Why do People Become Fat Again?

It is much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it, which is why it is so convenient to tell yourself that you're not fat and that you could lose the weight if you really wanted to. However, actually sticking to a low-calorie eating plan and making time for exercise can be a challenge. Yet, when you see what the results of your hard work are, it feels worthwhile and so you are able to maintain some degree of enthusiasm. This generally isn't the case once you're at your ideal weight and you no longer have any targets to aim for. When you've reached this stage, it is easy for bad habits to creep back in.

This is why so many people end up getting fat again. They can stick to a low-calorie diet for a few months, because they know that they are going to lose weight; they force themselves to go to the gym every other day, because they know that it is going to speed up their weight loss. However, after their diet has finished and they get back to 'normal' they may no longer have the inclination to monitor their eating habits or to make exercise a priority, and this is when the weight usually starts to make a return.

After all, it is much easier to take a lax approach to eating and exercise than it is to have to practise restraint around food and to make sure that you follow a strict exercise regime. You don't want to have to religiously count calories, because this takes some of the fun out of eating. You want to be able to sit down to a meal with your partner and order whatever you want or to bring home a big bar of chocolate and nibble on it whilst watching television. The trouble is that what begins as a 'one-off' can soon turn into a habit, and this is when you could start to regain weight.

Having managed to stick to a calorie-controlled diet for so long, it is nice to just relax and to not have to worry about what you're eating, but if you're naturally inclined to eat too much of the wrong kind of food, you have to remain conscious of just how much you're eating. Otherwise, you will find yourself consuming an excessive number of calories, which will be stored as fat if you do not make an effort to burn them off. It might be tough to stick to a diet, but it seems that it is actually continuing to follow a sensible eating and exercise plan that people struggle most with.

Thus, when you're trying to lose weight you need to be aware that this is only half the battle. Once you've lost all the weight you need to, you then need to re-focus your energies on keeping the weight off. If you don't, you may simply slip back into your old ways, even though these old ways may have contributed significantly to your weight gain. You certainly don't want to have to keep going on a diet whenever you put on a few too many pounds, as you could find yourself caught up in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, which can be bad for both mind and body.
 

Why are British Women the Fattest in Europe?

Statistics indicate that of all the European nations, Britain is the one with the highest proportion of obese women. Between 2008 and 2009 23.9 per cent of British women were classed as obese, ahead of Malta with 21.1 per cent. Romania is at the bottom of the table, with 8 per cent of the female population classed as obese. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the nations with the highest proportion of obese females compared to the lowest and there surely has to be a reason why so many British women are obese.

For a start, Britain has a culture more akin to that of America than of continental Europe. Britons work the longest hours and have the shortest holidays and so they don't spend as much time looking after themselves as they should. Women are encouraged to find work, which many do willingly. However, it can be difficult to find decent childcare and for women to balance work and family life. When so many women are working full-time, looking after the children and keeping the home tidy, they generally don't have as much time to implement strategies that help with weight management.

Consequently, many British women fail to make the right dietary choices. In many European nations, there seems to be a more laid-back attitude towards eating and drinking. In Italy and France, people take time to prepare balanced meals and to enjoy what they're eating. Quite often, in Britain, women will simply eat something that is quick to prepare and doesn't take long to eat. They grab packaged sandwiches that they can eat during their lunch break, and pay little attention to the high-calorie content. They may snack on junk food to take away the hunger pangs as well.

They may not bother to cook meals from scratch, as it is more convenient and less time-consuming to heat up a microwaveable meal or pick up some fast food on the way home. Plus, women's eating habits are often influenced by their emotions. With British women working long hours and struggling to make time for their family; stress, anxiety and depression can be an issue. British women may turn to food or alcohol to lift their spirits, but if they regularly eat huge quantities of chocolate and drink large glasses of wine they will end up consuming an excess number of calories.

This is especially true when so many British women are failing to do enough exercise. Most people have come to depend on their cars to get to work, to take their children to school and to do the shopping. Thus, they are walking less, whilst not taking up any other activities that would enable them to burn more calories. It may be that British women cannot find the time to join a gym or cycle more, but there are plenty of instances where they simply can't be bothered. For these women, the incentive to remain slim and toned is not enough to make the prospect of working up a sweat any more appealing.

Obesity is an issue for most nations within Europe, but it is apparent that the situation is particularly bad in Britain. Unfortunately, many British women eat a poor diet, rarely exercise and fail to get enough sleep. Clearly, the majority of obese women are not happy about the situation, which is why so much money is spent on weight-loss products in Britain, but without lifestyle changes and a healthier attitude towards diet and exercise it is impossible to see how the obesity problem is going to be resolved.

Why do so Many Slimmers Get Fat Again?

There is something rather strange about the fact that so many people who lose weight gain it all back again. What is the point of putting all that effort into shedding those extra pounds only to pile them on again within a few weeks or months? Losing weight can be extremely challenging, yet it seems that more people struggle to maintain a lower weight than they do to actually lose it in the first place. Perhaps it is the way people go about weight loss, as there seems to be so much emphasis on losing weight quickly that most individuals do not even think about the long term.

It is hard enough to lose weight as it is, but when you simply replace one set of bad eating habits with another, you never get to grips with what is required of you to control your weight. Instead, you become reliant on fad diets that help you lose weight extremely quickly, so that in between diets you can eat whatever you want, safe in the knowledge that you will be able to lose it all. However, this means that you generally watch your weight going up and down constantly, which can have a damaging effect on your self-esteem and leave you unhappy with your weight.

A better approach to take would be to lose weight at a sensible rate by introducing smaller, more realistic changes to your diet that you can continue to follow even after you've lost weight. That way, you can get used to what you need to do to manage your calorie intake. You will learn how many calories your body requires and be in a position to adjust the number of calories you consume to reflect the amount of activity you do. Indeed, instead of concentrating solely on your dietary habits, it is worth doing more exercise as well, since this will help you maintain a healthy weight.

So many slimmers find themselves getting fat again, because they are either not prepared or are unable to embrace the habits that they need to remain at a healthy weight. Yo-yo dieting may come to be seen as normal by such individuals and it is very difficult to see another way of doing things, even though dieting clearly doesn't work for many of them. Thus, even those who know what they have to do to maintain a healthy weight can flounder, because they always go back to the habits which are most comforting, even though these habits are behind their weight problem.

Can You Really be Fat and Happy?

Some people are more confident than others and are happy and outgoing whether they are rail-thin or slightly chunky. Size shouldn't be a determinant of happiness, but for many people, especially women, it does have a role to play. Whilst there are women who are content with their curves and who don't mind being heavier than is considered healthy, there are also women who obsess about every pound and spend their whole lives on a diet in an attempt to achieve the perfect body. These women are not necessarily fat, but are convinced they need to be slimmer.

Clearly, it is going to be difficult for these individuals to ever be happy, because obsessing about your weight all the time is only going to bring you down. Sometimes, being fat is no bad thing. Just because you're fat doesn't mean that you're not attractive. Indeed, some people find the fuller figure more attractive and if you have a pleasant personality and an outgoing persona your weight may not even be an issue. It would be great to have high self-esteem, confidence and be happy regardless of whether you're fat or thin.

However, if you are what society deems to be 'fat' it becomes harder to be happy with yourself the way you are. In a weight-obsessed world, you are supposed to want to be thin. The whole marketing industry is tailored around the notion that you are going to see the picture of a slim, successful woman and want to be exactly like her, so that you go out and buy whatever perfume she has in her hand or make-up she is wearing. You are not expected to be satisfied with the way you look and to be happy about being fat.

This negativity around being fat is compounded by the constant barrage of information you receive
about the implications of obesity for your health. Is it even possible to be fat and happy when everyone expects you to be miserable and constantly worried about your health because of your size? Well, society certainly makes it difficult. There will always be someone willing to point out that you're fat and to make fun of you, which can undermine your self-esteem and make you increasingly conscious of your weight.

Unfortunately, being overweight generally means you have to get used to being bullied, as you belong to the one group in society that it seems acceptable to target. You need to possess an extremely thick skin to ignore the nasty comments you receive and to feel confident within yourself. There are some high-profile women who confidently proclaim that they are proud to be curvy and that they have no intention of losing weight, which is why it can be disappointing to see them a few years down the line looking as svelte as any other celebrity.

When this happens, you begin to wonder whether you really can be fat and happy. Some people probably are, but you cannot ignore the potential health problems of carrying too much weight, so that even if you're comfortable in your own skin you may decide to lose a few pounds. You don't have to be skinny to be happy, but it does help to have your health. If your health starts to suffer because you're significantly overweight, then something obviously needs to change because it is difficult to be happy when you're sick.

Is Your Family Making You Fat?

If you have obese parents, there is a greater chance that you will be obese yourself. There may be a genetic component involved, but since you are unable to alter your genes more attention has to be given to environmental and social factors. If you were obese as a child it may have been because your parents were overindulgent and allowed you to eat lots of junk food and didn't try to encourage you to exercise. You may take these habits with you into adulthood and find yourself with an even worse weight problem. However, at some point you have to take responsibility for your own actions and make changes to your lifestyle if you want to lose weight.

Unfortunately, altering your thought patterns and developing healthier habits can be easier said than done when you seek comfort in the familiar. If you have been raised to expect large meals and plenty of junk food snacks, it can be difficult to reduce portion sizes and make an effort to control your eating. Your inclination is going to be to eat too much because this is what you have always done and since this is normal behaviour for you, you may not even realise that your eating habits are particularly bad. It may take for you to join a slimming club or seek advice online or from a doctor for you to realise that you need to address your behaviour.

This isn't easy to do when you're surrounded by overweight relatives for whom consuming large quantities of food and sitting around all day is the norm. You may want to break from your bad habits and develop healthier ones so that you can start losing weight, but then find that your family either unwittingly or maliciously sabotage your efforts. It may be comments that you're looking too slim, even though you are yet to reach a healthy weight, or the extra servings of food you receive when you go to your parents' house for a family meal. Losing weight is hard, anyway, but when you don't have the support of your family it becomes at least 10 times harder.

It might be more difficult to control your weight when you live with your parents and they provide you with food at meal times, because you don't feel in a position to ask for less food or for something else to eat and so you just accept it. When you live alone you should be better able to control your diet, although that doesn't mean you won't revert back to the old habits with which you are so familiar and which provide you with comfort. Perhaps, you're married and have your own family and find that controlling your weight is extremely challenging when you have fussy, young children and a partner who is unsympathetic about the concerns you have with your weight.

It is tempting to blame your family for making you fat and although your relatives may contribute to your weight issues, you have to face up to the fact that it is up to you to make changes in your life if you are unhappy with your weight. No one is forcing you to eat a whole tub of ice cream or to serve double the amount of pasta you need at dinner time. When it comes to exercise you may not have very much time, but even then you should still be able to do something. It all comes down to motivation and willpower. If you really want to lose weight you should be able to find the determination to reduce your calorie intake and increase your activity levels, which is clearly what is needed to help you get back in control of your weight.

Can Getting Married Make You Fat?

Many people find that their waistlines begin to expand after getting married, especially women. They spend the months before the big day on a diet, shedding the pounds so that they look perfect in their wedding dress. As soon as the wedding is over it becomes more difficult to find the motivation to eat healthily and exercise regularly and so they slip back into their former routine, usually gaining weight as a result. You can't really blame marriage completely if you find yourself gaining weight, since it your actual behaviour that leads to weight gain, but it clearly has a role to play.

Marriage offers you a sense of security and you know that the person you are getting married to will love you no matter what your size, just as you will love him whether he is fat or thin. When you're in a happy relationship where you feel entirely comfortable with the person you are married to, it is easy to ignore your expanding waistline. Indeed, when you know you're gaining weight it can be tempting to avoid stepping on the scales altogether! You may pick up the bad habits your spouse has and you may be a bad influence on him as well.

You get into a routine and it's comfortable. It becomes easier to neglect your exercise routine and to eat convenience foods, especially if you decide to have children. When you fall pregnant you're going to gain weight and once you've given birth it can be hard to find the time to exercise and prepare home-cooked meals, so that you never actually lose the baby weight. It isn't just women who gain weight, though, as some men will also find themselves eating more than usual and not doing as much exercise during their wife's pregnancy, so that they also end up heavier.

The likelihood is that if you get married you're going to put on some weight at some point during the relationship, though it may not always be directly related to being married. As you get older your body changes and your metabolism slows down, so that it becomes harder to remain slim. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll become fat, though; it just means weight gain is more likely. Since marriage is meant to last a lifetime you're obviously going to be together a long time and as the years pass your weight may be less of a priority. There are plenty of people who would consider themselves fat and who are struggling to control their weight and not all of them are married. However, the relationships you have with other people – particularly your spouse – can influence the way you feel about yourself and the routine you develop, which may well cause you to pile on the pounds.

Why do People Stay Fat Even When They Hate it?

Few people would admit to being happy with the fact they are fat, yet society is still getting fatter. It seems that for many individuals, weight control is just too difficult, which is why there are increasing numbers of individuals becoming so overweight that their health is at risk. At the same time, with more people getting fatter, it is easier to develop a distorted perception of what a healthy weight actually is, so that people remain in denial about the extent of their weight problem.

Losing weight is hard!
To achieve weight loss you simply have to reduce your calorie intake, so that you are consuming fewer calories than your body is burning. However, this simple equation doesn’t take into account the emotional relationship you have with food or the fact that food tastes so good and is packed full of chemicals that leave you craving more. To lose weight you have to follow a reduced calorie diet for a long enough period of time to reach your goal weight, whilst increasing your calorie expenditure through exercise. This can be a challenge when you’ve never made an effort to watch what you eat and you’re a self-confessed couch potato!

Family and friends
If most of your family is overweight and you hang around with friends who also have issues with their weight, it is going to be harder to address your eating habits when you don’t necessarily see them as a problem. If you spend a lot of time with people who think that it’s normal to eat huge quantities of fatty and sugary junk food, you may do, too. It is very difficult to change your eating and exercise habits when everyone around you is eating what they want and being lazy. Even if you do manage to make changes, there may be those willing to sabotage your efforts when they see how well you are doing.

Self-esteem issues
Being overweight can often affect your self-esteem in a negative way, particularly when people make nasty comments to you about your size. Instead of motivating you to change your lifestyle and lose weight, when you encounter any kind of negativity, you may internalise it and punish yourself for being fat. You could be tempted to pick up a bar of chocolate or tub of ice cream and to eat until the pain goes away, even though you know that food is part of the problem.

Facing up to the problem
Most people eventually come to the decision to lose weight, despite how tough it can be, as the benefits of weight loss outweigh any downsides. By losing weight you can improve your health prospects and feel more confident about the way you look, which can have a positive impact on other areas of your life. Thus, if you’re carrying a few too many pounds it is well worth taking steps to change the situation.

The Downside of Being Fat

There is more than one downside to being fat, but this hasn’t stopped people’s waistlines expanding. There are more overweight and obese individuals than ever before, yet the weight-loss industry is booming, which suggests that there are many people desperately trying to alter the situation. Who can blame them when being overweight can lead to health problems and damage your self-esteem? Although there are some individuals prepared to stand up and say they are happy with their weight, they are few and far between.

Negative attitudes towards fat people
Even though there are a growing number of people who fall into the overweight and obese categories, it is tough being fat in a slim person’s world. Society is still programmed to make fun of fat people who are presented in the media as being lazy slobs who are unable to control what they put into their mouths. When you’re fat, you feel that everyone is looking at you because of your weight and it is difficult to accept a compliment when you don’t really believe it. Indeed, being fat can be bad for your self-esteem, because there is a tendency to belittle yourself when the issue of weight has started to dominate your life.

The impact on your health
It is not as if you can escape your weight problem when it is affecting your health. Being overweight can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Even if your health isn’t suffering yet, there is always a fear that you could suddenly have a heart attack as a result of the extra weight you’re carrying. You can end up stressed and anxious about your weight, which won’t do your health any good either. Plus, if you become depressed about your weight, it becomes harder to find the motivation to do anything about it and you may use food to comfort you.

The inability to live life the way you want to
If you’re only a few pounds overweight you probably don’t consider yourself to be fat, because you can do everything that slimmer individuals can do. However, when you’re carrying so much extra weight that your mobility becomes limited and you can’t do everything you used to, then obviously you cannot keep ignoring your weight problem. Being fat can make it difficult to do activities that other people take for granted, such as going out to a restaurant, hopping on a plane, shopping for clothes or going on a theme park ride. Your quality of life can suffer when you’re significantly overweight because your size prevents you from doing everything you would like to.

You have the power to change
If your weight is affecting your health and making you depressed, you have to face up to the problem so that you can alter your diet and get more active, enabling you to lose weight. By losing weight you will be able to feel healthier and your weight will no longer hold you back in any way.