A better, balanced diet and doing more exercise is the main way of shedding extra pounds.
Scientists have now come up with further reasons as to why Britons keep getting fatter. They state that sleeping habits, medicines and even central heating can a part in weight gain.
A quarter of adult Brits are obese, with 28% of under 10s overweight or obese.
However the scientists from top U.S. and Canadian universities say that these other factors must be considered.
Lack of sleep could be partly to blame, they say in the International Journal of Obesity. In recent years, the average night's sleep has dropped from nine hours to just seven.
Sleep deprivation alters levels of the hormones that regulate food intake and body fat and increase hunger and appetite.
Our reliance on central heating and air conditioning is also a factor. British homes are getting warmer, with average temperatures increasing from 13C to 18C since 1970.
If it is too hot or too cold, we burn calories to cool down or heat up. But if the temperature is just right, the calories may be turned into body fat instead.
Lack of sleep affects obesity. Blood pressure can affect weight too. Going on the pill outs on 11lbs.
Overweight people may settle down with overweight people and produce overweight children .
Manmade chemicals in pesticides can also aid weight gain.
Your mother's age and your weight at birth are also important, with older women more likely to have obese children and underweight babies having a bigger chance of being obese in later life.
We live longer, yet we put on weight as we age.
