Do Certain Foods Make you Fat

Do Certain Foods Make you Fat?

In today’s resource rich world, one of the main problems, due to agricultural success, is obesity. In the US alone, over 60% are considered overweight. This extra weight is one of the main contributors to early death. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people die from being overweight. Billions of dollars are lost due to low productivity and associated illnesses.

As a result, many are trying to find ways to shed the weight or not put it on in the first place. After reading lots of literature and listening to many people, I have come to the conclusion people are basically looking for excuses and not taking responsibility for their weight gain.

Some of the popular excuses are: my thyroids are not functioning properly, my other medications are affecting my metabolism, certain types of food will make you fat, etc.

In this essay, I will focus on the last excuse, certain foods make you fat. NO, foods do not make you fat. It is the amount of food you eat will make you fat.

People will lose weight when they stop looking for excuses and realize that southern food, fried food, etc. does not make you fat. It is the amount of food you eat that will make you fat.

The average person needs 10-15 calories to maintain a pound of weight. A person weighing 150 will need 1500-2250 calories just to maintain weight. Men tend to burn more calories than women at the same weight. Younger people tend to burn more calories than older people.

So, on the low side, if a person wanting to weigh 150 pounds s/he will need 1500 calories a day. Anything less and they will lose weight. Anything more and there could be weight gain.

The average person can eat a bacon cheeseburger and a set of fries every day from McDonalds for a year and still not get fat. On average, a bacon cheeseburger and a set of fries has about 1480 calories. Hence, with the burger/fry diet ,that person will lose weight over 12 months. This assumes the burger/fry is the only thing this person ate on a daily basis for a year.

From a well-being perspective, it is a good thing to have a varied diet. A hamburger and fries every day is generally not considered varied.

At the end of the day, excuses will not make anyone lose weight. Weight for the majority of people is 100% tied to the intake of calories.

So, how many calories should you take in on a daily basis to achieve the ideal weight? Here is the simple formula, multiple your ideal weight by 10. This will give you the amount of calories you need to take in. Add a little exercise and you will achieve your ideal weight.

At the end of the day, it is all about self awareness and self management.

Dr. Raj Beekie is an associate professor at Saint Mary’s University and a consultant/trainer. His areas of interest include leadership development, diversity, emotional intelligence, change management, and communication.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the thoughts and ideas expressed, he hopes they provide a broader foundation for discussion. Dr. Beekie received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Organizational Communication from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, master's degree in Intercultural Communication from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, and doctorate in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajbeekie
To offer your feedback he can be reached at rbeekie@smumn.edu or call at 612-728-5187