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Newton-Wellesley Hospital

2014 Washington Street

Newton, MA 02462

617-243-6000

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Ambulatory Care Center - Natick

307 W Central St

Natick, MA 01760

617-243-5345

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Ambulatory Care Center - Newton

159 Wells Ave

Newton Centre, MA 02459

617-243-5777

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Ambulatory Care Center - Walpole

111 Norfolk Street

Walpole, MA 02081maps

617-243-5345

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Ambulatory Care Center – Wellesley

978 Worcester Road (rte 9)

Wellesley, Massachusetts 02482

781-235-5200

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Maxwell Blum Emergency Pavilion

2014 Washington Street

Newton, MA 02462

617-243-6000

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Outpatient Surgery Center - Wellesley

25 Washington Street

Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481

617-219-1520

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Waltham Walk-In

9 Hope Ave

Waltham, MA 02453

617-243-5590

Monday through Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Lab Hours and Holiday Hours Vary

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Causes of Obesity

At Newton Wellesley Hospital’s Center for Weight Loss Surgery, we understand that obesity is a complex disease and not simply a result of overeating. Factors that can contribute to obesity include:

  • Genetics – This is the role that genes can plan in the tendency to gain excess weight. Our bodies are believed to have a number of genes directly related to our weight. Just as some genes determine eye color or height, others affect our appetite, our ability to feel full or satisfied, our metabolism, our fat-storing ability, and even our natural activity levels.
  • Environment – Environmental and genetic factors are closely connected. If you have a genetic predisposition towards obesity, then the modern American lifestyle and environment may make controlling weight more difficult. Fast food, long days sitting at a desk, and suburban neighborhoods that require cars instead of walking all magnify hereditary factors such as metabolism and efficient fat storage.
  • Metabolism – We used to think of weight gain or loss as only a function of calories ingested and then burned. Obesity researchers now talk about a theory called the set point – a sort of thermostat in the brain that makes people resistant to either weight gain or loss. If you try to override your set point by drastically cutting your calorie intake, your brain responds by lowering metabolism and slowing activity. You then gain back any weight you lost.
  • Eating disorders and medical conditions – Weight loss surgery is not a cure for eating disorders. And there are medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism, that can also cause weight gain. That's why it's important to work with your doctor to make sure you do not have a condition that should be treated with medication and/or counseling.

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