The Reasons We Gain Weight

By Chef K.T. Murphy

In this article information on The Reasons, We Gain Weight will be provided. Weight gain is not something that happens for a single reason. In fact, most people gain excess weight because of a combination of factors that slowly build up over time and affect their diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. Here are just a few of the many factors that can influence your weight.

• Stress: When you have elevated levels of stress in your life, your body releases large quantities of cortisol and other stress hormones that are produced to help you respond to threats and other dangers. These hormones can trigger food cravings, hunger, and other symptoms that make it more likely that you will overeat.
  
• Hormones: In addition to stress hormones, other chemical messengers in your body signal hunger, thirst, and cravings for specific foods. When these hormones fluctuate or are produced at excessive levels, you can feel like you need something even when you do not.
• Drinking
• Other medical conditions: You may have other medical conditions that interfere with your metabolism, your ability to burn excess fat, your ability to absorb nutrients, or other processes that influence your overall weight.
  Some medications taken for other illnesses can also cause weight gain.
  
• Genetics: If you have a family history of obesity, you are more likely to be obese yourself. If you learned poor nutritional habits as a very young child, these are often extremely hard to change as you age.
  
• Mental health issues: Those with depression and anxiety are more likely also to be overweight. Battling mental health issues raises stress, can lead to overeating or disordered eating and may contribute to dysfunctional body images.
  
• Food addiction: While some people struggle with dependency on alcohol or other drugs to soothe their emotions, others rely on food for this purpose. Food addiction is more common than most people realize and can contribute to patterns of behavior that lead to weight gain.
  
• Food availability: The types of foods that are readily available in your area, as well as what you can afford to eat, play a key role in your weight. Food deserts are common in many regions of the US, where the only food available is heavily processed and high in calories but lacking in nutrients. Eating high concentrations of sugars and fats is going to lead to weight gain.
  
  Your age: As we age, our metabolism often slows, and we require less food to fuel our dietary needs, yet we continue to eat the same amount. This slowly leads to weight gain in our later years.
  
  Cultural and family habits: How and what you learn to eat as a child is very persuasive. Eating is a significant component of family gatherings, rituals, and rites of passage, too. Whether your family is active together will also inform your habits later in life.
  
  Sleep: Those who do not get enough sleep are much more likely to gain weight.

Wow! That is a lot of things happening. Weight gain, as you can see, is not just about one single thing. That means changing just one thing in your life is not likely to result in successful weight loss that lasts. And addressing only one piece of the puzzle will not help you develop the habits of mind and body that can lead to improved health over time.

Since weight gain is a holistic problem, it only makes sense that weight loss needs to be a comprehensive solution. Alternative medicine is one such way to address many of the factors that can lead to weight gain without causing harm to your overall well-being.

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