Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. This happens when you consume food containing high amounts of fat and sugar and do not take effort to burn of the extra energy through exercise. Constantly doing this will lead to surplus of energy within your body that will eventually be stored as additional body fat causing you to get obese.

The main causes leading to obesity includes:

1. FOR SHORT TERM
1. Eating large amounts of processed or fast food
2. Drinking too much alcohol
3. Eating larger portions than you need
4. High intake of sugary drinks
5. Subjecting yourself to comfort eating when you feel down to make yourself feel better
2. Lack of physical activity

Lack of physical activity is another important factor related to obesity. Many people have jobs that involve sitting at a desk for most of the day. They also rely on their cars, rather than walking or cycling. For relaxation, many people tend to watch TV, browse the internet or play computer games, and rarely take regular exercise. If you're not active enough, you do not use the energy provided by the food you eat, and the extra energy you consume is stored by the body as fat.

3. Genetics

There are certain genetic traits inherited from your parents, such as having a large appetite may make losing weight for you more difficult, but it certainly does not make it impossible. In most cases obesity is also due to the upbringing environment in which bad eating habits are picked up during the early stages of childhood leading to obesity during adulthood.

4. Underlying Medical Conditions

There are some underlying medical conditions that may contribute to weight gain:

1. Thyroid Gland which is underactive (hypothyroidism)
2. Overproduction of internal steroid hormones (Cushing's syndrome)
3. Medication used to treat conditions like epilepsy, depression and diabetes

HEALTH CONDITIONS RELATED TO OBESITY?

Image Source: January 16, 2019 by Emma Jones

Being obese can also increase your risk of developing many potentially serious health conditions, including:

1. Diabetes
2. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
3. Increased risk of getting cancers like bowel cancer, breast cancer and womb cancer
4. High cholesterol levels
5. Metabolic syndrome (combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity)
6. Sleep Apnoea (causes interrupted breathing during sleep)
7. Osteoarthritis (Pain and Stiffness in joints)
8. Reduced fertility
9. Increased risks of Gallstones
10. Increased risk Liver & Kidney Diseases
11. Pregnancy related complications