What are the Myths and Facts of Obesity
Myths and Facts of Obesity :
Obesity rates have risen over the years and day by day and so have the myths and misconceptions about the disease. There’s still a lot and many things which we don’t know about the causes or the best way of managing obesity, but we have to know more about the myths and facts of obesity.
There are commonly five Myths and facts of obesity which are as follows :
Myth 1: Obesity is caused by poor lifestyle choices
Most obesity programs blame obesity on poor diet choices and lack of physical activity. It’s common to hear that people with obesity are “lazy” or lack motivation.
- Fact: Obesity is often multifactorial
While diet and lack of exercise may play a vital role in everyone’s life, there are many other factors that contribute to the increase in obesity.
On top of this, the truth is that most people — even those at a healthy weight — don’t meet the recommended amount of physical activity each day.
For most, obesity isn’t merely the result of making poor choices in life.
Stress, sleep health, hormones, chronic pain, underlying medical conditions, medications, genetics, and multiple other environmental and economic factors also show evidence Trusted Source for contributing to the rise in obesity.
Myth 2: Weight loss will fix all your health issues
Weight loss includes many systems that can be stored energy inside the body. Weight loss can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other complications.
These things associated with weight loss and can make it more difficult to sustain weight loss over time.
- Fact: Weight loss can cause health issues, too
Weight loss can improve your overall health, but it’s also associated with psychological stress, hormone disruption, and metabolic complications. Reduction of weight too fast can increase your risk of muscle loss and lower your metabolism. It can also cause nutrient deficiencies, sleep issues, gallstones, and other complications. Sometimes the result of weight loss may occur stretch marks and sagging on skin.
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Myth 3: Weight loss is simply about “calories in vs. calories out”
If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably heard the phrase “calories in vs. calories out.” In other words, to lose weight you simply need to burn more calories (calories out) than you eat (calories in).
- Fact: “Calories in vs. calories out” is far too simplistic
While the importance of calories for weight loss can’t be denied, this type of thinking is far too simplistic. Macronutrients like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates can have diverse effects on your body.
The calories you consume — type and amount — affect the amount of energy you use. The foods you eat can also affect hormones that regulate when and how much you eat. Some foods can cause hormone changes that encourage weight gain.
Other foods can increase your feelings of fullness and increase your metabolic rate. Research suggests that eating less carbs while increasing fat and protein will likely lead to greater weight loss than simply reducing calorie intake.
Another problem with the idea of losing weight based on calorie intake is that it ignores the other health effects of foods. Eating to get the most nutritional benefits is essential for preventing diseases and staying healthy over time.
Myth 4: The number of pounds lost is the most important measure of success
All too often, weight loss and healthy eating programs focus on the number on the scale. But research suggests that focusing on weight loss as the only measure of success is not only ineffective, but it’s also psychologically damaging.
Focusing on the scale only can lead to cycles of weight loss and gain. It can also lead to heightened stress, disordered eating, self-esteem issues, and an unhealthy obsession with body image.
- Fact: Success should be measured by health, not weight loss
The key to long-term success is to focus on making healthy choices about your diet and exercise, not about the amount of weight you’ve lost.
Growing evidence Trusted Source suggests that shifting the focus of success to weight-neutral outcomes, like blood pressure, diet quality, physical activity, self-esteem, and body image is more effective than using weight loss as a measure of success.
Myth 5: Increasing access to affordable fruits and vegetables will solve the obesity epidemic
Some think the obesity epidemic can be solved simply by making fruits and vegetables more affordable and more easily accessible in communities where obesity is prevalent.
In many areas, cities and states have already implemented policies to increase the number of farmer’s markets in so-called “food deserts.” These are places with limited access to fresh, healthy food. Food deserts are commonly found in low-income areas.
- Fact: Food preference and lack of education about healthy food may play a bigger role
Research states that literacy plays a vital role in making healthy food choices – more so than income and accessibility.
Improving people’s diets requires making food accessible and affordable on top of regulating the number of unhealthy food options in a community. Plus, it requires changing people’s knowledge about diet and health.
This approach includes promoting diets rich in fruits and vegetables. It also involves reducing people’s consumption of unhealthy foods.
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