You’ve finally convinced yourself that you’re going to shed those pounds and keep them off. As best you can, you’ve been actively exercising and eating the right foods with the hope of improving your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The only problem is, the last few weigh-in’s seem to be going up instead of down. Your routine has not changed? So what in the world could be causing this unexplainable weight gain?
The truth is there are many reasons that the scale could be going up instead of down. Unexplained weight gain can be attributed to anything from side effects of medications to more serious health conditions like thyroid disease.
That’s why it’s really important to pay attention to your body and know when it’s time to see a doctor. If you have been diligently trying to lose weight but seem to find that your weight has increased over the last few weeks or so, there could be something else going on such as these common issues listed below:
- You’re Feeling Depressed
Your mental state of being can begin to manifest itself in physical form. If you have been feeling overly depressed or down recently, this can attribute to your weight gain. According to an article in Everyday Health, the part of the brain that is responsible for emotion is also responsible for appetite. This means that someone dealing with depression might find that it is ever so challenging to stick to their diet.
For many individuals who suffer from depression (knowingly or unknowingly), food can become more of a comfort. Eating foods high in fats, sugar, and salt can attribute to weight gain. Other factors of depression that can attribute to your increase in weight is a side effect from the anti-depressant medications. Many medications prescribed will have a side effect that includes weight gain.
What You Can Do: Talk with your doctor or therapist about your depression. If your depression is the issue, therapist can utilize various cognitive therapy techniques to help retrain your brain so to speak. Through positive thinking and the support of a therapist you can overcome depression and get back to leading a healthy life.
For those who have been diagnosed with depression and take medication, you’ll also want to talk with your doctor or therapist to find out if there are any alternative medications you might take to treat your depression but prevent weight gain. Never stop taking your medication on your own as this can be dangerous. Instead, allow your doctor or therapist to come up with a more feasible solution that will solve the matter.
- You’re Taking Medication
Anti-depressants aren’t the only form of medication that could eventually lead to an increase in weight. There is a long list of medications that could be causing an increase in your weight. Steroids, birth control pills, blood pressure medications, pain management medications, and more can cause you to pack on the pounds.
What You Can Do: If you believe that your medication could be the culprit you should talk with your primary care physician about your options. While in some instances your options might be limited, there are occasion in which doctors can prescribe transdermal medications such as those described on the USHealth Group insurance website, that can minimize the adverse effects of oral medications.
- You Have a Slow Digestive System
Proper digestion is imperative to weight management. When the foods you eat are removed from the body at a slower pace, the waste begins to “make a home†in the body promoting an increase in weight. It is ideal that a person have a bowel movement at least once or twice per day. If you’ve noticed that you’re not using the restroom as often as you should, your digestive system could be slow. You also can try adding a supplement to your diet, such as Bio X4, that will help boost your metabolism. However, after about a week or so of incorporating new food options, if you don’t see a change you need to contact a doctor. There could be other reasons for your slowed digestive system including hypothyroidism which is categorized as a neurological issue.
- Not Enough Nutrients
To piggy back off of what was stated previously, sometimes the cause could be you’re not getting enough nutrients. Low levels of vitamin D, magnesium, and iron can all wreak havoc on your immune system, deplete your energy, and changes your metabolism. When you start to feel drained, you try to give yourself of jolt of energy with some caffeine, sweets, or even carbs. Not to mention, that feeling tired at the end of the day is no motivator for exercising as you should.
What You Can Do: Check with your health insurance company to see if you’re able to talk with a nutritionist about the increase in weight. If you do not have the proper health insurance, you can consider looking for a provider. Nowadays you can learn a great deal about an insurance company by checking their social media pages such as this Facebook page for USHealth Group.
If your health insurance covers the cost of a nutritionist, schedule an appointment right away. They will likely look over your blood work to see what your levels are and request more if necessary. If it is determined that you’re missing certain nutrients from your diet they will help you come up with meal plans that will help your body get what it needs to perform at its best.
There are plenty of reasons that you could be finding it hard to get in good shape. However, if you’re putting forth the effort to make a difference in your health by eating the right foods and exercising on the regular basis and still seem to be gaining weight there could be an underlying cause. Contact your doctor right away for further diagnosis and suggestions on how to get yourself back to a healthy weight range.
Brought to you by our friend, Amanda.
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