As human beings we have a wide range of foods available to help us survive. These foods provide our bodies with nutrients to stay healthy and calories for energy. If we eat more calories than we burn, food is stored in our body as fat. If this happens regularly, there is a risk of becoming obese. Obesity means having excessive amounts of fat in the body. Obesity is the second leading cause, after tobacco, of preventable deaths in the United States. More than half of Americans are overweight and nearly a third are obese. There are numerous reasons why people become obese, including: emotions, genes, gender, age, and many others. There are also several ways to tell if a person is overweight or obese. Finally, there are several ways to lose weight and keep it off. Several factors cause people to become obese. One reason is that obesity is inherited both through genes and shared eating and lifestyle habits. Emotions also contribute to people being overweight. We overeat due to anger, boredom, depression, loneliness and many other emotional reasons. The people in our environment play an important role, inspiring our eating habits and activity level. Men tend to have more muscle mass than women, and because muscle burns more calories than other tissues, women appear to gain weight more easily even with the same calorie intake. Age also contributes to obesity, we tend to lose muscle and gain weight as we age. Our metabolism also slows down with age. Both of these factors require lower calorie consumption. Women tend to weigh 4-6 pounds more after a pregnancy. This initial weight gain could contribute to obesity in women. There are some medical conditions and medications that can help obesity, including: Hypothyro...... middle of paper ...... only recommended for morbidly obese people or if your BMI is above 40 There are two types of bariatric surgical medications, malabsorptive and restrictive. Malabsorption surgery decreases intestinal absorption of food by bypassing part of the digestive system. Restrictive surgery reduces the size of the stomach allowing for less food a person can hold. Obesity is a big problem in the United States because food is everywhere and our lack of exercise doesn't help matters. Obesity increases your chances of developing many health problems that could lead to death. Emotions, genes, age and environmental factors are just some of the causes of obesity. Body mass index is the best way to decide if you are overweight. The best way to lose weight is to follow a proper diet and exercise regularly. Works Cited Galletta, Gayle M. "Obesity." eMedicineHealth. Np, 2010. Web. 1 February. 2010.