Why do people gain weight?

Let's talk about health and fitness today. Did you know that two thirds of Australians are overweight or obese? That is a truly alarming statistic. It shows that people just don't take their health seriously. That's not the scary part though. The scary part is actually that according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald published in 2012, the majority of overweight or obese people are in denial about their weight. They simple don't realise what they're doing to their health.

When people are in denial not only do they think they're thinner than they actually are, they also eat foods they shouldn't and don't exercise enough because they don't think they need to.

So what actually causes people to gain weight? Let's not blame age. The simple answer is overeating and a lack of exercise. But more often than not there is a trigger for someone to make poor eating decisions. It could be that a relationship has broken up or that they're stressed with work. Whatever the cause, when people are stressed they make poor decisions and those poor decisions lead to weight gain and it causes a vicious cycle.

So how do you actually get out of denial? If it was simple then people wouldn't actually be in denial but there is no quick fix. For some people, it could be that a stressor is removed so they can notice what's going on with their health. It's a long process though. 

First you start to realise you've gained weight but what you won't know is that by the time you realise you've gained weight, you've actually gained double what you think you have. That's quite scary. So if you think you've gained 10 kilos the reality is you've probably actually gained 20. 

Once you come to that realisation you'll probably make a couple of changes but when you're truly out of denial you up the ante will really kick start your weight loss project. As you were leaving denial you probably started exercising or modified your diet slightly. When you're truly out of denial you'll do both and you'll start recording your progress and setting goals. You'll analyse the mathematics of the situation so you know exactly what you have to do. It won't be easy because internally you'll actually be beating yourself up for destroying your health. You will ask yourself how you actually let this happen when you had been so committed to your health. You'll wonder why nobody told you that you'd gained weight but you'll also know that the only person in control of your weight is you.

You'll no doubt feel embarrassed. Imagine going from obese to a healthy weight and then back to obese. You'll feel embarrassed that you allowed yourself to get to such an unhealthy weight and embarrassed what you look like. Of course you won't ask your friends why they didn't say anything because you'll know that they will say they didn't want to hurt your feelings but in reality by not telling you when it was only 5 kilos they've created a bigger problem.

People say that you can be fat and fit but you actually can't be. Such a thing simply does not exist. When you are carrying extra flab you'll struggle to run and you'll find yourself losing breath easily. You won't be able to walk the distances that you used to be able to. That's just your physical health. You'll also find that your

mood is affected by the extra flab.

So to conclude: if you suspect that you've gained a lot of weight there are a few things you should do.

1 - Increase your exercise.

2 - Once you've been exercising a few weeks change your diet.

3 - Face the scales. It's only when you face the scales that you'll know exactly what the damage is. Once you know the damage you can devise a strategy to fix it.

4 - Modify your diet further.

5 - Set yourself goals and keep records of your progress. If nothing else, it will motivate you to stick to your new health regime.

Good luck folks and remember to stick to your healthy eating and exercise plan, even when you've lost the weight.