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Despite religiously following a strict diet with a good exercise program … perhaps even taking supplements, many people still fall short reaching their weight loss goals. Maybe you’re one of them. In this article, I’m going to address why you are putting on weight regardless of what you’ve tried thus far. While there are no quick cures or solutions, what follows are proven responses to this problem that have helped many people. So, why are you putting on weight? Here are 5 possible reasons.
Reason #1: You Are Putting on Weight Due to a Lack of Sleep.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body undergoes extra physiological stress and because of that, biochemically you begin to store fat more efficiently. In essence your body goes into survival mode – storing up fat to deal with future stresses. On another note, when you feel stressed due to a lack of sleep, you may begin to resort to eating more food as a coping mechanism. This is especially bad if you’re snacking at night. Ask yourself this question. Do you feel more fatigue, lower energy levels, or more irritability than you normally do? If so, then you may not be getting enough rest. The best way to fix this problem is to take 15 to 20 minute long powernaps in the afternoon and go to bed earlier in the evening. You cannot catch up on sleep by sleeping in, in the mornings.
Reason #2: You Are Putting on Weight Due to Stress.
Obviously I touched on this in the previous reason as a lack of sleep exasperates this problem. But maybe you’re getting plenty of sleep but you’re constantly in a state of anxiety and stress. If that’s true for you, then your body is releasing more of the hormone cortisol than usual and you’ll begin to store belly fat. When you are in a constant state of stress, your body shifts into survival mode, which means it starts storing fuel (calories), slows down the metabolism (to pace distribution of energy units) and it dumps cortisol, leptin and other hormones to cope.
Reason #3: You Are Putting on Weight Due to Medications.
Many people take some type of medication nowadays. Consequently those medications could be causing you to pack on unwanted pounds. Some prescription drugs used to treat depression, mood disorders, seizures, migraines, blood pressure issues and diabetes are known to cause weight gain. Some people will see weight gains of 10 pounds per month.
Reason #4: You Are Putting on Weight Due to a Medical Condition.
A medical condition that tends to cause weight gain is hypothyroidism. That’s because a deficiency of thyroid hormone decreases metabolism.
Reason #5: You Are Putting on Weight Due to Menopause.
Sometimes when women go through menopause, due to a loss of estrogen, this can cause their shapes to change where they start storing more fat in the belly. Estrogen favours fat deposition in the lower body but when you lose this hormone fat is more likely to be deposited in the midsection thus giving you a spare tire appearance
