Every year when it gets closer to summer we all go through this phase of wanting to shape up and reduce weight. But how do we put on all that excess weight? If you eat a diet of fast food and sweets – it’s a no brainer. But if you attempt to be healthy and be careful of your diet all year round, yet you’re still putting on weight we see how it may be pretty unpleasant. But our bodies are complex and while a lot of the time eating is the main reason for excess weight, it’s not the only thing that impacts us. So we thought it would be a good idea to study 8 other reasons you may be putting on weight without even recognizing it.
1. Stress
Stress is a huge role when it comes to our health. It can prompt our body into creating specific hormones that will keep us always hungry, which might lead to overeating or indulging in sugary foods. It can also make us sleep badly, which also implies that our body doesn’t get enough rest and consequently can’t operate correctly which can contribute to weight gain. Stress is just terrible for us, so try your best to prevent it or find ways to handle it through careful planning, having some “me time”, yoga, meditation, exercising or any other technique that works for you.
2. Hormones
If you’re eating healthily, exercising, you’re not really stressed and haven’t had any dramatic lifestyle changes recently yet you’re still gaining weight there might be a greater underlying issue. A lot of the time it could be hormone imbalances that are messing up your metabolism and leading you to acquire weight. It’s always a good idea to go to the doctor and check up on your hormones to see what’s up and how you can solve it.
3. Antibiotics
While you’re combating some form of infection with medications you can find that you’re gaining weight. That occasionally happens because antibiotics can significantly interfere with your gut bacteria and put your metabolism off. We’re not saying you should discontinue taking antibiotics, after all, fighting off the infection is more vital than gaining a little bit of weight. Just know that that could be one of the causes and if that’s the case it’ll all level off once you’re done with the antibiotics.
4. Age
Unfortunately, you can’t truly get away from ageing. You can prevent wrinkles and take care of your skin, but age can alter the way our body operates. Some substances get tougher to digest, our metabolism tends to get slower the older we get. We can’t eat as much as we did when we were 20 and merely expect our body to burn through it, those chips and treats are far more likely to take up permanent residence in the form of a touch of flab on your thighs, tummies or butts. Eating less and moving more is often the cure for that.
5. Pesticides and Food Additives
There are research that suggest a correlation between eating a lot of prepackaged foods and obesity. Certain chemicals that are added to meals to make them taste better or keep them available year-round can mess with our bodies and make us gain weight. So it’s preferable to consume seasonal organic vegetables, avoid processed prepared meals and cook at home instead of eating out all the time.
6. Alcohol
It never feels like a lot when you’re drinking drinks, but alcohol is highly calorically dense. A 100 grams of wine is normally approximately 85 calories, a shot of vodka is 90 calories and 100 grams of gin is around 250 calories. And once you start mixing drinks you can only image how all of this adds up with sugar syrups and fruit liquids. So while having a drink once in a while is good, frequent drinking or a couple of glasses of wine with your meal a couple of times a week may really build up.
7. Diet Foods
You might believe you’re doing yourself a favor by eating diet versions of your favorite cuisine but you could be doing more damage than good. A lot of the time diet goods have less fat but more sugar to compensate for flavor, and even when it’s sugar-free – it still has that sweetener that might really make you want to have more. Basically, because you’re eating diet items and think they’re less calorific you can end up eating more of them. At that point, it’s preferable to just consume the real thing but in moderation.
8. Mindless Eating
With entertainment at our fingertips in the form of smartphones, iPads and TVs we tend to be distracted a lot of the time. If you eat your meals while watching TV you’re not really focusing on the food, you’re just shoveling it in your mouth, so you’re less likely to appreciate it or feel when you’re genuinely feeling full and are highly prone to overeat. Another thing we often do is follow the crowd. If you’re out with friends or your family likes to indulge in sweets you’re quite likely to eat just cause everyone else is eating even if you’re not hungry. This can result in undesirable weight gain too. So try practicing mindful eating and appreciating every bite.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: