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5 Surprising Reasons for your Weight Gain

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Diet and Fitness

It’s pretty galling to see the scales creep up on you when you can’t think of a reason why. You’re eating the same food, doing the same exercise but still the weight’s going on.
There are plenty of explanations that you may not have thought of:

1. Lifestyle habits may cause weight gain. See if you are guilty of the following:

  • Stopped Smoking

According to 2012 study, people who cease smoking gain about four to five kilos to their weight. Why? First, whenever you stopped smoking, you may feel increased hunger pangs that lead to overeating. Nicotine increases metabolism but many people do not reduce their calorie intake to compensate for the slowdown after they quit the bad habit. Lastly, since nicotine dulls your taste buds, kicking the habit tends you to savor the food better, resulting to overindulgence and weight gain.

  • Lack of sleep

If you are still awake at the wee hours of the day, the odds are greater that you will eat some late night snack that will add to your calorie intake. If you are sleep deprived, changes in hormone levels increase hunger and appetite and make you feel less full after eating.

  • Stress
    When stress hits you, you secrete the hormone, cortisol that causes an increase in appetite. This signals you to reach for high calorie comfort foods in times of stress, causing you to gain weight in no time.

2. Hormone changes may lead you to add more pounds. Here are some hormonal conditions that contribute to weight gain

  • Hypothyroidism
    If you feel weak, tired, cold and gaining weight, your thyroid does not make enough thyroid hormone. Insufficient thyroid hormone results to slow metabolism; thus, weight gain. Likewise, thyroid functioning at the lower end of the normal range adds pounds.
  • Menopause
    Once you hit menopause, age contributes to slow metabolism and decreased muscle mass, burning fewer calories.  If fat accumulates around your waist not around your hips and thighs, your weight gain associates to menopause.
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
    This hormone problem is common among women of childbearing age. Women with this condition are resistant to insulin that may cause weight gain. The weight tends to gravitate to the abdomen, putting these women at higher risk of heart disease.
  • Cushing’s syndrome
    Weight gain is a common symptom of Cushing syndrome, a condition that exposes you to too much cortisol hormone. Exposure to this stress hormone cause weight gain and other abnormalities. Cushing syndrome can happen if you take corticosteroid for conditions like asthma, arthritis or lupus. It can also occur when your adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone. The weight gain may be prominent on areas such as neck, face, upper back or waist.

3. The medications you are taking can be a culprit for your added pounds. Check if you are taking the following medicines:

  • Antidepressants

The sad fact about taking some antidepressants is its side effect – weight gain. This side effect may occur in up to 25 percent of people who take these medications for long-term. If you found that that this the reason of your weight gain, discuss with your doctor about the possibility of switching you to a different drug.

  • Corticosteroids

These anti-inflammatory steroid medications can cause you to adding pounds due to fluid retention and increased appetite. The severity of this side effect of corticosteroids depends on the dosage strength as well as the length of time you have taking the medicine. When you take this drug, you will notice redistribution of fat to other parts of the body like the face, back of the neck or abdomen. Consult with your physician if you are bothered by the side effects of corticosteroids.

  • Other prescribed medications

Other several prescription drugs are associated with weight gain. The following medications include antipsychotic drugs, as well as treatment for migraine, seizures, high blood pressure and diabetes. Check with your physician what kind of medication that suits your condition without causing disrupting side effects like weight gain.

4. Dehydration

Dehydration can seriously affect the mechanics of your body. It affects how your body burns fat and can encourage an excessive calorie consumption. Also, dehydration can slow down your metabolism, cause fatigue, digestive disorders, and the energy needed for your body to maintain or lose weight.

5. Overtraining/ Overexercise

Over training is also a common reason that people tend to gain weight. Long workouts can take a toll on your emotion and psychological well being, which is very important to weight loss. Completing longer workouts will put unnecessary pressure on yourself which will cause over stress.

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