Weight gain doesn't always come from what you eat. There are many other unexpected causes of obesity.
Body weight generally increases when the calories burned by the body during activities are less than the calories that come from the food consumed. But besides food, there are many factors that also affect metabolism and body weight. Get to know these factors.
Stress
When you are stressed, your body becomes tense and produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is the main cause of increased appetite, making it easy for you to eat any food to calm yourself down.
Lack of sleep
There are several things that make lack of sleep closely related to weight gain, namely:
- When you are sleep deprived, there is an increase in hormone levels in the body that can increase hunger and appetite.
- Sleeping late at night makes you more likely to eat snacks at night so that it adds to the accumulation of calories in the body.
- Lack of sleep makes you tend to choose just any food such as fried foods rather than healthy snacks such as fruit.
Taking certain drugs
It turns out that taking certain drugs can cause weight gain, such as:
- Antidepressants:Depression is one of the causes of weight gain because sufferers prefer to be inactive and stay at home. But unfortunately, drugs to treat depression can cause weight gain as well. But there are also some sufferers whose appetite returns because their mood has improved and not because of the side effects of antidepressants.
- Steroids:weight gain due to increased appetite can be a side effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as prednisolone. People who take steroids can also experience changes in certain body parts that store fat, such as the stomach and face.
- Other drugs: other drugs can also cause weight gain, such as drugs to treat migraines, high blood pressure, diabetes, and seizures. Likewise with antipsychotic drugs commonly used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In addition to the drugs above, certain types of contraception, such as birth control pills and birth control injections, are also considered to increase weight. However, this still needs to be investigated further.
Have certain diseases
Some of the following diseases can trigger hormonal changes that can cause obesity, including:
- Hypothyroidism: is a condition when the body does not produce enough thyroid hormone. This condition causes weight gain due to slowing down of the body's metabolism.
- Cushing's Syndrome:occurs when the adrenal glands produce too much stress hormone, such as cortisol, or in people who take steroids to treat lupus, arthritis, or asthma. Weight gain is mainly seen on the face, upper back, neck, and waist.
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): women with this syndrome generally have many small cysts in their reproductive organs. Women in this condition have resistance to hormones that play a role in controlling blood sugar (insulin) levels, causing weight gain, which is generally centered in the abdomen.
Technology and lifestyle
A lifestyle with all the conveniences such as internet access to almost anywhere can make people sit in front of screens longer than ever before. The habit of sitting for long periods of time is often combined with the habit of consuming high-calorie snacks, causing weight gain.
Quit smoking
Inhaling cigarette smoke makes your heart rate increase 10-20 times more in one minute so that the body burns more calories when smoking. When a person quits smoking, the appetite will increase but this effect will wear off within a few weeks. The benefits of quitting smoking will be much greater than continuing to smoke for fear of being fat.
Extreme diet
Extreme dieting with the aim of losing weight drastically in a short time is an ineffective way. This method does not train the body to burn large amounts of calories in the long run. As a result, the food you eat will not burn completely and the impact will increase your body weight quickly.
Reducing the Risk of Weight Gain
Although more difficult to detect, the factors that cause obesity can still be managed in the following ways:
Good sleep patterns. Get in the habit of getting enough sleep, and start sleeping and waking up at the same time every day. Use the bedroom only for sleep and sexual activity.
ask toon doctor before stopping certain medications. If you are already experiencing weight gain due to taking the drug, you should check with your doctor before deciding to stop using it. You can also ask for alternative treatments that are not at risk of increasing body weight.
Active move. Either because of taking medication or because of health conditions, weight gain is generally caused by a decrease in the body's metabolic conditions. Getting active every day, such as walking up the stairs, is a simple way to stay in shape. With regular exercise, one's mood will be better so that it is far from excessive stress and depression.
Understanding fluid accumulation due to drug consumption. Weight gain due to the consumption of certain drugs is sometimes simply caused by fluid buildup. Weight gain due to this condition is not permanent and can be lost immediately after taking the drug. During these times, you are advised to adopt a low-salt diet. Examples of drugs that can increase the body's fluid content are birth control pills.
