Why Am I Gaining Weight?

Reasons for Weight Gain 

If you are wondering “Why am I gaining weight?” know that weight gain can have multiple causes. One obvious reason is that you are eating more calories than you are burning off. Another reason is that your metabolism is getting slower, a natural consequence of getting older. Yet another common reason is that you are not getting enough exercise.  There are many reasons that a person may gain weight. This article discusses just a few of these reasons.

Reasons for Gaining Weight

Medications

If you’re asking Why am i gaining so much weight fast, know that some medicines can actually cause a person to gain weight.

• For instance, oral contraceptives, also called “the pill,” tend to make some women who take them gain some weight, although this tends to be temporary.
• Corticosteroids, which are medicines used to decrease swelling, can also cause weight gain.  According to Dr. Cheskin of Johns Hopkins, this weight gain can then lead to or worsen health problems like hypertension, diabetes, and other cardiovascular ailments plus other medical problems that require medication.
• Another medicine that causes weight gain is insulin.  Although it is not clear why some medicines lead users to gain weight, in the case of insulin, the reason appears to lie in the fact that its use causes hypoglycemia, a condition caused by low blood sugar which leads to an increased appetite.
• Also, hormone treatments like those for endometriosis, a condition in which uterine-lining tissue in women develops exterior to the uterus, results too in weight gain.
• Likewise, some medications for mental health problems like depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder will cause people to gain some weight.

Medical Conditions

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in front of the trachea, or windpipe, doesn’t secrete enough thyroid hormone used to regulate metabolism. One symptom of this ailment is weight gain. Similarly, hypothyroidism can be caused by various diseases like severe iodine deficiency and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an inherited autoimmune disease. Additionally, destruction of the thyroid gland, due to surgery or radioactive iodine, among other conditions, can cause hypothyroidism.

Another medical condition that can lead to weight gain and obesity is polycystic ovary disease.  This condition occurs in women and is characterized by benign cysts existing on the ovaries.  This condition is also one of the main causes of infertility in the US.

Other Reasons why you’re gaining weight:

Additionally quitting smoking is another reason why someone may gain weight. About 4-10 pounds is typically gained during the first 6 months following smoking cessation. This is due to increased eating which may stem from several causes, including the fact that food tastes better when taste buds lack the cigarette tar present in them during smoking.

Regardless of the reasons why the pounds are settling on you, doing something about it by altering what or how much you eat, choosing the right exercise plan, seeing your physician, or making other lifestyle choices can help you avoid the many health problems that come with being overweight.