Still Overweight? Could be Hormonal…

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Over the past few months the subject of being “fat” or overweight has been tossed and turned with people trying to unravel why they get “fat” and what they should do to fix it. Interestingly, most of us do not understand why at some point in life we get fat or struggle with weight. The answer appears obvious in terms of the much we eat or the fad food habits we have. However, it is imperative for you to comprehend what is the sole cause of being overweight or obese.

The World Health Organization indicates that the major cause of overweight cases is simply an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories utilized in the body. This means that, for you to get overweight or “fat”, you are either too sedentary or eat too much that you do not use. By this I mean that you are in consumption of excess calories that are unnecessary in your system. At the same time, some people believe that being overweight is wholly their fault because of their poor eating behavior. This might not be the explanation wholly. In other words, most Kenyans are not getting fat because they are eating more, but instead are eating more because they are getting fat.

Being overweight is a complex condition that is caused by various reasons other than excessive eating. One major reason that is rarely considered is the hormonal complexes. The highest key player is referred to as leptin hormone. This hormone is secreted by fat cells in the body. It is responsible for sending signals to the brain that you have enough energy storage and do not need to eat further. Studies show that overweight and obese people have a lot of leptin hormone in their blood but it does not get to the brain to send the signal to stop eating. This is known as leptin resistance and is the major driver of obesity. When you become leptin resistant, you will find yourself tending to eat more because the brain interprets that you are still starving. However, when you are thin, leptin hormones are very high and they tend to restrict the much you eat. This is the reason why you find that thin people will somehow remain thin for long.

To control this hormonal imbalance, when you eat ensure that you do not eat excess fatty food. This is because eating fatty foods leads to high storage, which in turn causes leptin resistance in your body. You end up wanting to eat more calories from carbohydrates and proteins which makes you gain weight and store even more fat. This chain continues until when you look back and find you are at risk of other lifestyle syndromes. Incorporate lots of vegetables, fruits and exercise in your habits and find that your body responds fast to leptin secretion. Remember your weight issues can be blamed 80% on what you decide to eat and 20% on how much you use what you eat.