Your favorite pair of clothes once fit easily are now hard to wear. Sounds familiar? Many people suffer from weight gain. Sometimes the process is slow, but before you know it, you become 8 pounds heavier. You have no control over it. It is a matter of concern if you are gaining weight constantly. The reason could be – diabetes, thyroid, PCOS, and so on. It hampers the quality of life. But hang on! You can stop becoming heavier or even shed some pounds just by introducing some lifestyle changes.
But before going further, let us know in detail what the causes of weight gain are?
Thyroid disorder – According to The American Thyroid Association, over 12% of the US population will have a case of thyroid condition once in their lifetime. And 60% of those suffering from this are oblivious of this condition. Till January 2021, nearly 44280 new cases of thyroid cancer were found, and 2200 deaths occured due to thyroid cancer.Women are 5-8 times more prone to this problem than men.
Whenever a young person enters a doctor’s clinic with unexpected weight gain problems, the doctor will initially investigate any thyroid problem. The visible sign of the thyroid is the butterfly-shaped gland in the neck. It secretes the hormone that regulates metabolism. If you have an under-active thyroid, known as hypothyroidism, the metabolism will slow down, stimulating weight gain. The other issues faced with hypothyroidism are low-energy levels, dry skin, or constipation.
Dehydration – A survey results of 3003 Americans show that nearly 3/4th of them are going through chronic dehydration. In a survey, it was found out that Americans drank about eight glasses of water per day, but this is balanced by the caffeinated drinks and alcohol. Many people mistakenly take the feeling of thirst as the feeling of hunger. There are many people who see their thirst as hunger because the signals can be weak. Hence, they tend to eat more which contributes towards weight gain.
Look for the symbols of mild dehydration – confusion, lightheadedness, or tiredness. Without sufficient amounts of water, the cells in your body cannot convert the food into energy efficiently.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) – The most common cause of female infertility is PCOS. In the USA, every 1 in 10 women of child-bearing age is suffering from PCOS. It disbalances the reproductive hormones estrogen and testosterone. The symptoms range from a bloated stomach to facial hair growth to cramping. Additionally, women having PCOS have excess levels of insulin because they face problems while using it. Excess insulin becomes the reason for weight gain.
Depression – Whenever you are stressed, your body experiences a surge of adrenaline rush along with the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol helps in restoring energy and stores fat.
Moreover, numerous people experience chronic stress due to sitting all day at work and living like crazy individuals. Experts say that when your stress hormones stay elevated for an extended time, your body continues to store fat leading to weight gain. If you face trouble while sleeping, feeling anxious, or not liking the work you used to do, it is a matter of concern. You need to talk to the medical expert to get your life back on track and know why there is a sudden increase in weight.
Diabetes – To regulate the blood sugar level, both – type 1 and type 2 diabetes – require insulin management. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. In this condition, the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin.
The insulin level in type 2 diabetes reaches a higher level, leading to extra pounds in your body. It occurs due to poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle.
Insulin is a hormone that creates pathways for glucose to go into the blood cells for energy conservation. But if you consume more calories than required, your cells will take the needed amount of level and leave the remaining ones. This remaining glucose will be stored as fat.
If you don’t want to suffer from any illnesses mentioned above or disorders, don’t go anywhere. We are right here to unravel some fascinating tips to lose weight.
Intermittent fasting – Intermittent fasting is becoming popular nowadays. It is the method of consuming food within a short period of time during the day, as per the sources, up to 24 weeks.
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a pattern of eating that involves regular short-term fasts and consuming meals within a shorter time period during the day. How can you do that?
- The first method is a 5:2 diet where you fast two days out of 7 days a week. Experts recommend eating 500-600 calories on fasting days.
- The second method is the 16/8 method, where you eat only within the 8-hour window and fast for 16 hours. A study based on this method concluded that putting limitations on eating hours results in consuming fewer calories by the participants, thereby losing extra kilos.
Protein for breakfast – Proteins help in regulating the hormones of appetite. In order to shed extra pounds, aim for 25-30% of calories as protein. Examples of high-protein are –eggs, sardines, oats, chia seed pudding, and many more.
Reduce sugar intake and refined carbohydrates – Refined carbohydrates come under heavily processed foods without any fiber or nutrients. Rice, pasta, and bread are some examples of it. These food items are easy to digest and quickly convert into glucose. Excess glucose enters into the blood, provoking insulin, leading to fat storage in the adipose tissue. Hence, avoid sugary foods and refined carbohydrates. Instead, you can include – fruits and nuts, whole-grain rice or bread, herb teas, smoothies with water, etc.
Eating a good amount of fiber – Including fiber-rich food items in your diet helps make you slim. It includes vegetables and fruits, peas, pulses seeds, barley, to name a few.
To sum it all up
Your lifestyle has a significant impact on determining your body weight. To maintain a balanced lifestyle for a healthy weight. After all, nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.
