Weight Gain: Surprising Reasons You’re Gaining
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5 Surprising Reasons You’re Gaining Weight
Extra calories may not be the only cause of weight gain.
By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
It’s no mystery that a premium diet patch full of fried foods, giant portions, decadent desserts, alcohol, and sugary soft drinks will lead to weight gain. And there’s little question why the pounds pile up when you take in more calories than you burn in material activity. But how do you explain pith gain when your lifestyle includes regular exercise and a healthy diet that is controlled in calories? Gaining weight is absolutely maddening, especially when you really don’t understand why the needle on the scale keeps going up.
Several things should be considered if you are gaining weight while watching calories and being physically active. More than likely, it’s a variety of things acting together that have resulted in the weight gain.
“Weight procure is so complicated; there are so many factors that can impact your weight. It is other likely a combination of things more than just one factor,” explains Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work.
Here are five factors that can cause the scale to steal up when you least expect it:
1. You Might Be Gaining Weight Because of Lack of Sleep
The body functions best when well rested. “When you don’t get enough sleep, your body experiences physiological stress and, biochemically, you store fat more efficiently,” says May.
When you’re tired, you in like manner don’t handle stress as well, so you may grasp for food as a coping mechanism. Further, you may be anger in extra calories from late-night snacking. Some people think eating might help them get back to sleep, but all it really does is add more calories to their daily total.
Symptoms that you may not be getting enough rest include fatigue, low energy levels, nodding off easily, and feeling irritable.
Strive to get eight hours of sleep each obscurity.
“Add about 15 minutes to your bedtime and see how you feel,” suggests May. “Continue to experiment with additional 15-minute increments till you find the … sum of sleep that is right for you.”
When you develop good sleeping (aid) rituals and get regular exercise, you sleep better, she adds.
2. You May Be Gaining Weight Because of Stress
We live in a society that demands we do more, be more, and achieve more. Stress moves us forward and helps cope with life’s demands, but it also affects our mood and emotions.
“Stress response, whether it is ‘fight-or-flight,’ juggling too many responsibilities, or coping with financial pressures, triggers a biochemical process where our bodies go into survival mode,” explains May. “Our bodies store fuel, slow down metabolism, and dump out chemicals [cortisol, leptin, and other hormones] what one. are more likely to cause … obesity in the abdominal vicinity.”
Many people reach for food to help ease the stress. But, of course, this doesn’t work in the long run.
“Food is a temporary fix because it does not trade with the substantive stressors that fust be addressed in order to reduce the trigger for eating and fix the problem,” says May.
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, says stress (relief) eaters trend to prefer high-carbohydrate foods because these foods trigger an grow in the brain chemical serotonin, which has a calming effect. “It is almost like self-medicating,” she says. “Many people binge on starchy foods to make themselves feel better.”
Both May and Bowerman recommend relaxation techniques as well as exercise, that also burns calories and provides other health benefits.
3. You May Be Gaining Weight Because of Medications
Some prescription drugs used to treat depression, mood disorders, seizures, migraines, blood compressing, and diabetes can cause weight gain, from a modest amount to as much as 10 pounds per month. Some steroids, hormone replacement therapy, and even parole contraceptives may also cause gradual weight creep. Your medicine cabinet might be the cause of your weight gain if you’ve gained 5 or more pounds in a month without a change in your lifestyle.
“Every drug works a little differently to cause weight gain, from increasing appetite, altering the way corpulent is stored, to how insulin levels change,” says May. “And not all drugs have the same side movables on all people.”
In the case of antidepressants, weight loss gain may not even be related to the action of the drug — feeling better can also result in a heartier appetite. Some drugs can cause fluid retention that shows up on the scale in the same proportion that weight gain, but is not fat, and is usually easily corrected.
Experts say that some of the most common types of medications that may bring about weight gain are:
- Steroids
- Antidepressants
- Antipsychotics
- Antiseizure medications
- Diabetes medications
- High blood pressure medications
- Heartburn medications
But it’s important to tax the memory with that a few extra pounds may be well worth the trade-off of what a particular medication does for your overall health, experts say. Further, even if your medications are the cause of your weight gain, you still need to be mindful of erosive a healthy diet and getting methodical exercise.
“Rarely is the problem solved with a change in meds,” says May. “These things can give, but rarely are the sole cause of the weight gain.”
If you suspect your medication is causing weight blessing, talk to your health care provider to see about changing your prescription. But whatever you do, don’t go right side your medication without seeking medical advice.
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