CAUSES OF WEIGHT GAIN: All impacts on body weight are caused through either 1. Too much (or the wrong type of) food (energy intake), and/or 2. Too little movement (energy expenditure). The following is a list of ways this can happen. Check to see which is/are the biggest danger(s) for you.
ENERGY INTAKE: Too much fat: This is generally accepted as the main problem in modern societies because fat is energy dense (eg. 9 cals/g compared to 4 for carbohydrate or protein), is addictive, is stored easily in the body and is very easy to get. People with this as a main cause have a ‘fat tooth’ and over-consume fatty foods.
ENERGY EXPENDITURE: A sedentary job – Most work today is done by machines and most people have jobs which are either totally or partially sedentary. If you are naturally inactive outside work hours, look no further than your job as a cause of the problem.