Obesity is the accumulation of fats that makes one look overweight and out of shape. It is defined as being 20% in excess of the desirable body weight. Almost 24 percent women and 27 percent men are obese. Individuals who weigh about 100 pounds or more than the desirable body weight are known as hyperobese. This can be a life threatening situations and is also a risk factor for various other ailments such as adult onset (type II) diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, musculoskeletal problems, arthritis, insomnia, depression, sleep apnea etc. Some cases of obesity also result from metabolic or hormonal disorders such as thyroid. Overweight individuals also suffer from various psychological problems such as low self confidence and self worth, tension and stress on account of the stigma attached to being fat. Overweight people also suffer from various psychological problems such as low self-confidence and self esteem, tension and stress on account of the stigma attached to being fat.

Fitness is all about maintaining a balance between the mind and body. It is essential for one to maintain the desired body weight in order to be absolutely healthy. The main problem that revolves around the accumulation of excessive fat is the long-standing habit of overeating. Individuals with eating disorders often lose control over their eating habits and tend to consume abnormally high amounts of food. Most of these individuals are highly secretive about their eating patterns and prefer to eat in isolation to avoid the embarrassment of being caught eating huge amounts of food.

Causes of persistent overeating:

Biological Factors: Some individuals eat high calorie foods yet do not gain weight, whereas others are constantly struggling to maintain their weight. Heredity lays a significant role in the process of weigh gain in some individuals. Individuals who are hyper obese have more adipose (fat) cells in the body than those who are not. During weight loss, the size of these cells decreases but not their number.

Psychological Factors: In a number of cases, individuals tend to consume huge quantities of food in order to escape stress or simply because they are getting bored and have nothing else to do. Certain incidents such as a break-up or loss of employment can also trigger episodes of overeating in obese individuals.

Socio-cultural factors: In a number of families, obesity is a behavior pattern. High fat, high calorie diet or an overemphasis on eating large quantities of food may produce obesity in most family members. For instance, a fat child is considered to be healthy in these families, whereas a well built individual might be considered undernourished. Sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise also contributes to the development of this disorder.