What is the reason for a sudden gain of excess weight – genetic characteristics of the body, malnutrition, or a sedentary lifestyle? The answer is simple. The reasons for rapid weight gain in both men and women are most often stress – just like trying to seize it with sweets.
Despite this, adherence to the recommended calorie intake is far from the only rule. For example, a chronic excess of gluten and saturated fat in the diet leads to weight gain in certain areas of the body – primarily on the stomach.
The main reasons for weight gain
Obesity is the most common metabolic disorder in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one in three adults worldwide is overweight and one in ten is obese. It is generally accepted that weight gain with a return (especially in the abdomen) is a normal process. Say, after 30 years, the metabolism causes the body to store more fat.
However, this opinion is erroneous – the metabolism of healthy 30 and 40-year-old people practically does not differ from the metabolism of adolescents. People often overestimate the influence of “bad genetics” on obesity. In reality, most cases of weight gain are not associated with genetic problems but with overeating and impaired insulin metabolism caused by regular consumption of sweets and carbohydrates with a high glycemic index.
Obesity: Consequences
Being overweight is not only an aesthetic problem. Obesity causes complex damage to the health of the body. High cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal damage (such as osteoarthritis), and even some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon cancers) have been linked to excess body fat.
Ultimately, hormonal changes are almost always associated with obesity – it becomes much more difficult for the body to maintain normal levels of testosterone, insulin, cortisol, leptin, and other hormones. The reason is that with an increase in excess weight, fat cells begin to play an increasingly active role in human metabolism, disrupting metabolism.
The main hormonal consequences of obesity are :
- Decreased testosterone levels
- Increasing cholesterol levels
- Leptin disruption
- Development of diabetes
- high cortisol
Thyroid and obesity
In some cases, obesity can indeed result from pre-existing hormonal problems that a person has. Serious metabolic disorders characterize a low level of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism) – these include weight gain, chronic fatigue, headaches, insomnia, and an inability to sleep even with an ample amount of sleep.
A banal lack of iodine in the daily diet is one of the most common causes of a decrease in thyroid hormones and concomitant obesity – this deficiency can be corrected in the simplest ways. If you are gaining weight, even with a careful diet and regular exercise, be sure to check if your diet contains enough iodine sources .
Obesity and overeating
By consuming more energy from food than your daily calorie intake for daily activity, you provoke the deposition of unclaimed calories in fat depots – this is how obesity develops. Remember that an extra couple of sweets per day (200-300 kcal) for a year will provide a weight gain of 8-10 kg of fat. If you want to lose weight, try to avoid sweets as much as possible.
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the fact that playing sports not only speeds up metabolism and metabolism but also increases appetite. Trying to get rid of excess weight exclusively by regular workouts and fat-burning cardio, but not paying due attention to your diet, you can even gain weight due to an increase in appetite. Swimming increases appetite especially.
Carbohydrates: the main reason for weight gain
Among other things, it is a mistake to consider fast carbohydrates solely as empty calories. The metabolism is structured in a way that the body processes excess sugar calories into fat and quickly stores them in fat depots. If, along with an excess of carbohydrates, there is an excess of fat in the diet, this can increase blood cholesterol.
To combat obesity, it is important not only to carefully study the information on the glycemic index and the rate of absorption of carbohydrates but also to limit the consumption of pure sugar as much as possible, giving up not only chocolate and sweets but also fruit juices (including freshly squeezed ones) and even sweetened yogurts. All these products only provoke you to overeat.
Age-related hormonal changes
It is widely known that menopause begins in women aged 45-50, and it is characterized by metabolic changes, sleep disturbances, and even depression. However, few people know that such age-related processes also apply to men, who, after 40-45 years, also begin andropause, leading to a gradual decrease in testosterone levels.
In turn, a decrease in testosterone levels leads not only to a loss of muscle mass but also provokes obesity according to the “female type”, characterized by increased deposition of fat reserves on the hips and lower abdomen. It is also important that bad habits (primarily smoking and excessive alcohol consumption) bring this andropause closer.
The link between obesity and sleep problems
It should also be noted that chronic lack of sleep and constant sleep deprivation imposes serious stress on the body, which can ultimately lead to obesity. Lack of sleep significantly impairs the biochemical processes of using calories from food, as it is during sleep that the body restores itself, including the brain and central nervous system.
In simple terms, poor sleep and insomnia literally deprive a person of energy – trying to make up for this lack, people consume not only more “encouraging” coffee, but also food in general. Considering the fact that lack of sleep is often associated with a lack of time, it affects the quality of food and leads to a transition to fast food and other unhealthy foods that cause weight gain.
The main reason for obesity and a set of excess fat in the abdomen is not at all genetics or an age-related slowdown in metabolism, but the uncontrolled use of fast food and fast carbohydrates in the absence of vegetables and whole grains in the diet. At the same time, it is important to remember that obesity is a condition that comprehensively disrupts metabolism and the proper functioning of the body.