Check weight, be happy
Obesity fight not a matter of willpower
People might think battling obesity is a question of sheer willpower, but it is not so, as per a BBC report. Here are the factors that can affect your weight, as reported by the documentary, The Truth About Obesity.
GUT MICROBES: Having a healthy and varied diet, rich in different sources of fibre, has been shown to create a more diverse range of gut microbes.
Every time we eat, we are feeding a hundred trillion microbes. and Professor Spector believes increasing fibre in the diet can create diversity, and help people lose weight.
After finding the pattern in a study of 5000 people, he concluded: “The greater the diversity, the skinnier the person. If you’re carrying too much weight, your microbes aren’t as diverse as they should be.”
WHAT TIME IT IS: Obesity expert Dr James Brown says the later we eat, the more likely we are to gain weight. Not because we’re less active at night, but because of our internal body clocks.
“The body is set up to handle calories much more efficiently during the daytime period when it’s light than it is at night when it’s dark” he says. THE GENE LOTTERY: Why do some people diligently follow diets and exercise regularly but still struggle to see results, while others do very little and don’t pile on the pounds?
Scientists at Cambridge University say 40- 70 per cent of the effect on our weight is down to variation in the genes we inherit. Particular genes can affect a person’s appetite, how much food they want to eat and what type of food they might prefer. Genes can also affect how we burn calories and whether our bodies can efficiently handle fat.
TRICKING YOUR BRAIN: Behavioural scientist Hugo Harper suggests ways to subconsciously change your eating behaviour, rather than rely on calorie counting.
For example, removing visual temptations might be more effective than relying on conscious willpower. So don’t have unhealthy snacks out on the kitchen counter. Don't sit down with a whole packet of biscuits in front of the television.