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Have you put on weight suddenly and for no apparent reason? Is it possible to put on weight without necessarily eating a lot? Yes, some people happen to put on weight without eating more. But sometimes the causes aren’t so obvious. Some of the many factors that can contribute to unexplained weight gain are: Sedentary lifestyle, age, hormonal imbalance, stress, anxiety and depression, certain medications and lack of sleep.
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What are the causes of unintentional weight gain?
If your eating habits haven’t changed, but you’ve suddenly put on weight, it may be due to a change in your behavior, habits or lifestyle. There are many causes for weight gain, of varying degrees of severity, which we don’t always think about.
Sedentary lifestyle
If you haven’t changed the way you eat, then perhaps your weight gain is due toa lack of exercise. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle is a factor in weight gain. In this case, your caloric intake is higher than your energy expenditure, and the calories you don’t burn are stored in your body as fat. As a result, your energy balance becomes unbalanced, leading to weight gain. To avoid weight gain, your calorie intake must be equivalent to your energy expenditure.
Find out your daily calorie requirement: Daily calorie requirement calculator
Hormonal imbalance
Hormonal imbalance can also be the cause ofrapid, unexplained weight gain.
For women, a change of pill or contraceptive method, pre-menopause or menopause can result in weight gain due to altered estrogen levels in the blood.
Thyroid dysfunction, the gland responsible for hormone regulation, can also lead to weight gain. In this case, it’s important to check that your thyroid is working properly by taking a blood test.
For men, from the age of 50 onwards, the drop in testosterone causes loss of muscle mass and favors fat storage.
Emotional eating
Emotional eating is a frequent cause of unexplained weight gain. Emotional eating is the act of eating to fill an emotional void, or to soothe an emotion such as anger, fear or sadness. It can also be the result ofstress, anxiety or anguish.
To get rid of these emotions, we tend to overeat, especially high-fat and high-sugar foods, often without realizing it. This usually results in weight gain.
In such cases, it is advisable to opt for the “Mindfulness” technique, which consists of eating “mind fully” to avoid “eating one’s emotions“. This method enables you to pay closer attention to your eating habits, so that you’re more aware of what you’re eating.
Emotional overeating can lead to eating disorders such as bulimia. It is therefore advisable to consult a doctor in the event of serious problems.
Age
Yes, age can make us put on weight!
Weight gain as we age is explained by a reduction in our basal metabolic rate (number of calories burned at rest). Studies have shown that after the age of 45, we lose an average of almost 10% of our muscle mass every ten years.
As you know, muscle mass has a direct impact on basal metabolic rate. The more muscular the figure, the higher the basal metabolic rate and the more calories the body burns at rest. Consequently, the loss of muscle mass with age leads to a reduction in basal metabolic rate.
So, if calorie intake remains the same, unburned calories will be stored, triggering weight gain.
Lack of sleep
Research has shown that when you don’t get enough sleep, you put on weight. Superfluous kilos accumulated unconsciously!
In fact, according to studies, when we lack sleep, appetite hormones are deregulated. This translates into higher levels of ghrelin (the appetite-stimulating hormone) and lower levels of leptin (the satiety hormone). According to a meta-analysis of studies on the consequences of partial sleep deprivation, sleeping little leads to ingesting more fatty foods and less protein (no variation for carbohydrates) , which would represent 400 extra calories, compared to people who sleep enough.
Medications
You may not be aware that some medications can cause weight gain. In general, this undesirable effect is indicated on the package insert, but we are not always aware of it.
Some classes of medication are more likely than others to be associated with a few extra kilos. This is the case for certain contraceptive pills, cortisone, sleeping pills, antidepressants… In all cases, we recommend that you consult your doctor if you experience unexplained weight gain.
How can you avoid putting on weight suddenly and for no apparent reason?
Here’s a few tips to avoid unintentional weight gain
The good news is that there are many ways to regain control of your weight. Here are just a few:
- Tip 1: Adapt your diet to your daily energy requirements
- Tip 2: Eat better, favoring foods with a high nutritional density and avoiding those with a low caloric density
- Tip 3: Don’t eat when you’re not hungry
- Tip 4: Get enough sleep, between 7 and 9 hours a night
- Tip 5: Eat mindfully to prevent emotional eating
- Tip 6: Regular physical activity to raise your basal metabolic rate
- Tip 7: Consult your doctor about any weight gain linked to medication
