Have you ever met anyone who wanted to gain an excessive, unhealthy amount of weight? Of course not! No one wants to be overweight!
Research says that many people would choose blindness over obesity. Others would choose to lose an arm or leg rather than suffer the emotional and physical pain of obesity.
So why does weight gain happen? It’s just not “logical” and it doesn’t make sense… until the actual causes are understood.
I often ask patients why they think they’ve become overweight. Too often I hear, “I think I’m just too lazy to exercise.” However, many thin people don’t exercise either. It’s not that simple.
In fact, 95% of Americans do not exercise regularly, even though they are aware of the health benefits. So NOT exercising can’t be the primary cause.
Many of my patients struggling with their weight actually spend more time exercising than thin people I know. One of my patients, who is more than 50 lbs overweight, regularly exercises 5 hours a week!
Fact: My overweight patients ARE NOT lazy people! And many DO exercise!
So, not exercising is not the primary cause of obesity. Otherwise, 95% of Americans would be obese!
The other common response is, “Dr. Tague, I guess I just have no self-control!” And yet my patients are often over achievers and successful and disciplined in almost every area of life. They include disciplined business owners, attorneys, CEO’s, community leaders, physicians, nurses, and other individuals who are very disciplined… except with their eating. My patients tend to be successful in their careers, their families, and in their personal lives.
Further, I’ve never seen any research to support the notion that overweight individuals suffer from a general lack of “self-control”. It’s just not the case. However, here are two research based factual reasons for gaining excess weight.
Overweight Cause #1: An excessive appetite is a primary cause of weight gain, and it will ALWAYS win over self-control.
Very common causes of being overweight are overwhelming food cravings and a lack of fullness after eating a normal-sized meal. These abnormal appetite tendencies are based on genetic family tendencies 70% of the time.
You see, an excessive, abnormal appetite is not the result of a character deficiency. Appetite excesses are rooted in unwanted brain chemistry imbalances, often the result of genetics, stress, medications, and/or inadequate nutrient intake.
Overweight Cause #2: Slow metabolism tendencies are the other very common cause of unwanted weight gain.
Fatigue, low energy, depressed mood, and excessive weight gain are all very common with a sluggish metabolism, and they can sabotage the quality of life of otherwise healthy individuals.
A slow metabolism tendency is also often genetic in origin. However, aging, nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, medications, and stress are among the other common causes.
Quality of life and health suffers whenever a sluggish metabolism shows up. It is undesirable on several levels!
Knowing the above facts led me to develop our comprehensive approach to weight loss that addresses appetite, metabolism, and nutrition, simultaneously. I am convinced that unless this comprehensive approach is taken, weight loss will be limited or non-existent over the long term.
Once I meet with my new patients, I spend time identifying the appetite and metabolism factors that have contributed to their unwanted weight gain. (Our initial assessments are quite extensive, including detailed blood testing, fact-finding questionnaires, and a state of the art body composition analysis.)
Once causative factors are identified, along with specific weight loss and health goals, only then do I recommend specific, powerful strategies to gain control. This approach delivers success when typical diets have failed. It is also why our “obese” patients following my most aggressive medical weight loss plans have lost, on average, 43 lbs in 12 weeks! And, as long as they continue on our program, they typically continue to lose and/or keep significant amounts of excess weight off!
If you need help losing and keeping off unwanted weight gain, sign up for an introductory consultation with one of our professional staff! It’s easy to schedule your no-obligation, educational visit at TagueNutrition.com. Sign up here.
Begin your journey of controlling your weight and your health destiny as never before. Let us help!
For Optimum Health,
Rick Tague, M.D., M.P.H. & T.M.
Specialist in Nutrition & Obesity Medicine
P.S. – Remember, at the Center for Nutrition, we have over 25 years of experience assisting overweight individuals in their pursuit of weight loss and health. Let our experience with over 30,000 patients losing well over 500,000 lbs go to work for you. Call us for a free initial consultation to learn more.
