Women and Obesity

About 60% of the female population in the United States are overweight, and about a third of these individuals fall into the obese category due to the presence of too much body fat. These statistics have been gathered from the National Institute on Women’s Health Organization, which also outlines that while there are fewer obese American women than men, it is still a serious epidemic. While it’s often suspected that women have unique causes of weight gain, for the most part, they face the same struggles as men as far as lifestyle goes, with a few minor exceptions.

Risk Factors of Obesity in Women

Pregnancy is one unique risk factor that women face that can lead to weight gain. It’s natural to put on some weight during pregnancy in order to support the baby, but there are women that put on even more because they stop focusing upon exercise and nutrition. Just because a certain degree of weight gain is natural, it doesn’t mean that women should allow themselves to over indulge.

Women should talk to their doctors about the increase in calories that they should consume during pregnancy and after childbirth while nursing. Nutrition still needs to be a priority both for the health of the baby and a woman’s own long-term health. Women who develop poor eating habits during pregnancy are at risk of being unable to lose the weight and and at risk of continuing to gain if they are unable to break those habits. The women at risk during pregnancy are those who feel that they have a free ticket to over indulge and forget about nutrition as these factors can lead to obesity.

Hormonal Changes and Aging in Women

As women go through various hormonal changes they can put on weight. For example, it’s not uncommon for women approaching menopause to gain a few pounds. Middle age is also a time when the metabolism slows down, and while some weight gain is natural, the women who no longer fall in a healthy weight range for their height that are at risk for obesity. Hormonal changes that happen with menopause can also lead women to take hormone replacement therapies and other medications that can alter the metabolism and lead to an increase in weight. Women should speak to their doctors about changes that they’re noticing with their bodies and address their diet and exercise plans accordingly in order to ensure that the risk factor for obesity is just a risk and not a reality.

At a weight loss retreat, women can learn how to combat natural weight gain healthfully with healthy lifestyle changes that they will be able to maintain for the rest of their lives.