Gaining Weight the Sneaky Way?
We all try as hard as possible to take care of our health via our nutrition and fitness regime – especially if you are living the DIY Lifestyle – but sometimes there are really sneaky ways that can lead to you gaining weight! What the Hellman! No worries, check out these 15 reasons it could be happening to you and some actionable advice on how to avoid them!
Gaining Weight the Surprising Way
Gaining weight is a constant issue that bothers people across the world at some point in their life.
For some, despite many painstaking efforts, they always find themselves on the higher side of the scale. So, what goes wrong?
Let’s look at 15 quite surprising reasons for gaining weight and ways to avoid them at any cost.
1. Skipping breakfast:
Contrary to the popular belief that eating less or skipping meals helps you lose weight, instead it slows down your body’s metabolism hence making it quite difficult to lose weight.
Action: Don’t ever skip breakfast. Include fruits and drinks in your breakfast to make it healthy and check your weight gain.
Eating cereals and whole grains along with health drinks like green tea will in turn help you to lose weight.
2. Stress:
This is another major point that can lead to your constant weight gain. Extensive research has shown that a stressed lifestyle may lead to depression and the secretion of stress hormones.
This is characterized by an elevated level of hunger and cravings for unhealthy and junk foods. Satisfying your cravings by consuming unhealthy foods contributes to sudden weight gain.
Action: In order to get rid of stress, modify your current lifestyle and include exercising, deep breathing mediation and yoga into your regime.
3. Sleep deprivation:
Worried with constant weight gain? Try to watch out for your sleeping habits. Not getting enough sleep disrupts our body cycle which in turn makes us hungry, tired, and lethargic.
These are all considered potential factors contributing to significant weight gain.
Action:
- Totally cut off or reduce caffeine intake especially after evening.
- Try to establish a fixed bedtime routine.
- Reduce alcohol intake.
- Practice light yoga and deep breathing before going to bed.
4. Consuming a high-carb diet:
Carbohydrates (crappy ones) are considered a harmful factor when it comes to fat deposition in our bodies. If your weight is continuing to increase, then it is highly recommended that you should cut off most of the highly processed carbohydrate sources in your diet like white bread and white rice.
Instead opt for a low-carb diet consisting of fruits and green, leafy vegetables.
Action: Consult a dietitian to work out a personalized diet plan that suits your body composition. While in the grocery aisle check for the nutrition labels to make healthy choices.
5. Watch your Rx:
Usually, those drugs are prescribed only when necessary, but to avoid weight you can ask your care provider to prescribe you a substitute drug that does not cause weight gain.
Hence, it is highly advisable to avoid medications as much as possible which has the potential to accelerate the weight gaining process.
Action: Consult your physician in detail about the possible side effects of any prescribed medication on your body weight. But, you can take safe OTC drugs like phentermine without a prescription.
6. Disease:
Sudden change in body weight can be an indication of a more complicated underlying health condition that needs to be addressed right away.
Often rapid gain in body weight is associated with water retention due to improper function of the heart and kidney. Also, hormonal disorders alter our metabolic rate and play a crucial role in gaining weight.
Action: Preventive health checkups should be done routinely at least once a year till age 40 and at least twice a year thereafter. Sudden changes in body weight should never be self-treated with over-the-counter medications and must be consulted with a health care provider.
7. Junk food consumption:
Our fast-paced lifestyle often leaves little time for home-cooked meals and eating-out / carry-out are our top choices. While ordering meals we often forget to pick healthy choices (like fruits and veggies) as we would have in our freshly cooked meals.
Action: Do not fall prey to the advertising tricks of the fast food chains, stick to the basics and replace your burger with a veggie salad and skip the urge to finish the meal with fries and soda.
8. Snacks:
Plain and simply, snacking can be responsible for accelerated weight gain – especially junk food! This is because our snaking choices are usually terrible and highly processed!
Action: Avoid the urge to snack often! Best snacks should be carrots or almonds that give a sense of fullness without contributing to a lot of calorie intake.
9. Eating the wrong food:
Often when we try to lose weight, we end up eating the wrong foods containing more fat which in turn leads to gaining weight.
Action: Consult a dietitian for a proper diet plan and foods. Also, you can also try eating at regular intervals, preferably four times a day.
10. Avoid finger foods:
Action: Avoid eating finger foods throughout the day.
11. Lifestyle:
This is probably your biggest issue when it comes to gaining weight. Most of us suffer from a luxurious or rather lethargic lifestyle – spending most of the day working in a sitting position that in turn causes weight gain.
Action: Exercise regularly and try to remain active throughout the day as much as possible. For example, use staircases instead of an elevator, try to include daily brisk walking in your daily routine.
12. Sweet tooth:
Often eating sweet or food products containing sweeteners or other sweet ingredients contributes towards our weight gain.
Action: Avoid them, period.
13. Eating small:
Eating a small amount or surviving on one meal day makes us more prone to gaining weight rather than weight loss as contrary to popular belief. Eating less slows down our body’s metabolic rate and can increase our weight.
Action: Eat healthy small meals throughout the day.
14. Water consumption:
Action: Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water to stay fit and healthy.
15. High expectations:
Often we end up quitting our whole fitness regime, just because we expect a drastic weight loss in a very small time.
When unable to achieve, it leaves us frustrated and we go back to our old routine which disrupts the whole cycle and we end up gaining weight rather than losing it.
Action: Set a realistic goal and an attainable exercise routine. For example, aiming to lose 1-2 pounds per week is entirely achievable and realistic too.
Wrap-Up
Lastly, always keep your motto for life very simple: “Eat healthy, stay healthy and fit.”
- 12 Garlic Health Benefits - August 10, 2015
- 15 Surprising Reasons for Eating Healthy But Gaining Weight - June 22, 2015
