Why Does Weight Gain Happen? , 7 Common Causes of Weight Gain.

Why do you think you keep gaining weight despite the fact that your diet seems normal to you? It is possible that you are not having large quantities of food, eating junk food often, or intentionally overeating; however, the numbers on your weighing scale keep going up.

Why? It is because there are some other factors besides the quantity of your food intake that influence body weight.

Knowing about these other factors will help you see your daily routine from a different perspective and change it sustainably.

What is “Normal Diet”?

Your diet can seem to be normal, but it provides an excessive amount of calories compared to what you expend within the day.

This means that small amounts of calorie-rich products, beverages, snacks, large portions of food or ingredients for cooking, as well as a sedentary lifestyle, can raise the number of calories consumed without making your meals oversized.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, your weight will start rising if the number of calories that you consume is larger than your physical activity and bodily processes.

7 Common Causes of Weight Gain

1. Sitting a Lot During the Day

Even if you sometimes exercise, you may be sitting all day.

A sedentary lifestyle such as an office job, traveling, spending a lot of time on the screen or being inactive may lower the number of calories spent throughout the day. Despite an unchanged diet, a decrease in physical activity may have an impact on weight.

That's why physical activity should be taken into account as one of the possible reasons for weight gain besides the food you consume.

2. Inadequate or Unpredictable Sleep

Sleep is closely related to appetite and weight control.

An adult person requires enough sleep and its lack may affect the feeling of hunger, the amount of calories consumed, and eating less healthy foods.

If you sleep late, wake up during the night or do not get the required number of hours of sleep, the process of your weight control may become harder.

Therefore, sleep schedule should be taken into account as one of the reasons for weight gain.

3. Chronic Stress

Stress can affect eating behavior and appetite.

Chronic stress can change hormones that regulate hunger and energy metabolism. Also, chronic stress can trigger emotional eating and snacking.

You will therefore eat the usual major meals, but will slowly start to add snacks, sugary drinks, or larger portions in times of stress.

Dealing with stress via proper sleep, exercise, relaxing, and maintaining a stable routine can help with better weight management practices.

4. Hidden Calories in Drinks and Snacks

Sometimes, the problem does not even lie in the main meals.

Drinks with added sugar, other drinks that have a high content of calories, juices from packaged food, sauces, cookies, desserts, and regular snacking are sources of calories that can cause weight gain.

As such food and drink consumption often seems casual, they can easily slip out of attention when trying to find the reasons for weight gain.

Maintaining a list of eaten foods and drinks for several days can help reveal the actual diet without depending on memory.

5. Aging and Inactivity

Another factor related to aging that can affect body composition and weight is changes that occur due to aging.

According to the CDC, aging causes body composition changes such that one will have less muscle mass and more fat mass. Due to changes in metabolic rate and inactivity, weight gain becomes harder to manage.

This does not imply that it is inevitable for one to gain weight when aging. This implies that your nutrition, exercise, resistance exercises, sleep, and lifestyle in general need to change.

6. Certain Drugs and Medical Conditions

Sometimes, weight gain or loss is due to medication taken and certain health conditions.

According to the CDC and the NIH, some health conditions that might cause changes in weight include hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, Cushing syndrome, and others. Weight gain might also be due to some medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, steroids, drugs for diabetes and high blood pressure.

When you are gaining weight unexpectedly without any significant lifestyle changes, you should not think that you just have to eat less.

7. Genetics and Your Environment

Weight is not solely dependent upon one’s willpower or nutrition.

Genetics can have an impact on one’s appetite, feeling of satiety, and weight gaining predisposition, while at the same time your environment influences the amount of exercise and healthier nutrition you get.

Working schedule, availability of healthy food, commute, the design of your neighbourhood, and various other aspects may influence the lifestyle you live.

What Can You Do If You Are Gaining Weight?

Rather than drastically changing your diet, first try to look at your lifestyle habits.

Try focusing on the following areas:

• Look into your serving sizes
• Reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
• Get yourself moving
• Make sure that you get enough sleep
• Manage stress
• Eat more nutrient-dense foods
• Monitor results consistently

Healthy physical activity and eating patterns are key to weight management. The CDC also suggests getting enough sleep and managing stress for having a healthy lifestyle.

One should also remember to be realistic about the expectations. Weight management usually takes time and regular lifestyle changes rather than radical diets.

Could an Ayurvedic Weight Management Program Assist?

There could be those who need assistance in the form of an Ayurvedic program in order to manage their weight better.

Fat Go Fitness Kickstart Pack – Ayurvedic Weight Management Combo by Jolly Pharma contains two types of products – Fat Go Capsules and Fat Go Syrup. The manufacturer states that this combination is intended to help you with your weight-management efforts, control of your appetite, improved digestion improvement and healthy habits. The ingredients of the supplement are Garcinia Cambogia, green tea extract, pineapple extract, apple cider vinegar, honey and lemon extract.

Remember that the use of a supplement does not mean that you will be able to forget about proper nutrition, exercise, enough sleep and visiting the doctor. Moreover, the page of the product suggests using the supplement in combination with proper nutrition and exercise.

More information about the Fat Go Fitness Kickstart Pack – Ayurvedic Weight Management Combo can be found on the product page of Jolly Pharma.

When Should You Look into Your Unexpected Weight Gain?

All changes in your weight on the scale do not necessarily mean a gain of body fat mass. There may be many temporary reasons why your weight increases or decreases.

But when the gain is constant and unexplained, it requires investigation, especially when it happens even with good healthy routines or along with some other weird symptoms.

Medical conditions and drugs are some of the known reasons behind weight gain, so make sure you talk to your doctor in case of unexplained gain or if you think there is a health condition or drug causing the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does one gain weight?

The main reasons for weight gain include extra calorie consumption, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, stress, certain drugs, illness, aging, genetic factors, and environment.

2. Is it possible to gain weight on an ordinary diet?

Yes. Even on an ordinary diet, one consumes more calories than his/her body expends, especially if the person's activity level is low. There are other factors like sleep, stress, medications, health problems, aging, and others that can affect one's weight.

3. Can lack of sleep make one fat?

Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain.

4. Does stress affect one's weight?

Yes. Stress is connected to appetite and can lead to weight gain.