Why Am I Gaining Weight?

It can be frustrating to suddenly start gaining weight for no apparent reason. There are a number of possible explanations for this, ranging from changes in metabolism to stress.

One possibility is that you are simply eating more calories than you’re burning. This can happen if you’re not being as active as you used to be, or if you’re eating larger meals than usual.

Another possibility is that your body is retaining more water than usual. This could be due to hormonal changes, medications, or even just stress.

You need to know that I can hear you way over here. You’re trying to to get into the jeans you were just wearing while screaming:

“Why Am I Gaining Weight?”

To tell you the truth, gaining weight can’t usually be boiled down to one single reason. In fact, for most people, putting on excess weight comes down to a combination of causes. Those factors usually build and come together over time, and wind up affecting their diets, exercise routines, and lifestyle.

Here are 10 conditions that can definitely influence your weight.

Why Am I Gaining Weight?

1. Stress

We all deal with an abnormal amount of stress these days, don’t we? And those elevated stress levels cause the release of huge quantities of cortisol along with other stress-related hormones.

Even though these hormones are originally intended for responding to threats and danger, they wind up triggering a host of food cravings and hunger. Most of the symptoms of stress related hormones manifest as overeating, so that’s a real reason for gaining weight.

2. Other Hormones

As if the hormones related to stress weren’t enough, there are other chemical messengers that tell us we’re hungry, thirsty, and are craving specific foods to eat.

These hormones can fluctuate and turn up in highly elevated levels. When they do, they produce sensations that you really need something to eat, when in fact, you’re not hungry at all.

3. Medical Conditions

There are actually a lot of medical conditions that play havoc with your metabolism and your body’s capacity to burn fat, absorb and utilize nutrients, and more that directly influence your weight. And then, there are some medicines that simply directly induce weight gain.

4. Genetics

Even though I’m calling this genetics, I’m not sure about real genetics that produce how much we weigh. However, there is a direct correlation between a family history of obesity and your own likelihood of being obese.

Face it, learning poor nutritional habits as a young child is something that’s incredibly difficult to overcome and learn new ways to eat healthier foods.

5. Mental Health Issues

People with ongoing depression and anxiety issues are much more likely to be overweight than most people. These two conditions alone raise stress levels, result in overeating and disordered eating habits. And to make the problem worse is the fact that most medicines for the problem either promote increased appetite or leave you with no way to know when you are full.

6. Food Addictions

Food addictions are far more prevalent than most people realize, and they are direct contributors to behaviors that lead to weight gain. (And by the way, food addictions aren’t the same as eating disorders.)

7. Food Availability and Advertising

The types of food readily available in your area and home, as well as the ads we all drown in play a key role in your own weight.

I can bet you rarely (I want to say never have) seen an advertisement for fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, and nuts. No, what is readily available and advertised highly is heavily processed foods high in sugar. And advertised foods are always lacking in real nutrients, and they all lead to more pounds.

8. Age

It may be hard to swallow, but you can’t get around the fact, that with age comes a slower metabolism. Here’s what so many people don’t “get” about that:

As you age and your metabolism slows, it simply takes less food to fuel your needs.

However, we keep eating the same amount of food we were eating years ago. That leads to a steady progression of weight gain over the years.

9. Cultural and Family Traditions

The way you learn to eat in your family as you grow up becomes your attitude about your eating habits. For most of us, family gatherings, holidays, and rituals is a significant part of how we view eating. Usually the foods we eat and the way we eat are direct reflections one way or the other on how we were raised.

10. Exercise

I am always amazed at the people I know personally who complain about gaining weight, and adamantly refuse to exercise?

I’m saying if you don’t believe exercise, good health, strong joints, maintaining a desirable weight, and staying mobile all go together, you need to get your head out of your “?”.

And I’m saying that if you know that’s true, and you still don’t exercise a few times a week, then adding to your waistline is just the prize you get.

Summary

As you can see, why you are gaining weight could be the result of a variety of reasons, and not just one single thing. In some cases, just changing one thing in your life won’t stop the weight gain.

It could take a more comprehensive solution than merely addressing one piece of the puzzle.

However, I can assure you that you can’t possibly waste your efforts or time by adding a regular exercise routine to the mix.

Exercise will not only burn of some the excess calories you are eating, it will help convert some of the existing body fat to energy, along with actually decreasing the appetite for food that creates weight gain.

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