Mankind has been battling with the concept of weight since the dawn of time. Either they find themselves too skinny or too chubby. It has reached a point where at time seven individuals with ideal body structures develop an underlying insecurity about their weight and their appearance.
There are Many Reasons for Both Weight Gain or Loss of Weight
Some of the Most Common Reasons for Weight Gain
- Not getting enough sleep
- Eating too much processed food
- Eating foods high in unhealthy fats
- Stressed out mental state
There are also Many Common Reasons for Weight Loss
- Eating less than required meals in the day
- Eating disorders
- Loss of muscle
- Being unwell – physiologically or mentally
While these are the more common factors that one can relate to in our daily lives, both weight gain and weight loss in many cases may be due to underlying medical conditions.
Here are a Few Medical Causes for Weight Gain
- Hypothyroidism is a condition in which a butterfly shaped gland in the neck, called the thyroid gland, stops producing enough hormones to meet the body’s needs. Apart from leading to weight gain, it also causes dry skin, thinning of hair, and hair loss.
- Insomnia or lack of sufficient sleep is a leading factor in weight gain. If one gets less than 6 hours of sleep, the body tends to produce too much of the cortisol hormone and insulin, which leads directly to an increase in weight.
- Menopause for many women, this is a the reason belly fat starts building up due to less estrogen being produced. Menopause also has secondary effects that affect one’s eating habits, mental state, in turn affecting the need to maintain an exercise routine thus leading to weight gain.
- Congestive heart failure reduces the amount of blood being pumped through the body. This is a condition that makes one gain two to three pounds in a couple of days and an average of 5 pounds a week.
- Depending on the type of diabetes, the condition can be treated with a combination of the diet, exercise and insulin. While insulin helps consume the energy produced by the body, it also helps store energy. This can be a cause for weight gain.
Here are a Few Medical Causes for Weight Loss
- An overactive thyroid just as can be a reason for weight loss just how an inactive thyroid can to weight gain, and overactive thyroid can cause weight loss. The thyroid glands are responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism and growth. When this gland starts pumping out hormones that are more than necessary, the body begins to lose weight at faster rates than required.
- Celiac Disease is a condition that damages the small intestines due to the consumption of gluten. This leads to a sudden drop in weight.
- Pancreatitis is a disease that affects the pancreas. This is an organ that secretes enzymes that aid in digestion. When affected it directly leads to shedding of weight.
- Diabetes in its early onset can also lead to weight loss. A person finds themselves thirsty a lot leading to a lot of water consumption. This also leads to one urinating a lot. This is because the body is not able to consume glucose, and so it gets secreted out. This is a leading cause weight loss when the condition undetected.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis:is an autoimmune disease that unleashes the immune system to attack its own healthy tissue leading to involuntary weight loss.
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