According to the latest polls, the French may consider that they are in good health, the fact is that 46% of them are overweight or obese.
The figures are worrying...
The proportion of obese people in France jumped from 8.5% to 14.5% between 1997 and 2009.
But why ? What do overweight people do differently?
Several studies have found correlations between certain behaviors and overweight (even obesity).
Here is a list of 14 habits that could make you obese or overweight:
People who watch TV for long periods of time are more likely to be obese.
A recent study concluded that the likelihood of a person being overweight is higher if they watch 2 hours of TV a day than if they watch only 30 minutes.
When a person watches TV, their body is almostinert .
His heart rate, blood pressure, and basal metabolic rate are all reduced.
As a result, a person sitting in front of the TV burns 20 to 30 fewer calories per min.
Researchers at Harvard University have studied the number of hours children spend watching television to find a link with the amount of food they eat.
The result ? The more children watch TV, the more they eat.
Eating too quickly has unfortunately become a habit of our current society:most people have a hectic lifestyle.
What we don't realize is that eating too fast can unconsciously cause overeating.
Indeed, it takes 15 to 20 minutes for the brain before you feel full.
Researchers suggest that eating too quickly is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome.
It is a series of health problems having in common a bad body metabolism.
Symptoms may include high blood pressure, risk of overweight and insulin resistance.
Who hasn't? This is about snack doing something else simultaneously.
If you often snack in front of the computer at work, in front of the TV, in the car or standing in front of your kitchen counter...
It is very likely that this style of snacking increases your chances of gaining weight or becoming obese.
Nowadays, many people choose fast food, like McDonalds, to eat.
Many people are too stressed and do not have time to prepare a healthy and balanced meal at home.
Everyone knows that choosing to eat in a fast food restaurant is much less healthy than eating a normal meal.
Fast food is way too fatty, low in fiber and comes in huge portions.
Conclusion, eating often at McDonalds greatly increases the chances of being obese.
Eating to manage your emotions means consuming large amounts of food (usually foods that have little nutritional value).
The goal is to heal an emotional wound (such as depression, anxiety, or loneliness) instead of feeling hungry.
Experts estimate that 75% of overeating cases are caused by emotions.
And you, during a stroke of stress, how many times have you found yourself in the kitchen looking for something to snack on...
Or even unconsciously eating cookies?
With all the obligations in your schedule, exercising might be last on your to-do list.
If so, you are not alone.
The French lead a more sedentary lifestyle than previous generations.
And, this, despite the fact that our minds seem to be racing (normal, with all the tasks we have to do every day).
Unfortunately, spending most of our time sitting (in a car, in front of a computer at work, and in front of a TV at home) has made exercising more and more rare at the end of the day.
If you've gained a few pounds, take a good look at who you spend the most time with.
Study suggests obesity may be 'socially contagious .
Researchers studied more than 12,000 participants over a 32-year period.
Their conclusion? Having an overweight relative increases the risk of obesity by 37 to 57%.
Lack of sleep is also an important factor in the risk of obesity.
Indeed, lack of sleep increases levels of ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite).
And it reduces those of leptin (the hormone that regulates the feeling of satiety).
A study conducted at the University of Bristol concluded that every hour lost from a normal night's sleep (i.e. 8 hours) translates into a 3% increase in body fat.
Discover the 5 tips for a good night's sleep.
Many people consume foods without even looking at the number of calories or fat they contain.
This ignorance can cause overweight.
Indeed, if you don't know how many calories you consume, you can easily eat twice more calories than the recommended daily allowance.
This is valid for people who want to maintain their weight as well as for those who are trying to lose it.
Your credit card may have allowed your wallet to lose a few grams, but this same card could very well make you gain several pounds.
In fact, VISA conducted a study of 100,000 fast-food point-of-sale transactions.
The payment card company has shown that customers who pay by credit card spend 30% more than those who paid cash.
For a woman who eats once a week in a McDonald's type "restaurant", this represents no less than 2.25 kg more per year.
Several studies have shown that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight.
Eating in the morning therefore seems to help people maintain weight loss .
According to Dr. Denise Bruner, obesity expert and former president of the American Bariatric Society, skipping a meal equals a "guaranteed bout of compensatory hunger."
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have found that wearing casual and comfortable clothes at work promotes physical activity .
More specifically, participants walked more if they were dressed casually (8%).
This study showed that participants burned an additional 25 calories on "Casual Friday" days.
Therefore, wearing a more comfortable outfit every day for 50 work weeks translates to an additional 6,250 calories burned over 1 year.
A recent study from the University of Minnesota found that participants who weighed themselves daily lost 5.5 kg over 2 years .
Study participants who did not weigh themselves lost only 1.8 kg.
Another study from the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that people who weigh themselves daily and who receive one-to-one coaching are 82% less likely to regain 2.5 kg lost than people who do not weigh themselves and who do not receive coaching .
A UK Priority Group survey found that people ate more when they were bored t than when they were stressed.
It might be the perfect time to practice a sport or read if you're bored, right?
