Americans tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience ahead of nutritional content when choosing meals. Most Americans also don't get enough exercise. People can't change their genetic makeup, of course, but they can change what they eat and how active they are. Becoming more physically active. Psychological Factors Psychological factors also may influence eating habits.
Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness, or anger.
While most overweight people have no more psychological disturbance than normal weight people, about 30 percent of the people who seek treatment for serious weight problems have difficulties with binge eating. During a binge eating episode, people eat large amounts of food while feeling they can't control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are considered to have binge eating disorder. These people may have more difficulty losing weight and keeping the weight off than people without binge eating problems. Some will need special help, such as counseling or medication, to control their binge eating before they can successfully manage their weight.