In the UK, one in four adults are obese. Obesity has many causes and different combinations of factors for every individual. However, the main causes are overeating and inactivity and these factors are under your own control.

We all live in an environment surrounded by high calorie, high fat foods.  They are cheap, easy to take away, convenient and also massively advertised. Our high streets are lined up with fast food outlets, convenience shops and restaurants. Most alarming is to know that these foods are highly available nearby schools. And the taste? Hm...a bag of crisps packed with fat and salt and we (humans) like it, especially when we wash our mouths with a can of sugary drink and we want one more crisp and one more sip, one more crisp and one more sip, and so on...

You go to the cinema and you are bombarded by snacks deals to have at the movies. Do you really feel hungry or you have just been persuaded to think that a massive bucket of popcorn and half litre of soft drink goes really well while watching a movie?


Buy one get one free pack of crisps is a typical trap offer in the supermarkets! 
People buy the large sizes and combinations perceiving to be a good value, but in the end it is a mistake because they end up eating more than they need.


Fast foods, ready meals and sugary snacks are some examples of energy-dense foods. A gram of fat contain 9kcal, so a bag of fries with deep fried chicken and a can of sugary drink can easily pile up your energy intake and enlarge your body fat stores. These foods are called energy-dense foods due to their high energy per gram.

Reducing portion sizes is important and useful but the real calorie saving comes from reducing energy-dense foods. After all, large portions of fruit and vegetables can help with weight loss.


Stop and think: are you overeating?