While it’s true that calories in does equal calories out through diet and exercise will affect weight, there is much more to the obesity disease process than what that simple concept encapsulates. Obesity is a disease just like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. So, to say that to simply eat less and exercise more will fix obesity and that is all there is to it, is a gross understatement and does not consider the complexity of the disease process of obesity. In a person with obesity there are multiple factors coalescing together to cause this disease. One of these processes include hormonal modifications. There are multiple hunger hormones in the body that are often dysfunctional in persons with obesity, gherlin, GLP-1, CCK, OXM, leptin, and amylin, just to name a few, there are many more. 

Appetite is regulated by hormones, not willpower or conscious thought. It is a complex process between the gut-brain mechanism and a lot of the time this is dysfunctional in people with obesity. Emotional triggers and the emotional environment, occupation, genetics, injuries, medications, sleep habits, even gut bacteria, all play a role in the disease of obesity. While good nutritional modification, increased physical activity, and resistance training are key to weight loss and fighting the disease of obesity. Supporting all other areas of a person’s life, including emotional, social, and behavioral change are vital to fighting this disease. So we can see, while calories in does equal calories out, that is not all it takes to overcome the disease of obesity.

Created by Kelly Wood MD MSPH Total Body Renewal Medical Weight Management and Laser Treatment Center