11 Reasons why we put on Weight.....!

Understanding a particular problem is the first step to managing or even eliminating the problem altogether!

This same logic can be applied to weight gain and its management. We’ll look at this from three different perspectives.

1) Predisposing factors: - These are factors that put you at a higher degree of susceptibility to gaining weight. 

• Hereditary – This is basically your genetic signature. In other words what you have inherited, genetically, from your parents. Research has it that you have a forty percent predisposition to weight gain if either of your parents is obese. And should both your parents be overweight, then, the probability shoots up to eighty percent of you following suit! 

• Systemic Imbalance – More specifically, it is your endocrine disorders that make you more prone to gain weight. Especially if you have an under-active thyroid or Crushing syndrome. These are medical conditions that need to be tackled by specialists.

• Sedentary Lifestyle – Being inactive could be your nemesis in putting on those extra pounds. Inactivity results in less energy being burnt and as we all know, this energy comes from the fat that our body stores. So less energy being spent equals to more fat accumulation!

• Eating Habits – What you eat, when you eat, how much you eat and not having adequate knowledge about a proper balanced diet could lead you to gain weight.

• Medication – There are certain drugs, for example, anti-depressants, cortisone and female hormones, which have been documented to make a person gain weight. Coupled with this group, are again certain drugs that can stop you from losing weight even if you wanted to.  

2) Other Stimuli: - It has been documented that, besides certain predisposing factors as mentioned above, there are a host of other “TRIGGERS” that prompts your body to store that extra amount of ‘fat’. This ultimately leads to gaining those undesirable extra ponds.

• Bio Rhythms – Being a woman, you need to understand that your body undergoes a lot of physiological as well as physical changes. From the hormonal changes that occur with the onset of puberty and adolescence, to pregnancy and child birth, and then onto menopause and after; all of these stages contribute to you gaining weight. 

• Lifestyle Changes – Have you ever considered the facts that, a simple shift in your lifestyle can contribute to weight gain? Think about child birth or even the sad demise of a loved one. How about being laid-off or a job change? Then there is retirement. All of these changes that occur in our lives have the potential to make us put on weight. The degree may vary between individuals, but the bottom line remains the same, there will be weight gain. This especially holds true for women.

• Smoking – We all know the benefits of kicking this life-sucking habit, but then let us consider what happens when we stop smoking. So let’s say you have quit smoking, now what is going to happen is that you will first of all, regain your appetite and start eating more; but at the same time you will burn less calories compared to when you were smoking, resulting in the accumulation of ‘fat’ in your body. Next the physiological craving for nicotine is replaced by reaching out for sweets and unhealthy snacks to satisfy that craving, which is again a catalyst to weight gain.

• Quitting Exercise – Let’s say you are a fitness buff, but then for reasons best known to you, one fine day you decide to just stop putting your body through the rigors of physical routines. You decide to take it easy and enjoy life! Now what will happen to your body is that, you will first start to lose muscle mass, your metabolism will slow down and you will burn less calories. Well, the result of this sudden shift from an active to a sedentary lifestyle is guaranteed to play havoc with your body in terms of weight gain!

• Work Stress – Having to manage both your home and put in long strenuous hours at work will take its toll on your body. You will feel exhausted and high-strung. You take refuge in high calorie food which gives you the feeling of well-being. So what really happens here is that, to get a short term benefit, we tend to ignore the long term complications that can arise from this quick-fix. I take it by now you will have realized what a high calorie intake can do to weight gain!

3)The Trap: - The reason I say this is because in the quest to lose weight, you take on a strict, self-imposed, diet restriction in the hope of shedding those extra pounds and continue with it for some time. But when you don’t see the desired results, you go back to where you started. Then after a period of time, guilt overtakes you and you resolve with renewed determination to really really stick with a diet this time, till you see some worthwhile results. But guess what? Well, you know the answer to that! You fall into a trap. 

Now, all the while you were see-sawing between dieting and binging, your body was developing resistance to the restriction you imposed on it and at the same time becoming more adept at storing fat during your binging sprees! So the end result of it all? You end up putting on more weight than what you were before you started your cycle of diet – binge – guilt – diet! Is it worth it? 

Understanding why we put on weight is the first stepping stone to getting rid of the excess ‘fat’. Well if you are predisposed to hereditary factors or have some systemic imbalance in your body, then the best recourse would be seeking expert help to address the underlying cause. Even then, these conditions can be managed with proper weight loss programs. But when you look at the other parameters that are a cause of gaining weight, it’s all in your hands. All you need to do is choose the right program.

I will be revealing a FREE video of a revolutionary weight loss program in my next post. This method is not only simple to follow, economical but it is guaranteed to lose at least10 pounds within just 3 months!

Till then keep well and stay fit!