Dr. Venugopal Pareek, an obesity treatment physician at CARE Hospital (Hyderabad, India) warns that a sedentary lifestyle combined with an unhealthy diet can cause a person to gain up to 2kg per month.
Mr. Pareek said that consuming an extra 500 calories per day can lead to an increase of 6 - 8kg in just half a year. Although each body has a self-regulating mechanism such as reducing appetite or increasing metabolism, if not exercised, muscles will gradually be replaced by fat. In particular, the habit of snacking at work contributes significantly to excess calories.
Why does sitting for so long make us hungrier?
Dr. Satish N, an obesity treatment physician at Manipal Hospital (Bengaluru, India), said that sitting for long periods of time makes us feel hungrier. The cause of prolonged stress from work causes the body to secrete the hormone cortisol.
Cortisol stimulates appetite, especially with foods rich in fat and sugar, slows down metabolism and increases fat storage, especially in the abdomen. It also reduces testosterone (a hormone that helps maintain muscle mass), making the body more susceptible to muscle loss and fat gain. In addition, lack of sleep also causes imbalances in the hormones ghrelin (causing hunger) and leptin (causing fullness), thereby making you crave food continuously.
Being overweight due to sitting too much is often most obvious in the upper arms, shoulders, face and abdomen. Men with high testosterone help protect muscle, while women are more susceptible to weight gain if not well controlled.
Solutions
According to doctors, instead of eating out often, prepare foods rich in fiber, beans, whole grains and protein from home. Avoid sauces, processed foods, and packaged items. Preparing food from the previous night is an effective way to maintain healthy eating habits.
Regarding exercise, if you cannot exercise fully at work, you can still increase calorie burning levels by walking while answering the phone, taking a brisk walk for 20 minutes at recess or spending an hour or evening to exercise. These simple habits can help the body burn up to 350 calories per day.
