45 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise The results depict the following: • No state had an obesity trend < 20% • Only the District of Columbia had an obesity trend between 20% and < 25% • 8 states had an obesity trend between 25% and < 30% • 22 states had an obesity trend between 30% and < 35% • 17 states had an obesity trend between 35% and < 40% • 2 states had an obesity trend ≥ 40% • Southern states had the highest prevalence of obesity (36.3%), followed by the Midwest (35.4%), the Northeast (29.9%), and the West (28.7%) If current trends continue, it is estimated that 50% of American adults will be classified as obese (i.e., body mass index (BMI) values ≥30) by the year 2030 (Wang et al., 2011). The remedy seems to be in ensuring access to nutritious food and preventative healthcare, increasing physical activity, smoking cessation, stress and sleep management, and eating in a flexible manner that honors hunger, satiety, and appetite (Bacon et al., 2002; Bacon et al., 2005). What Causes Weight Gain? There are several theories as to what actually causes or leads to weight gain (Thygerson & Thygerson, 2016). • Fat cell theory. This theory says that obese individuals have too many fat cells. People with an above-average number of fat cells may have been born with them or developed them over time as a result of overeating. It is believed that, through proper diet and exercise, individuals can decrease the size of fat cells but not the number. • Set point theory. This theory says that obese individuals are genetically predisposed to carry a certain amount of weight. This predisposition is set and determined by the hypothalamus. This theory also states that losing weight, and keeping it off, is often times hard to do because the body strives to get back to its predisposed set point. In order to lose weight, and keep it off, the individual must somehow change their set point. • Glandular disorder theory. This theory says that hypothyroidism, a condition in which the body does not produce enough thyroid hormone, is responsible for excessive weight gain and obesity. However, research has shown that overt hypothyroidism only causes modest weight gain (Sanyal & Raychaudhuri, 2016). Additionally, thyroid hormone treatment generally does not lead to significant weight loss. • Positive energy balance theory. This theory says that weight gain occurs when caloric intake exceeds energy expenditure. In essence, the relationship between calories consumed and calories burned can result in one of the following three scenarios:
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