Weight Gain Shockers - Slideshow

Introduction

While you are hitting the gym, keeping a check on your food intake and trying hard to lose weight, those pesky kilos just refuse to leave the body. Below are a few reasons behind why those troublesome kilos aren't dropping yet.

Take a look and Check for yourself!!

Stress

Stress releases epinephrine hormone. This hormone increases the amount of energy needed to overcome stressful situations by triggering the conversion of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids to energy. If stressed individuals do not use up the energy released by doing physical activities, it gets converted into fats.

Stress also results in decreased levels of blood glucose that further lead to increased appetite and overeating. Most of the excess calories are stored as fat.

Sleep pattern

Studies show that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep have higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, slows down metabolism and reduces fat oxidation. Lack of sleep causes ghrelin levels to rise, which stimulates appetite and one wants more food. Staying up at night is the prequel to midnight snacking.

Ageing

As we approach our thirties we pamper ourselves in the same way as our early twenties. We fail to understand that the metabolic rate slows down after the age of 30 and the body requires fewer calories to maintain the ideal body weight. With progressing age, we should reduce caloric intake and continue to be physically active. If not, a slow and steady weight gain will gradually lead to obesity and health complications.

Leptin resistance

Leptin is a hormone responsible for controlling appetite. It reduces the urge to eat. It is made by a specific gene found in the fat cells. In some obese people although the leptin levels are higher than the normal weight individuals due to more fat cells, leptin does not control hunger and one tends to eat more and gain weight.

When people starve themselves in order to lose weight they do more harm than good. Leptin levels tend to reduce in such situations. They eventually lose control of their appetite. Thereby the lost weight is gained much faster when they restore their normal diet.

Menopause

Menopause is the age related stoppage of menstruation. It occurs any where from the age of 45 to 55. Women undergo a lot of hormonal imbalance during pre and post menopausal phase. The major upsetting change for women is the weight gain during this phase due to estrogen withdrawal. Following a low calorie nutritious diet (calcium rich) with some vigorous regular exercise is the only way to overcome this period of life easily.

Hypothyroidism

It is commonly observed in middle aged and premenopausal women. The thyroid hormone (thyroxine) secretion decreases. Hence the body metabolism slows down. This can lead to fatigue and weakness, reducing the activity of the person. The under activity of the thyroid gland leads to increase in body weight. The weight gain can be easily retarded by taking drugs to treat thyroid and modifying lifestyle and dietary factors.

Polycystic Ovarian Disease

PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease) is something one can develop at any time of the reproductive age. Hormonal imbalances (mostly genetic) occurring in the body thickens the ovarian capsule. Hence the follicular cyst produced every month remains within the ovary. Over a period of time the ovary has multiple cysts around it. The hormonal changes taking place suppress estrogen and increase androgen levels. Thereby one gains weight. PCOD should be managed by nutrition supplements (zinc, chromium, selenium improve the body insulin sensitivity) a nutritious healthy diet (iron and calcium rich) and regular, conscious exercise.

Steroids

Steroids are often consumed as drugs. They can be anabolic or corticosteroids. Anabolic steroids enhance muscle and bone synthesis. Corticosteroids are drugs given to suppress inflammation as in arthritis and asthma. They may be component of contraceptive pills and many other drugs too. People on steroids tend to gain weight as it slows down metabolism. One must check for words indicating the presence of steroids or check with the doctor before consuming any kind of pills.

Poor meal timings

Skipping meal and having long gaps between them is the prime hurdle for weight loss. People feel by not eating they would lose weight. But scientifically it undemines weight loss. On skipping meals the body's metabolic rate slows down. Lesser calories are burned than before.

There is a tendency to overeat in the next meal and pick up wrong foods due to extreme hunger. This makes the total caloric intake much higher than just eating more frequently through the day.

Non satiating food

Foods devoid of fiber, protein, good fats are highly non satisfying. Processed foods like breads, cereals, sweets, rice, puffs, biscuits, and foods made with refined flour leave one feeling hungrier and shoot up sweet cravings.

Also these foods make us eat larger portions of them. Lack of fiber quickly converts the food into glucose, triggers further hunger and increases the body fat due to increased insulin splurges. One gets caught up in a vicious cycle leading to oodles of fat gain.

Diet foods

The misleading diet foods (local foods labeled as "baked", diet biscuits, baked chips, sugar free ice creams) are all high in saturated and trans fats. Although labeled as diet, they have high fat or sugar content. People keep gobbling diet foods, baked foods while they cut down on ghee, paneer, oils, nuts which carry the good fats.

Also the fat content in diet foods is invisible. One tends to eat them daily and in larger portions. Whereas home fried foods made in pure trans free oil, due to the visible fat in the utensil is in turn labeled bad. One can actually enjoy a home made fried snack once in two weeks rather than eating the bad fat laden diet and baked foods every day. Home made food would be fresh, nutritious and unadulterated. Reading labels of all foods before purchasing is extremely important.

Portion Control

Maintaining a diet diary can be the most effective weight loss support. We tend to practice "portion distortion". Portions served at eating joints are rich in calories even if the food is a healthier option and there is a tendency to overeat. We may choose healthier foods, but eating too fast makes us cross the overeating threshold and leads to excess caloric intake. We tend to also eat bigger portions while watching television, out of boredom and in social gathering too.

Weight creepers

There are certain sweet, fried foods that we claim to eat just once a week. In the bargain we fail to realize that if on those days the exercise is missed then all those extra calories add up week by week to a couple of extra kilos.

One can of soft drink "If had every week over a period of a year, contributes to one kg of weight gained" One samosa "If had every week over a period of 8 months, contributes to one kg of weight gained" Just a single serve of these foods can sabotage weight loss easily. There are so many such high caloric foods we tend to eat multiple times a week. With the regular 45 minutes vigorous exercise part not in place the weight loss may be neutralized.

Low B12 levels

B 12 is a vitamin required to convert fat stores to energy that helps one lose weight. The lack of B12 leads to "stubborn fat". This vitamin is needed by the body in small quantities but we all tend to fall short of it due to our increasing consumption of processed refined foods. B12 is found in meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, paneer, curds.