Gaining Weight for No Reason

Alison wakes up at 6 in the morning, drinks a glass of fresh fruit juice, goes to the nearby park, where she jogs till 7. After which she goes to her neighborhood gym, where she spends at least 1 hour literally fighting with the machines. When it comes to food, she follows a strict diet, no junk food, no aerated drinks, no alcohol. But still, instead of losing weight, it is just the opposite. Her weight has been increasing since the last 2 months. Like Alison, I am sure there are many who are gaining weight for no reason despite following a strict diet and leading a proper healthy lifestyle. Let's see what is the reason behind this and what can be done to help you get out of this situation.

Unexplained Weight Gain

There are several reasons why some people gain weight without any particular reasons. They keep asking themselves the question and long to know the reasons. They are as follows:

Lack of sleep
As you probably might remember from your school textbooks, our body requires at least 8 hours of sleep daily. It's only when our body is at rest, that it can function well. If you don't get your 8 hours of proper sleep, then your body experiences some physiological stress, due to which, biochemically, more fat is stored in your body. Also, sometimes when you cannot handle stress and thus cannot go to sleep, unconsciously, you reach for a 'midnight snack', thinking that it will help you to go to sleep. But all it does is increase your weight. Thus, 8 hours of sleep is a must for a healthy life.

Lead a stressed life
The society in which we live today demands more from us. It demands that we do more and achieve more. It has thrown us into a whirlpool where Darwin's theory of 'survival of the fittest' is followed. Hence, as a result, we are constantly under stress. Too much of stress causes biochemical reactions in our body, due to which our body goes into the survival mode. This slows downs our metabolism rate, and secretes chemicals such as cortisol, leptin, and other hormones. These chemicals lead to obesity mainly around the stomach region.

When under stress, some people use food as a stress buster. They mainly aim for food which consists of high amount of carbohydrates as this releases a chemical called serotonin in the brain. This calms you down. But, as we all know, starchy food again leads to obesity. Relaxation techniques and exercises are a better way for reducing fat as well as stress.

Medication
People who are often depressed, undergo mood disorders, suffer from seizures, migraines, blood pressure, diabetes, etc., and often depend on prescription drugs treat themselves. Little do they realize that even the consumption of a small amount of that drug per month can increase your weight. Sometimes, hormone replacement therapies and oral contraceptives may also lead to an increase in weight. This happens because, as some doctors have pointed out, the work of every medicine is different from the rest. One might increase your appetite, or alter the way the fat in your body has been stored, or change the insulin level. The anti-depressant pills that people use may not lead to weight gain directly, but as these pills are supposed to keep you in a cheerful mood, people usually tend have a bigger appetite as a good mood generally leads to a good appetite. According to some experts, the following drugs listed below often lead to weight gain:

• Steroids
• Antidepressants
• Anti psychotics
• Anti seizure medication
• Diabetes medications
• High blood pressure medications
• Heartburn medications

If you feel that the medicines prescribed to you by your doctor is leading to a gain in weight, then seek the doctor's advice, but don't stop taking your medicines without their advice. Otherwise there might be certain other harmful results.

Thyroid deficiency
Another reason is hypothyroidism or the deficiency of the thyroid hormones. This decreases metabolism which causes a loss in appetite and weight gain. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are hoarse voice, intolerance to cold, headaches, feeling lethargic, or sleeping too much. If you show any of these symptoms, then do consult a doctor. A rare condition called Cushing's syndrome, a disorder caused due to excess hormone cortisol, also leads to increase in weight.

Menopause
As a woman reaches the stage of menopause, with the increase in age, her metabolism rate also slows down, naturally. Also hormonal changes taking place in her body during this time cause an increase in her appetite or may lead to depression or lack of proper sleep, which in turn leads to an increase in weight. Experts says that when a woman reaches this stage of menopause, her body starts losing estrogen which in turn causes a change in her body shape. They start gaining more in the middle. Estrogen causes fat to deposit in the lower part of the body. But when you lose this hormone, fat now is deposited in the mid section of your body. This section of excess fat in the middle is also called 'menopot'. To prevent this, women should exercise daily and follow a healthy diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.

Hence, if you are exercising and following a healthy diet, but still you have been gaining weight, then the above reasons may be behind it. Don't worry. Consult your doctor and he/she is sure to help you out of this situation. So, come, let's all lead a healthy and happy life.

Never, never, never, never give up. ~ Winston Churchill