Obesity is a complex health issue resulting from a combination of causes and individual factors such as behavior and genetics. Behaviors can include physical activity, inactivity, dietary patterns, medication use, and other exposures. Additional contributing factors include the food and physical activity ,environment, education and skills, and food marketing and promotion. This condition is serious because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
Obesity is diagnosed when your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. However, BMI doesn't directly measure body fat, so some people, such as muscular athletes, may have a BMI in the obesity category even though they don't have excess body fat.
Obesity usually results from lifestyle choices such as:

•    Unhealthy diet: a diet that is high in calories, lacking fruits and vegetables, full of fast foods, and laden with high-calorie beverages and oversized portions contributes to weight gain.

•    Liquid calories: People can drink many calories without feeling full, especially calories from alcohol. Other high-calorie beverages, such as sugared soft drinks, can contribute to significant weight gain.

Obesity Prevention

you can take steps to prevent unhealthy weight gain and related health problems:

•     Exercise regularly.

•    Follow a healthy-eating plan.

•     Know and avoid the food traps that cause you to eat.

•     Monitor your weight regularly.

Obesity Treatment

•   Pharmacotherapy:

1.     Appetite suppressants

2.     Orlistat

•     Surgery: Bariatric surgery has been used successfully in morbidly obese patients (BMI > 40) and in patients with BMI > 35 with comorbid conditions.

•     Lifestyle Modification

•     Dietary Supplements

Diet Therapy for obesity

Exercise alone without improved dietary habits is typically not sufficient for significant weight loss.

Some tips to lose weight

•     Eat breakfast every day

•     Eat high fiber foods:

The whole grains and legumes in these diets also provide fiber. Fiber is filling but contributes little to overall calorie intake.

•     Eat raw, leafy green vegetables

•     Turn to fish, chicken and beans for protein

•     Eat healthy nuts

•     Get plenty of calcium

•     Eat five a day

•     Avoid processed foods

•     Reduce sugar consumption

•     Limit artificial sweeteners

•     Reducing dietary fat:

Dietary fat has more than twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbohydrate and promotes passive overconsumption of energy.
The Western diet, which provides highly palatable, energy-dense foods rich in fat and sugar, is conducive to weight gain. These foods activate reward systems in the brain, up-regulate the expression of hunger signals, and blunt the response to satiety signals, promoting overconsumption.
Individuals who consume foods lower in energy density and higher in water and fiber (e.g., salads, soups, vegetables, and fruits), instead of foods high in energy density, experience early satiety and spontaneously decrease food intake.
Higher protein diets: There are a few reasons why eating a higher percentage of calories from protein may help with weight control:

•     More satiety

•     Greater thermic effect

•     Improved body composition