stored and burned depends on your genetic makeup, your level of physical activity, and your resting energy expenditure (the number of calories your body burns while at rest). If you consistently burn all of the calories that you consume in the course of a day, you will maintain your weight. If you consume more energy (calories) than you expend, you will gain weight.
Excess calories are stored throughout your body as fat. Your body stores this fat within specialized fat cells (adipose tissue) — either by enlarging fat cells, which are always present in the body, or by creating more of them. If you decrease your food intake and consume fewer calories than you burn up, or if you exercise more and burn up more calories, your body will reduce some of your fat stores. When this happens, fat cells shrink, along with your waistline.
Genetic influences
To date, more than 400 different genes have been implicated in the causes of overweight or obesity, although only a handful appear to be major players. Genes contribute to the causes of obesity in many ways, by affecting appetite, satiety (the sense of fullness), metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, and the tendency to use eating as a way to cope with stress.
The strength of the genetic influence on weight disorders varies quite a bit from person to person. Research suggests that for some people, genes account for just 25% of the predisposition to be overweight, while for others the genetic influence is as high as 70% to 80%. Having a rough idea of how large a role genes play in your weight may be helpful in terms of treating your weight problems.
How much of your weight depends on your genes?
Genes are probably a significant contributor to your obesity if you have most or all of the following characteristics:
- You have been overweight for much of your life.
- One or both of your parents or several other blood relatives are significantly overweight. If both of your parents have obesity, your likelihood of developing obesity is as high as 80%.
- You can’t lose weight even when you increase your physical activity and stick to a low-calorie diet for many months.
Genes are probably a lower contributor for you if you have most or all of the following characteristics:
- You are strongly influenced by the availability of food.
- You are moderately overweight, but you can lose weight when you follow a reasonable diet and exercise program.
- You regain lost weight during the holiday season, after changing your eating or exercise habits, or at times when you experience psychological or social problems.
These circumstances suggest that you have a genetic predisposition to be heavy, but it’s not so great that you can’t overcome it with some effort.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can assume that your genetic predisposition to obesity is modest if your weight is normal and doesn’t increase even when you regularly indulge in high-calorie foods and rarely exercise.
People with only a moderate genetic predisposition to be overweight have a good chance of losing weight on their own by eating fewer calories and getting more vigorous exercise more often. These people are more likely to be able to maintain this lower weight.
What are thrifty genes?
When the prey escaped or the crops failed, how did our ancestors survive? Those who could store body fat to live off during the lean times lived, and those who couldn’t, perished. This evolutionary adaptation explains why most modern humans — about 85% of us — carry so-called thrifty genes, which help us conserve energy and store fat. Today, of course, these thrifty genes are a curse rather than a blessing. Not only is food readily available to us nearly around the clock, we don’t even have to hunt or harvest it!
In contrast, people with a strong genetic predisposition to obesity may not be able to lose weight with the usual forms of diet and exercise therapy. Even if they lose weight, they are less likely to maintain the weight loss. For people with a very strong genetic predisposition, sheer willpower is ineffective in counteracting their tendency to be overweight. Typically, these people can maintain weight loss only under a doctor’s guidance. They are also the most likely to require weight-loss drugs or surgery.
The prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States has been rising since the 1970s. Genes alone cannot possibly explain such a rapid rise. Although the genetic predisposition to be overweight varies widely from person to person, the rise in body mass index appears to be nearly universal, cutting across all demographic groups. These findings underscore the importance of changes in our environment that contribute to the epidemic of overweight and obesity.
Environmental causes of obesity
Genetic factors are the forces inside you that help you gain weight and stay overweight; environmental factors are the outside forces that contribute to these problems. They encompass anything in our environment that makes us more likely to eat too much or exercise too little. Taken together, experts think that environmental factors are the driving force for the causes of obesity and its dramatic rise.
Environmental influences come into play very early, even before you’re born. Researchers sometimes call these in-utero exposures “fetal programming.” Babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to become overweight than those whose mothers didn’t smoke. The same is true for babies born to mothers who had diabetes. Researchers believe these conditions may somehow alter the growing baby’s metabolism in ways that show up later in life.
After birth, babies who are breast-fed for more than three months are less likely to have obesity as adolescents compared with infants who are breast-fed for less than three months.
Childhood habits often stick with people for the rest of their lives. Kids who drink sugary sodas and eat high-calorie, processed foods develop a taste for these products and continue eating them as adults, which tends to promote weight gain. Likewise, kids who watch television and play video games instead of being active may be programming themselves for a sedentary future.
Many features of modern life promote weight gain. In short, today’s “obesogenic” environment encourages us to eat more and exercise less. And there’s growing evidence that broader aspects of the way we live — such as how much we sleep, our stress levels, and other psychological factors — can affect weight as well.
The food factor as one of the causes of obesity
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans are eating more calories on average than they did in the 1970s. Between 1971 and 2000, the average man added 168 calories to his daily fare, while the average woman added 335 calories a day. What’s driving this trend? Experts say it’s a combination of increased availability, bigger portions, and more high-calorie foods.
Practically everywhere we go — shopping centers, sports stadiums, movie theaters — food is readily available. You can buy snacks or meals at roadside rest stops, 24-hour convenience stores, even gyms and health clubs. Americans are spending far more on foods eaten out of the home: In 1970, we spent 27% of our food budget on away-from-home food; by 2006, that percentage had risen to 46%.
In the 1950s, fast-food restaurants offered one portion size. Today, portion sizes have ballooned, a trend that has spilled over into many other foods, from cookies and popcorn to sandwiches and steaks. A typical serving of French fries from McDonald’s contains three times more calories than when the franchise began. A single “super-sized” meal may contain 1,500–2,000 calories — all the calories that most people need for an entire day. And research shows that people will often eat what’s in front of them, even if they’re already full. Not surprisingly, we’re also eating more high-calorie foods (especially salty snacks, soft drinks, and pizza), which are much more readily available than lower-calorie choices like salads and whole fruits. Fat isn’t necessarily the problem; in fact, research shows that the fat content of our diet has actually gone down since the early 1980s. But many low-fat foods are very high in calories because they contain large amounts of sugar to improve their taste and palatability. In fact, many low-fat foods are actually higher in calories than foods that are not low fat.
The exercise equation
The government’s current recommendations for exercise call for an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. But fewer than 25% of Americans meet that goal.
Our daily lives don’t offer many opportunities for activity. Children don’t exercise as much in school, often because of cutbacks in physical education classes. Many people drive to work and spend much of the day sitting at a computer terminal. Because we work long hours, we have trouble finding the time to go to the gym, play a sport, or exercise in other ways.
Instead of walking to local shops and toting shopping bags, we drive to one-stop megastores, where we park close to the entrance, wheel our purchases in a shopping cart, and drive home. The widespread use of vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, leaf blowers, and a host of other appliances takes nearly all the physical effort out of daily chores and can contribute as one of the causes of obesity.
The trouble with TV: Sedentary snacking
The average American watches about four hours of television per day, a habit that’s been linked to overweight or obesity in a number of studies. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a long-term study monitoring the health of American adults, revealed that people with overweight and obesity spend more time watching television and playing video games than people of normal weight. Watching television more than two hours a day also raises the risk of overweight in children, even in those as young as three years old.
Part of the problem may be that people are watching television instead of exercising or doing other activities that burn more calories (watching TV burns only slightly more calories than sleeping, and less than other sedentary pursuits such as sewing or reading). But food advertisements also may play a significant role. The average hour-long TV show features about 11 food and beverage commercials, which encourage people to eat. And studies show that eating food in front of the TV stimulates people to eat more calories, and particularly more calories from fat. In fact, a study that limited the amount of TV kids watched demonstrated that this practice helped them lose weight — but not because they became more active when they weren’t watching TV. The difference was that the children ate more snacks when they were watching television than when doing other activities, even sedentary ones.
Stress and related issues
Obesity experts now believe that a number of different aspects of American society may conspire to promote weight gain. Stress is a common thread intertwining these factors. For example, these days it’s commonplace to work long hours and take shorter or less frequent vacations. In many families, both parents work, which makes it harder to find time for families to shop, prepare, and eat healthy foods together. Round-the-clock TV news means we hear more frequent reports of child abductions and random violent acts. This does more than increase stress levels; it also makes parents more reluctant to allow children to ride their bikes to the park to play. Parents end up driving kids to play dates and structured activities, which means less activity for the kids and more stress for parents. Time pressures — whether for school, work, or family obligations — often lead people to eat on the run and to sacrifice sleep, both of which can contribute to weight gain.
Some researchers also think that the very act of eating irregularly and on the run may be another one of the causes of obesity. Neurological evidence indicates that the brain’s biological clock — the pacemaker that controls numerous other daily rhythms in our bodies — may also help to regulate hunger and satiety signals. Ideally, these signals should keep our weight steady. They should prompt us to eat when our body fat falls below a certain level or when we need more body fat (during pregnancy, for example), and they should tell us when we feel satiated and should stop eating. Close connections between the brain’s pacemaker and the appetite control center in the hypothalamus suggest that hunger and satiety are affected by temporal cues. Irregular eating patterns may disrupt the effectiveness of these cues in a way that promotes obesity.
Similarly, research shows that the less you sleep, the more likely you are to gain weight. Lack of sufficient sleep tends to disrupt hormones that control hunger and appetite and could be another one of the causes of obesity. In a 2004 study of more than 1,000 volunteers, researchers found that people who slept less than eight hours a night had higher levels of body fat than those who slept more, and the people who slept the fewest hours weighed the most.
Stress and lack of sleep are closely connected to psychological well-being, which can also affect diet and appetite, as anyone who’s ever gorged on cookies or potato chips when feeling anxious or sad can attest. Studies have demonstrated that some people eat more when affected by depression, anxiety, or other emotional disorders. In turn, overweight and obesity themselves can promote emotional disorders: If you repeatedly try to lose weight and fail, or if you succeed in losing weight only to gain it all back, the struggle can cause tremendous frustration over time, which can cause or worsen anxiety and depression. A cycle develops that leads to greater and greater obesity, associated with increasingly severe emotional difficulties.
To find weight loss solutions that can be tailored to your needs, buy the Harvard Special Health Report Lose Weight and Keep It Off.
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