Stop the Habit!
When it comes to weight gain, everyone tends to focus on diet. While diet is super important to losing weight, many people experience fat buildup due to a plethora of other reasons that have nothing to do with food. So if you’re struggling to shed the pounds, these reasons could be the culprit.
1. Birth Control
For many women, birth control is a common family planning method that is accessible and easy to manage. But it comes with some harsh side effects, with weight gain being one. This is because the hormone fluctuations can impact appetite and fat storage.
2. Being Sedentary
Obviously, a sedentary lifestyle with minimal physical movement and exercise can lead to weight gain. Inactivity, even with a clean diet, often leads to fat accumulation. Additionally, a lack of exercise also slows your metabolism.
3. Hormonal Imbalance
Sometimes, the reason for your weight loss can be more internal than you expect. For instance, imbalances in hormones and gender can contribute to weight gain, as both estrogen and testosterone contribute to fat.
4. Stress
Your mental and emotional wellbeing as a whole can have a major impact on your weight. Cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress, is known to increase fat storage, especially around the abdomen. So be sure to take time to relax and check in with your stress levels.
5. Bloating
Bloating is a more temporary fat gain, but it essentially involves a build-up of gas or a digestive blockage in your system. This can lead to you looking larger than you actually are.
6. Genetics
As hard as this is to admit, sometimes it really just comes down to genetics. Some people are just genetically predisposed to be skinny, while others are a bit larger. Metabolism and genetic conditions are just some reasons you might struggle with weight gain.
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7. Insulin Resistance
Another medical issue that can contribute to weight gain is insulin resistance. When your body stops responding to insulin, it can react by storing more glucose as fat. This is often the contributing cause in diabetes and metabolic syndromes.
8. Poor Sleep
Sleep quality heavily contributes to weight gain! This is because sleep is responsible for hormones like ghrelin, which actually control hunger. Sleep-deprived bodies experience messy hormones, which can lead to overeating!
9. Poor Posture
While poor posture won’t contribute to more fat gain, it will certainly make you look larger. This is because poor posture like slouching can push your abdomen forward. This can weaken your core muscles over time, exaggerating your appearance.
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10. Thyroid Problems
One of the most common medical issues leading to fat gain is none other than hypothyroidism. Thyroid problems in general contribute to slow metabolisms and are hard to beat even with diet and exercise.
11. PCOS
For many girls and women, PCOS, which refers to polycystic ovarian syndrome, can lead to a hormonal imbalance. This can lead to an increase of testosterone and a decline of estrogen. This further contributes to insulin resistance and an increase of abdominal fat.
12. Chronic Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is often triggered by everything from toxins to infections to autoimmune issues. Inflammation leads to fat storage in the body and is often the cause of visceral fat around the belly region.
13. Water Retention
Water retention is another factor contributing to larger weights. Essentially, this is what people refer to when talking about water weight, as it can contribute to bloating and make your stomach look temporarily larger.
14. Menopause
Another common cause of weight gain in women is menopause. The production of estrogen declines during this time, which can lead to increased belly fat. For many women, this is unavoidable, but exercise and diet can certainly help in managing it.
15. An Office Job
If you have an office job or a remote one, you’ll find yourself sitting around more often than not. This type of lifestyle leads to little calorie burning and can instead contribute to fat accumulation, especially visceral fat.
16. Anxiety
Mental health issues ranging from depression to anxiety can also contribute to weight gain. This is because these altered states often involve everything from disrupted sleep to sedentary lifestyles, to more.
17. Gut Microbiome
A healthy gut microbiome balance is key to maintaining a healthy weight. Alternatively, unhealthy bacteria in the gut can lead to increases in inflammation. This inflammation influences fat storage and can even impact metabolism!
18. Environmental Factors
These days, even environmental factors can contribute to weight gain. Toxins ranging from pesticides to BPA plastics are known to disrupt your hormones. This hormone crisis then encourages fat gain.
19. Body Type
Another genetic factor contributing to weight gain is your body type. This refers to bone density, and how different abdominal frames are more prone to storing fat than others.
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20. Aging
Sometimes, gaining weight is just a part of aging. As people age, their muscle mass begins to degrade, and their metabolism slows down. This often leads to more belly fat in older people.
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