5 Common Causes of Rapid Weight Gain and How to Tackle It
The fact that your weight changes a bit with time is perfectly natural, but when it appears that it changes rather abruptly or unexpectedly, it might leave you in a state of confusion as to what exactly occurs.
Maybe you have been repeating the same habits with food i.e. you have been consuming the same food, exercising at the same level and then one day you wake up and find that the clothes do not fit you or the weight is up on the scale. It is a mind boggler, and particularly so when nothing appears to be different.
Weight gain without any reason is annoying. It may make you feel that something is beyond your control and you are not in a position to know what to change when you are not aware of what is causing the change.
But the fact is that there are some simple things that may be contributing to it and once you know what is happening then it becomes much easier to cope with.
It is better to know what is considered as rapid weight gain before leaping into the causes. The fact is that our weight changes during a day. As a matter of fact, the variation in weight of an average adult can be as high as 1-2 kg a day due to the mere alteration in the amount of fluid, salt consumption or even physical activity.
Therefore, when you have an eating out experience and the scale shoots up the following day, then you have nothing to worry about, you did not gain fat and the situation should stabilise soon.
That being said, in case you see a gradual progress over a couple of weeks, e.g., you have gained a few kilos without any apparent cause, then it may be an indication that something is wrong. The good news is? To put things back on track, the first step is to find out the underlying reason.
Taking a takeaway home after a stressful day, eating in restaurants or having snacks here and there, all accumulates. And although it is not an issue to go out and have an occasional dinner, most meals in restaurants and cafes are full of additional salt to make them tastier.
Excessive salts result in the body retaining water and this may result in temporary weight gain. Indeed, according to some studies, a single salty meal may add up to 1-1.5 kg to your weight — mainly, because of fluid retention.
Therefore, when you are eating salty foods consecutively, you may find that your clothes do not fit, or the scale has gone up. It is not fat gain, but still should be remembered, in particular, in case this happens on a regular basis.
It might be a beer after work or a few drinks during the weekend, but alcohol can slowly make you gain weight and not only due to the calories.
The current Australian guidelines advise that to minimise harm that may be caused by alcohol, there should be no more than 10 standard drinks in a week, and not more than 4 on any one day.
Alcohol is full of calories yet does not have much to provide in terms of nutrition. Soft drinks when combined with beer, cider, or spirits are a real nightmare. More than that, alcohol may stimulate your appetite and reduce your inhibition and greasy, late-night food thus becomes even more tempting.
It also has a biological explanation. When alcohol is in your body, your body will reduce the process of fat burning. Therefore, the more frequently you drink, the more chances that the extra weight will sneak on.
In case you have seen the number on the scale growing, you should consider paying more attention to the frequency of drinking and what you drink with.
Stress is not only a psychological problem – it might affect your body as well. Cortisol is a hormone that is released by your body when you are under stress all the time and it is meant to assist you in reacting to a threat. However, stress that is persistent may lead to increased fat storage in the body, particularly in the abdomen.
Eating habits may also be impelled by stress. Studies indicate that we tend to reach out to food that is comforting when we are stressed and are most likely to consume food that is either rich in sugar or fat and avoid exercising altogether. Such a combination of eating more food and less exercise is a typical combination that causes sudden weight gain.
And, foods containing high amounts of sugar or fat activate dopamine, which is the brain pleasure hormone, and it is not hard to get into the pattern of emotional eating.
In the event that life has been busy in the recent past, it might be a good idea to find means of coping with the stress, either by resting, exercising or even talking to a professional.
One of the most appropriate things you can do to your health is to stop smoking. However, several individuals find that they gain some weight when they quit and that may be discouraging when one is trying to do something good to oneself.
The fact is that it is normal. On average, individuals put on weight to the tune of 2.25 to 4.5kg in the post-quitting months. This can occur due to some reasons.
Nicotine contributes to the acceleration of the rate at which your body will digest food. Your metabolism may reduce slightly when you quit smoking. Nicotine is also an appetite suppressant, and once it is out of your system, your body hunger signals will be back, and they may be more intense than usual.
Besides that, there are individuals who resort to smoking as a stress reliever. They can instead resort to food, in particular food that causes the same dopamine effect they used to experience with nicotine.
Having said all that, the advantages of quitting are much more significant than the short-term profit. However, when you can no longer maintain a healthy weight after that, it is worth discussing with your GP to receive an appropriate level of support.
Beginning a new drug? It may also come with a side effect which is not anticipated by you and this is weight gain.
Certain drugs, such as mood drugs, blood pressure drugs and even allergies could add up to additional kilos. This does not occur in everybody but it is possible that when you have just begun something new and you realise that you have started experiencing changes in your weight, it is worth a second look.
One should not cease taking any drug without the recommendation of a doctor. Some of them are necessary in the condition of health management and there could be other substitutes in case of weight gain. Talk to your physician so he or she can assist you to come up with a plan that suits you.
When you have realised that you are no longer bouncing back after a weekend of indulgence, you are not alone. It turns out that keeping fit becomes somewhat more challenging after your early 20s.
This is partly because of a minor drop in metabolism. As we enter our late 20s and then head into our 30s we will find that our resting energy burn or basal metabolic rate will start to slow down. However, the thing is that this change is much more humble than people tend to believe. Research indicates that it declines by 1 or 2 percent every decade.
It implies that decreased metabolism may be somewhat of a factor, but it is hardly the primary contributor to the fast rate of weight gain. More frequently it is a combination of such factors as less physical activity, changes in diet, changes in routine or even stress and sleep patterns all of which can creep up on you at this time in life.
To the majority of people, the aggravation of gaining weight is not only about the way a person looks, but also about the way he/she feels physically and emotionally. However, regardless of those issues there are actual health consequences that may go along with gaining weight rapidly. These are some of them which are worth attention:
Having problems with a good night’s sleep? This may be because of your weight. Individuals with excess weight are prone to develop obstructive sleep apnoea, which is described as a condition whereby the person experiences interrupted breathing during the sleep, which is normally accompanied by snoring.
Interestingly, the relationship is a two-way traffic. Due to poor sleep, there is also the possibility of poor appetite hormones and overeating. That forms a cycle in which the inability to sleep and weight gain serve as the input of one another, and these problems become more severe with time.
Being overweight exerts an extra burden on your heart. This is because additional fat, especially in the abdomen area, may result in the formation of plaques in the arteries, which causes the blood ducts to become narrow. When not controlled, this increases the danger of high blood pressure, heart diseases or even stroke.
The other after effect that most people cannot speak out about is how gaining weight can affect sexual health. Studies reveal that men who have a higher body mass index (BMI) have higher chances of erectile dysfunction than other men who have a healthy BMI.
It is not only physical. Another issue that may be related to the problem of body image and low self-esteem related to weight is the feeling of a person in intimate situations, which adds another level of stress.
The fundamentals are the same when it comes to healthy weight management; eat well, be active and take care of yourself. These are the foundations of a healthy life.
However, not everything is that easy.
In case you have already modified your lifestyle and still you are in the same condition, then you are not alone. Hormones, drugs, stress and any medical conditions can all affect the manner in which your body stores or loses weight.
A little additional support can occasionally be used to bridge the gap and put the pieces together.
At Longevity Clinics, we offer a tailored weight loss program designed to work with your body, not against it. With science and a helpful support system to guide us, our program can make the difference between you knowing what is really going on beneath the surface and not knowing what to do next; whether it is cravings, appetite control or what to do next.
We collaborate with you to develop strategies that not only assist in weight loss but also in maintaining the weight loss. Through continued care, caring medical supervision, and a caring atmosphere we assist in relieving the strain. Chasing perfection is not the point, it is about giving you the confidence to get back on track and develop habits that are sustainable and will help you in the long term in relation to your health.
We’ve developed a comprehensive six-step process that acts as your personal health roadmap, to follow towards your health goals.
There has never been a better time than right now. Dive into your health journey with Longevity Clinics.