Non-Food Causes of Weight Gain

Have you heard people say they just can't seem to lose weight even when they nearly starve themselves? Have you personally ever felt this way? It's more common than you may think....

A large number of Americans struggle to lose weight, despite adhering to healthy diets and regular exercise programs. So what is really going on? For some individuals, diet and exercise just simply aren't enough.

In fact, there are several causes of weight gain that have nothing to do with diet or exercise. If you've been stuck in a weight-loss plateau and nothing seems to be working, keep reading to find out if other factors are to blame...

1. Lack of Sleep

Too little sleep can have a huge impact on your waistline. Why? Lack of sleep contributes to altered homrone levels that regulate hunger. According to one study at the University of Chicago, people who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone that signals your brain when you've had enough food, and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin, the "hunger" hormone.

Not surprisingly, after getting less than adequate sleep, the participants noted a 24 percent increase in appetite, with a particular desire for sugary, salty and starchy foods like candy, chips and pasta.

A separate study also found that people who sleep less than four hours a night are 73 percent more likely to be obese than people who sleep more. A new study in the International Journal of Obesity found that middle-aged women who have trouble sleeping may gain more weight than well-rested women.

In short, once your sleeping patterns have been disrupted, your body will be prone to weight gain and overeating. Meanwhile, overeating may further throw off your circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle, leading to vicious cycle that can be hard to overcome.

What can you do to improve your sleep? Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, which can include a warm bath, a foot massage, stretching or listening to soothing music, can help you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Avoid eating too close to bedtime (stop at least 2 hrs beforehand), and watch your portions. Large meals in the evening lead to troubled sleep. You can also try reducing or eliminating your caffeine intake during the day. Caffeine has been shown to disrupt sleep - even if consumed early in your day. Try to incorporate exercise at least for a short period of time during your day. Exercise has been shown to improve the quality and duration of sleep due to the effect it has on balancing hormone levels in our bodies.

2. Sitting Too Much

Americans spend far too much time sitting - leading to a variety of conditions - most notably, weight gain. Even if you exercise, if you spend the bulk of your day sitting you could be inadvertently packing on the pounds.

Part of the problem is sitting stops the circulation of lipase, an enzyme that absorbs fat. So, instead of being absorbed by your muscles, when you're sitting fat circulates in your bloodstream where it may end up stored as body fat, clogging arteries or contributing to disease and weight gain.

A recent study even found sitting time was a predictor of weight gain in Australian women, even after adjustments were made for diet and exercise.

According to numerous studies performed at the University of Missouri in Columbia, rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity doubled and even tripled in people who sit a lot during the day.

For instance, a Canadian study showed that screen time is linked to obesity in adults. After surveying 42,600 men and women, researchers found:

• Those who watched more than 21 hours of TV a week were 20 percent more likely to be more obese than those who watched 5 hours or less.
• Men who spent a lot of leisure time in front of a computer were 20 percent more likely to be obese, and women 30 percent more, than those who did not.

Research has also found that sitting not only has a negative effect on fat and cholesterol metabolism, but also stimulates disease-promoting processes. What's more, exercising, even for an hour a day, does not reverse this effect. The enzymes in blood vessels of muscles responsible for "fat burning" are shut off within hours of not standing. Standing and moving lightly will re-engage the enzymes, but since people are awake 16 hours a day, it stands to reason that when people sit much of that time they are losing the opportunity for optimal metabolism throughout the day.

What can we learn from this? Take the opportunity to stand rather than sit as often as you can every hour. Stand up while you read an email or talk on the phone at work, take frequent trips to the copy machine or bathroom (it's a good way to get a mental break as well), and get up on commercial breaks while watching your favorite TV show.

One simple tip is every morning when you first awake, make a routine of stretching for 10-15 minutes. Then, every evening set a time for a 30-minute focused exercise routine. This doesn't have to require an expensive health club membership. Simply walk around your yard, down the street and back, or make a few trips up and down your stairs. While at work, do yourself a favor and set-up a reminder on your Outlook calendar to get up and out of your chair each hour. This may include a stretch or two to keep yourself from feeling stiff at the end of the day!

3. Depression

Depression and obesity have a reciprocal relationship in that people who are depressed are more likely to become obese, while those who are obese are more likely to become depressed. Among initially normal-weight individuals, depression increases the risk of obesity by 58 percent, according to a new study by Dutch researchers.

For starters, it's common for people with depression to overeat - particularly foods high in sugar and fat (i.e. comfort foods) - as well as reduce their physical activity levels. This is true for increased stress as well.

If you're currently depressed, you should seek help from a knowledgeable natural health care practitioner. You can also try adding regular exercise to your routine, as it's effective at both relieving depressive symptoms and helping to maintain a healthy weight. Be sure to include stress-relieving activities on a daily basis. Do you enjoy reading? Going for a walk? Talking to a friend or family member about your day? Listening to music? Exercising? Journaling? Whatever it is that makes you feel relaxed and stress-free, be sure to take this time for you. Doing so on a regular basis can help to improve symptoms of depression.

Ideally, try to avoid taking antidepressants, as they're actually associated with obesity (see below).

4. Certain Medications

Certain prescription medications cause weight gain as a side effect. According to Consumer Reports, these include:

• Corticosteroids: These drugs increase your hunger levels and lead to water retention, leaving you feeling bloated.
• Neuroleptics: Used to treat schizophrenia, these drugs cause you to feel lethargic, zapping your energy to exercise and making weight gain virtually inevitable.
• Antidepressants: Certain antidepressants can make you carve high-calorie, sugary foods, leading to weight gain.
• Epilepsy drugs: Depakote, Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol and Tegretol-XR for epilepsy are known to cause weight gain.

Other drugs, including contraceptives (birth control), diabetes and blood pressure medications, are also known to cause weight gain. Considering that the use of prescription drugs in general is rising rapidly, this is a serious consideration in a the battle of weight management.

The average American aged 19-64 takes over 11 prescriptions per year!

5. Portion Sizes

If your portion sizes are too large, you can quickly gain weight - even if you're eating primarily healthy foods. If you're foods aren't always healthy, the weight gain from over-sized serving will be even quicker.

Portion sizes have doubled over the decades and it is showing in the growing waistlines of Americans. Studies have consistently shown that larger portion sizes tend to make people eat more food during the course of the day.

The portion boom, then and now:

• In 1970, an average bagel weighed approximately three ounces and contained 230 calories - Today, it is double that size and a whopping 550 calories
• A serving of fries in the 1970s consisted of about 30 fries and 450 calories - Today, a serving will get you 50 fries and an alarming 790 calories

There are several tricks and techniques to eating the portion size that's right for you. Begin by going through your kitchen cabinets and assessing your dinnerware for sizes and even changing the ambiance of your dining room.

By eating from smaller plates, such as a 6-inch diameter sized plate, you will trick yourself into thinking you're eating more than you actually are. Also, try taking small amounts of food on your plate and remind yourself that if you're still hungry after you're finished, you can always go back to get more.

It is also useful to cut your portion sizes in half. If your daily lunch is a huge sandwich, try cutting it in half, eating half and waiting twenty minutes or so to eat the second half. This will give your body time to receive a full sensation, as it actually take 20 minutes for your body to know you're full. You may even decide you're not hungry enough to eat the other half.

6. Obesity as a Symptom

 

If you're inexplicably gaining weight, it could be a signal of another health problem. The following conditions can cause weight gain as a symptom of a larger underlying problem:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Thyroid disorders
• Cancer
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Cushing's Syndrome
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Eclampsia
• Lupus
• Metabolic Syndrome

If you've had unexplained weight gain, make an appointment to see your doctor to rule out an underlying disorder.

7. Pollution

Pollutants are all around us, many of which have an influence on your delicate hormone and metabolic systems. Among them, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA), pesticides, PBDEs, and other can predispose you to being overweight.

These endocrine-disrupting chemicals can change the functioning of the metabolic system, predisposing him or her to obesity. This individual could eat the same thing and exercise the same amount as someone with a normal metabolic system, but he or she would become obese, while the other person remains thin. Out of approximately 55,000 man-made chemicals in use in the world, 1,000 may be endocrine disrupters.

To cut down on your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, avoid Polycarbonate, Lexan and Polysulfone plastics, which contain BPA, and instead use your own personal reusable water bottle made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic, which is BPA-free.

Because household items like cleaning products, toiletries (fragrances, hairspray, deodorants, shampoos, etc.), air fresheners, paint, bug sprays and many others are major contributors to the toxins in your home, seeking out natural varieties of these items is essential.

Hopefully this information will help you push past any current roadblocks you may be experiencing and help you on your way to achieving your weight management goals.


Healthy wishes,

Marilyn, Maura, Jessica & Alissa
Your Vermont State Employees' Wellness Team