SHARES
“I have been watching my diet closely and keeping up with my exercise routine. However, my body weight seems to go up and down on its own. Sometimes, I see the results of my hard work. Other times, no, I simply don’t.” Jane, 27, finds her weight management hard to control and have no idea what is causing it.
Generally, if we are taking in more calories than we are using, our body stores all the excess energy in the form of fat. As a result, we gain body weight. Therefore, eating a healthy diet and having an active lifestyle are the best ways to healthy weight management. Having said so, if your body weight still goes up despite all these, it may be a sign that something else is going wrong.
Photo by Myweightloss Dream from Flickr
Weight Management Tips
Six Causes of Unintentional Weight Gain
1. You’re Stressed Out
When we are under stress for too long, our body burns out eventually. This is why our body weight drops initially. However, over time, our body produces more and more anti-stress hormones called cortisol. This hormone helps prepare our body to cope with chronic stress. Therefore, we feel fatigue and crave for rest and high calorie food. In addition, cortisol increases our appetite and decreases satiety, making us more likely to overeat unknowingly. Thus, it is important to manage our life stresses. Also, rest, eat and relax ourselves every now and then before stressed out.
2. Staying Up Late Or Poor Sleep Quality
Our body clock governs our sleep-wake cycle, work-rest routine, appetite and meal times. Burning the midnight oil or having disturbed sleep can disrupt our body clock. This messes up our brain and hormonal control over our eating habit. For instance, our meal time becomes irregular and we skip meals regularly. Also, we may end up eating late night supper or drinking more sugary coffee and tea to stay up late. All these put our body under extra stress, making us gain unwanted weight.
3. Fluid Retention Before Menstruation
Women may experience slight weight gain before menstruation. This is because oestrogen level is at its peak before menstrual flow. In return, oestrogen causes more water to stay in the body. As compared to body fat, water retention only causes temporary body weight gain which goes away after menstruation. Similarly, pregnant women may also experience some water retention due to high level of oestrogen.
4. Ageing
Our body metabolism slows down as we age. This means that less calories are being used up when our body is at rest. On top of that, if we are living a sedentary lifestyle or moving less due to joint pain and muscle weakness, our body gains weight more easily.
5. Medication
Certain medication are linked to weight gain. For example, steroids, insulin, and some medication used for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder, seizure, migraine, and high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor to find out if your medication is causing your weight gain. Your doctor will work out a treatment plan that best suits you with least side effects. On a cautionary note, never stop any medication on your own because some medications when being stopped abruptly can harm your health. For instance, stopping long term or high dose steroid medication suddenly, can lead to life-threatening adrenal crisis.
6. Medical Illnesses
Last but not least, some medical illnesses can cause unintentional body weight gain. This includes thyroid problem, Cushing’s disease, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). As such, low thyroid hormone lowers our body metabolism whereas high cortisol level causes more food intake. Talk to your doctor if you’re gaining weight uncontrollably. Your doctor will examine you and find out if you may suffer from any of these illnesses.
Photo by Ashley Berry From Flickr
Conclusion
Eating a balanced diet and being physically active are the mainstay for weight control. Yet, if our body weight still increase unintentionally, this may be a sign that other hidden factors are at play. Talk to your doctor today to find out what is causing your body weight going out of control.
Find a GP/Family Doctor and Dietician in Malaysia, on GetDoc
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References:
1. Zelman KM. Surprising reasons you’re gaining weight [Internet]. WebMD LLC. 2020. (Available from: https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-weight-gain-shockers; last updated on 2018 May 29; last accessed on 2020 May 23)
2. 9 medical reasons for putting on weight [Internet]. Crown. 2020. (Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/nine-medical-reasons-for-putting-on-weight/; last updated on 2020 Feb 25; last accessed on 2020 May 23)
by Chang Xian
View all articles by Chang Xian.
