10 Surprising Things That Are Making You Fat
Bottle fed babies may be at risk for adult obesity
What Makes You Fat? The Answer Might Surprise You!
You ask the question, "What's making me fat?" as you diet year after year, lose weight and gain it back. If permanent weight loss sometimes seems impossible, there might be some surprising reasons why you are having trouble losing weight. The good news is, it’s may not be all your fault! The bad news is that some factors that are difficult to control could cause you to gain weight despite your best efforts.
Your Environment Can Make You Fat
You might think that the list of ten things that make you fat would include calorie laden foods like pie, potato chips, chocolate or your morning Danish. While these things definitely are not diet fare, you may be surprised to learn of the seemingly innocent things in your daily life that increase your risk of obesity.
Below are some surprising answers to the question, "What's making you fat?"
What's Making You Fat?
Some Surprising Answers
1. Your Spouse and Your Friends
Eating fattening foods is a bad habit that you can "catch" from your spouse. John Gray, PhD, the recognized expert on relationships and author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus and Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice, says that spouses have a strong influence on each others habits. If your spouse loves rich deserts, gravy and pastries, you could “catch” those fattening habits and gain weight – even though your spouse isn’t fat!
Or you can blame it on your friends! If just one of your friends becomes obese, you are 57% more likely to gain weight, too. If a friend of a friend gains weight, you are still 20% more likely to gain weight. Really, you’re getting second-hand fat!
2. Your Air Conditioner
No, there are no calories in cool air, but one study found that women burned 250 more calories a day in 80° air than they do in 70° air. Sweating may not be as comfortable as relaxing in a cool 70° environment, but it will help you to burn calories. On the same number of calories, a woman in the cooler environment will gain a half pound a week. That’s 26 pounds a year for enjoying your temperature controlled environment!
How to Combat Factors That Contribute to Obesity
- Bottle fed baby? There's no turning back time, but you can be aware that you need to be extra vigilant about what you eat.
- Overweight friends? Spend time at non-food related activities where you won't be tempted to participate in overeating. Go for walks, bowling, mini-golf, plays...
- Keep junk food out of the house or at least out of sight.
- Use smaller plates. Don't put bowls of food on the table, but put servings on your plate in the kitchen.
- Substitute water for diet soda.
- Avoid cosmetics that contain phthalates (those that have the acronyms DBP, DEP, DMP, DEHP, BxBP or DMP).
- Avoid fragrances in cosmetics and personal care items.
- Use a water filter on drinking water. It will help remove phthalates and other residual chemicals.
- Avoid Number 3 plastics.
- Look for BPA free plastics.
- Buy hormone free organic meat and organic vegetables.
- Take steps to relieve stress in your life.
3. Bottle Fed Baby?
No kidding! Don’t tell Mom, but it could be all her fault! If you were breast fed for at least 7 months, you are 20% less likely to be overweight as an adult. Children who were never breast fed have a 4.5% obesity rate compared to 0.8% obesity rate for children who were breast fed for 12 months or more. Poor Mom, she does get blamed for just about everything!
4. Your House
- Many factors about your home could be contributing to the downfall of your diet.
- An open floor plan makes it easy to see those enticing food advertisements on TV from almost anywhere.
- If you serve food on large plates, it encourages you to load up on more food.
- A kitchen and fridge full of junk food makes it hard to resist the things that are bad for your diet.
- If your lights are dim in your eating area, food looks more attractive and encourages binge eating.
- Yellow and red tones increase appetite.
- To curb appetite, use more blues on walls and dishes and accessories. Use blue lights to make food look less appealing and curb appetites.
5. Drinking Diet Soda
While it sounds like a good idea to replace sugared drinks with diet soda, studies have repeatedly shown that drinking diet soda increases your chances of gaining weight. Why? It seems that drinking soda with the sweet taste, but without the calories to go along with it makes us crave those calories. Have you ever seen someone drinking a diet soda and eating a big chunk of cake or pie a la mode? That craving for calories could be the reason! It has also been shown that artificial sweeteners may lower your metabolism making it harder to burn off those calories. Instead of drinking diet soda, drink water.
How Obesogens Affect Your Body
Obesogen is a scientific term for chemicals that affect the hormones that regulate our metabolism and cause us to gain weight. The body mistakes these endocrine-disrupting chemicals for hormones that affect its reproductive, developmental and metabolic systems. Young children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible. Several studies have linked some of these chemicals to weight gain.
Where are obesogen’s found? Obesogen’s are found in cosmetics, plastics, food and drink packaging, environmental pollutants, growth hormones given to animals and pesticides.
The obesogen, BPA is found in plastics. The U.S. produces six billion pounds of BPA every year, and it can be found in 93% of Americans!
6. Your Cosmetics or Shampoo
Chemicals in 70% of cosmetics, soaps and other household products throw hormones off kilter. Certain chemicals can cause the delicate balance of hormones in the body to go off kilter. Doctors at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York claim that phthalates, chemical ingredients in many household products contribute to obesity by throwing hormones off kilter. To avoid phthalates, check fragrances and cosmetics for these ingredients: "fragrances" or the acronyms DBP, DEP, DMP, DEHP, BxBP or DMP — they contain of phthalates. Avoid Number 3 plastics and fragrances.
*Note on Phthalates: In the U.S., Phthalates have been banned from plastic food containers and food wrapping including water bottles.
7. Food and Drink Packaging
BPA in cans and in plastics can upset hormone balance and affect weight. Bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen, is an ingredient in certain kinds of plastics including rigid plastic water bottles and the linings of food and drink cans. It makes lab rats put on extra weight and throws off the body’s natural weight control system by upsetting its hormone balance. In humans, BPA is linked to heart disease and diabetes
To avoid Bisphenol (BPA), avoid No. 7 plastics, use a stainless steel reusable water bottle, limit your consumption of canned foods and drinks, don't store or microwave foods in plastic and look for products explicitly marked "BPA free."
8. Stress
Does stress cause weight gain? Yes, it can! Under stress, the body produces a stress hormone, cortisol, which triggers it to dump stored sugar into the blood stream. Cortisol will increase insulin levels and make the body crave fats and carbohydrates that will eventually lead to weight gain. The over-production of cortisol caused by long-term stress is linked to storing fat in your abdomen around internal organs and in your torso.
Combat the effects of stress on your diet by taking steps to reduce stress. ().
9. The Meat You Consume
Hormones in meat can make you fat. Stephen Perrine, author of The New American Diet: How Secret “Obesogens” Are Making Us Fat, and the 6-Week Plan That Will Flatten Your Belly for Good!, says that many animals are treated with hormones to make them grow larger and faster. If you ingest meat that comes from a hormone treated animal, you could be getting the same effect from the hormones as the animal did! Fatter cows, chickens and pigs = fatter people! He recommends buying meat that was raised on smaller farms where the animals are not injected with steroids to promote growth.
Researches from ten different universities including John's Hopkins and Yale School of Medicine have concluded that steroid hormones used in animals and dairy cows can contribute to obesity. (From an article in the International Journal of Obesity.) Steroid hormones tend to collect in fat, so lean beef has less buildup of steroids. Animals raised on corn or soy typically have many injections of growth hormones while grass fed animals do not. It would be a healthier choice to buy meat from grass fed animals.
How Can Fruits and Vegetables Make Me Fat?
10. Even fruit and vegetables can make you fat
Many pesticides used on our produce can affect our hormones and genes. This can slow our body’s metabolism while increasing its ability to build new fat cells.
We all know that foods high in fats and carbohydrates are diet busters, but what about the low calorie fruits and vegetables? The bad news is that they could also be causing you to gain weight if they have been treated with pesticides. In particular, tributyltin, which is used in some food crops and anti-fungal boat paints, is suspected of triggering obesity.
Organic produce is expensive, but it is worth it to buy it whenever you can. If you can’t buy organic all the time, then Perrine recommends avoiding the produce with the highest pesticide residues: peaches, celery, apples, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.
Make Better Choices
What's Making you fat?
Do you think that any of the factors above are causing you to gain weight? Which ones?
Avoid risk of obesity- Make better choices
Looking at the many factors that can influence your metabolism, hormones and habits, it's no surprise that so many people have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.
While some things are out of our control, there are many factors affecting our weight that we can control by making healthier lifestyle choices. Be aware of how our friends, our homes, plastics we use and pesticides and chemicals in our foods can affect our weight. This awareness will help us make better choices for our families and for ourselves and help us to avoid some pitfalls outside of our diets that contribute to obesity.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.
Questions & Answers
© 2012 Stephanie Henkel
Comments
Very nice hub. I am new in making hubs. And you are one of the great writers here. There is so much to learn from your writing. This is the reason why I followed you.
Many of these are things I am not even aware of. Thanks for this comprehensive hub. Some we have done away with like soft drinks and chips. We have more fish than red meat but what worries mere the fruits and vegetables. One can't really make sure as many of the organics are grown not far from where pesticides are used.
Thanks Stephanie. I'm doing a lot right... organic food for sure but buying in my rural area sure is a challenge. I didn't know about the shampoo. Do you have any shampoo recommendations? I use cosmetics so rarely I'm not overly concerned about that. Thankfully, I'm a boomer and was not bottle fed. :) Thanks again. Deb
I am really concerned about produce with the highest pesticide residues. In some places, you can't really buy organic or these produce are not accordingly labelled.
Stephanie, I stopped drinking diet sodas a few years back because I found the sweeter taste made me crave sugar more. Wow, who would have thought shampoo would cause you to gain weight. I learned a lot from this post and so glad I did.
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I'm doomed Stephanie. I am told that my grandmother used to put sugar in my milk bottle when I was a baby. LOL I just found this anti-stress magic pill that really seems to work. It's super complex B stress vitamin. I've been taking it a few days and it actually curbs my stress eating.
The some we don't want to change, for me at least, are the ones I should change. I'm just a stubborn person :)
Hi Steph, 13 months later and 5 and 8 are still my problem areas with a side order of 11. Uh oh!
I love the subject idea of this hub. It definitely points out how many of us are gaining weight without realizing it. Great job!
I agree that when your spouse is eating well you have a tendency to as well. I felt so good when my wife was pregnant with her first child because we ate a lot of protein and "good" fat.
Guess I'll be shopping for blue plates. Thanks Stephanie for all the great info. Voted up and interesting.
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Stephanie, great hub! I think there must be some truth (or maybe lots of truth) in all of these because like Nell, I eat a light lunch and a healthy dinner every day but losing weight takes me ages. I think hormonal changes have a massive influence for women as estrogen levels fall with age and this has been proven to cause weight gain - seems like we just can't win sometimes doesn't it?
I am so glad I came across this. I have been put on diets since I was a child. Now I know that some of these factors could be the reason for my weight. Thank you so much! This is so appreciated. Natalie
It's amazing how we set ourselves up to become the victims of non-diet fare. So often overlooked! Very important, and I'll be passing this on, Stephanie.
Hi Stephanie, just came back to reread as I am on a diet, well its not a diet, I don't believe in diets as they just don't work! lol! trying to stick to them just makes us hungry! but I would like to add, get rid of sugar out of tea and coffee, over the last few weeks I have added at least 8 pounds! 8! oh my! so I cut out sugar, and added sweeteners an now I have lost at least 6 pounds so far and counting! lol! who would have guessed those little sugar cubes or spoonfuls would add up so much?
Ugh! You've made me so depressed! But it's not your fault. It does make one feel, though, that no matter what you do, you're doomed to gain weight.
Interesting hub and really surprising. But the good news is- I can tell my family my fat is all their fault and they should feel bad enough to clean the house so I won't have to deal with it since it is obviously making me fat too. Oh yeah, they need to do it quietly so as not to stress me out which will also make me fat. Greatest diet plan ever!!!
Great Hub!!
Who would think that diet sodas and shampoos would help make you fat! My biggest problem was hubby and his cherry cobbler. He loves cobbler and I was making one every week. I stopped making cobblers and lost 5 pounds almost immediately! Great information, voting up and more! :)
Interesting information, and some it makes perfect sense, especially the hormones in the meat. I didn't know about shampoo.
Have to say I love my diet sodas though. I started drinking them when I was thirteen because I do not like the taste of sweets, and you will rarely find sweets in my house other than my husband's jar of peanut butter. I've always been right on the line between normal and a little underweight, but when I moved in with my husband (first time having air conditioning!) I gained fifteen pounds. Since we follow his diabetic diet, and I don't have any overweight friends, I am definitely going to blame that on the shampoo and A/C!
Voting this up and sharing! Awesome!
All I can say is "no wonder Ive been having trouble losing weight!" Thanks for this informative article.........
Excellent information very thorough.
Timothy Ferris, author of the 4 hour body, claims very cold temperatures can help you lose weight. He actually takes an ice cube bath once a week. No thanks :o)
Your hub is interesting. I have an other problem. I wish to be thicker! I was always slim My weight is the same as it has been 25 years ago. So I quess genetic factors also mean a lot.
Very useful, thanks for sharing. I never knew air conditioners could be a cause, packaging is another thing new to me. Voted up and shared.
These ideas are truly scary! such simple items, that we may not even ponder upon can even make us gain pounds is surely unbelievable.
All I have come across is articles listing the most common reasons for weight gain, but this one here, is highly interesting and does make us wonder. well written and highly informative, voted up and shared :)
This is quite fascinating and scary. Especially about shampoos and conditioners- that was one I was most surprised about.
Bottle fed babies also seem to not benefit in the long run. I remember reading if you were bottle fed, it increased the rate of having allergies.
I know now to be even more careful and it's not just about food.
Wow, Stephanie. I had NO idea. I knew some of these fhings but most I did not and had never even consdiered especially the whole shampoo thing. It is good to know these things so that I can make some important changes. Thank you for sharing this information with us.
Wow! This is a great hub! I didn't know some of the things you mentioned could make me fat but come to think of it, you have a point here. I should start avoiding those stuff then.
Wow - that's a lot of things that would make me fat! I for one have to deal with #8! I'm taking care of an ill elder and I hate having to give into her demands day in and day out! Thankfully, I exercise, eat healthy, and do Oxycise!.
You have written an interesting article which certainly points out the difficulty of selecting the right foods and why. Chemicals in our agriculture seem to be causing many troubles. Who could believe an apple could be affecting weight gain?
Very useful!
The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, in and of themselves, can cause weight gain, or at least the inability to lose weight. They somehow trick the body into treating it like sugar, and still make you pack on the pounds. My husband's doctor told him he was better off to just drink regular soda instead of diet. And you know what? He switched back, and dropped quite a few pounds! He also found that it quenched his thirst better, and he drinks less soda than he did of the diet stuff. As for water--he won't drink it--he doesn't like it. (I'm not crazy about plain water, myself--no flavor.) But my husband is fond of wise-cracking, "Water??? You know what fish do in that stuff?!" LOL
Great hub, well researched! Voted up, interesting and useful. (But I'm so stressed out from reading a learning that no matter WHAT we eat or drink that SOMETHING is not good for us--or nothing is--that I just plain give up, and eat what I want and like. At my age, it's not like I have 40 more years ahead of me, so I'm going to enjoy my food. ;-) )
So many things in our environment to watch out for that can negatively impact our lives. I didn't realize shampoos could mess with your hormones. Thanks for the heads up so to speak.
Studies have come out about aluminum-based compounds being active ingredients in antiperspirants so it's not surprising shampoos can also be harmful. Growing your own food, making homemade cleaning products and make-up could turn out to be much safer than buying these items at the local grocery store. I'm all for less exposure to chemicals and pesticides. Voted Up and useful!
Wow, this is amazing that there are so many things that can affect our weight. It really is more than simply eating less and exercising more. The world is against us!
Very interesting and informative!
A great lesson for all of us striving to be healthier!
And if all else fails, blame it on mom! ; )
A very informative and useful hub and yes all these factors have to be taken into consideration along with portion control and exercise. The plastics especially concern me because they are so prevalent everywhere and don't even get me started on the hormone replacement therapy we all receive in non-organic dairy and meats. Voted up, useful and interesting.
Fantastic hub! I've been trying to lose this last 20lbs but it's just so stubborn. Many of these things explain why. My hormones have always been out of control, so it looks like I'm going to have to become a total hippy and make my own shampoos and grow all my own food!
Voted up and awesome!
Wow, this is really interesting Stephanie. I have written (and researched) quite a bit about BPA and other xenoestrogens but I had not realised they could lead to weight gain. Though I did know that weight gain can led to excess estrogen - sounds like it's a vicious circle.
Very interesting and useful hub. Voted up!
Not only am I a diet coke fanatic (basically, the only thing I drink besides morning coffee), but I find that smoking assists me in gaining weight. Sounds crazy? Well, how many smokers find themselves grabbing a candy bar, chips, or other calorie ladden tidbit in order to get the cigarette taste out of their mouths? Of course, upon finishing, we crave a cigarette, a natural act after eating, right? An endless cycle. Yet, as heard before and mentioned here, quitting cigarettes creates a need to substitute food for the cravings. Alas, I must resign to being an overweight person forever. Think I'll have a drink of diet coke and a cigarette to contemplate my fate.
Great Hub!
What an informative list. Although I knew all along that it was my mother's fault for bottle feeding me. It certainly couldn't be the diet soda and sweets....oh wait. Maybe it isn't all mom's fault :-)
It is so important that we become more aware of the hidden elements of what we put in our bodies. Thank you!
Stephanie.....Wonderful info.....and I appreciate and believe every word of it. Some of these reasons, I have seen printed a time or two in various articles.....and this is all valuable to know.
Alas, Stephanie......I must be a big girl and face the truth.....although some of the reasons here may be effecting "some" of my extra poundage......it's pretty basic and point blank for me: Too much Yum-Yum........Too little ....exercise!! The End
So many facts here that I did not know! I thought stress would cause you to lose weight. I found out different, the hard way. I do grow most of my own vegetables, which does help. My husband hunts, so we have a lot of venision which I use instead of hamburer or round steak. This not only helps us eat better, but saves a ton of money on the grocery bill. Thank you for sharing these facts with us. Voted up and socially sharing! Have a wonderful day!
Great Hub Stephanie Henkel. I did not know that shampoo and other cosmetics can make us fat. This is a great information. Thanks for sharing. Voted up and more.
Great list here, Steph! I will add, however, that the body burns fat to warm us when we are cold. While we may burn a few calories while we sweat, regular cold showers, cold baths, and cold temperatures can actually help us lose weight (in addition to proper diet and exercise). Granted, we probably don't want to run the AC 24/7 and keep the house at 60 degrees, but we can use the cold to our advantage if we want!
I seem to be a possible canddate for 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. YIKES! Time to start being more conscious of those hidden unhealthy things I might be doing. Very interesting hib!
Wow--I did not know about the correlation between baby formula and obesity--fascinating!
Very good article Stephanie.
Dear, Stephanie. You have wonderful information about something I didn't know before. You open my eyes about something around us that make us fat and I totally learn many things from you. Thanks for share with us. Rated up and useful.
Prasetio
Very interesting hub! I hadn't heard about the pesticides that work against you when you eat fruits and veggies. That's good to know!
Many people never consider these 10 points, but whine about their weight.
Useful and informative hub.
What a fascinating article. I have not heard about most of these. Pleased that some don't affect me - no time for make-up, no air conditioning, don't drink fizzy drinks diet or not - but I know I should change to organic food because I do have to eat!
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