What Causes Weight Gain?
Whether you are concerned about rapid weight gain, hoping to shed a few pounds before an important event, or looking to lose serious amounts of weight, knowing what may be causing your weight gain in the first place can be a great place to start.
At 10X Health, we know the decisions regarding your weight are yours alone to make. Our goal has always been to support our clients on their personal wellness journeys, whatever it may look like for them. If weight is one of your biggest concerns, however, we are here to help!
As anyone who has attempted to lose weight knows roadblocks are inevitable. These may stem from not having support, following a routine that doesn’t work for you, or not finding the true root of your weight gain. But just because there are setbacks doesn’t mean your goal is unachievable. There are several scientifically-backed reasons why you may be having difficulty losing weight, and equally as effective measures you can take to combat them. Let’s dig into a few of these causes below.
5 Common Causes of Body Fat and Weight Gain
Every weight loss (or weight gain) journey is different, but there are a few common causes that regularly impact people’s ability to gain, lose, and maintain weight.
Lifestyle Choices
The number one factor influencing our weight comes from the foods we eat (or don’t eat) and how we spend our time. As you probably already know, weight loss can be achieved when the calories we take in are less than the calories we burn. Known as a calorie deficit.
Most people are creatures of habit, meaning it can be tough to change the activities, meals, and daily routines we are accustomed to. This is where we can get into trouble if we don’t prioritize a healthy lifestyle.
Environmental Factors
Personal choices are not the only thing that can affect our lives. The environment around us, the people, places, and mindset we might not even be aware of can add pounds to the scale. These environmental factors are called social determinants of health. Everything from where we work to where we live, and where we spend our free time are areas to be examined.
If the conditions around us aren’t supportive of healthy eating habits, physical activity (like community-centered walking paths or parks), and relaxation, then it can become even more challenging to maintain the conditions needed to lose weight.
Stress & Poor Sleep
Just like our physical health impacts our mental health, the reverse is true too. Internal factors like stress, emotional situations, and lack of sleep can keep our bodies in a state of distress. Stress causes our bodies to produce higher levels of a hormone called cortisol (the stress hormone), which has been linked to the production of stomach fat.
Similarly, a lack of sleep has been associated with chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and depression. When we are looking for reasons our body is holding on to fat or unexplained weight gain, it is important to look internally as much as we fixate on the external and find ways to protect our mental health.
Genetics
Did you know our genes can play a role in how well we process and utilize calories? This is just one reason why one diet doesn’t fit all. Our unique mix of DNA can contribute to whether or not we can lose and gain weight more easily than others.
This is in part due to gene variants that influence hunger and food intake. While scientists are clear that diet and lifestyle have more of an impact on gaining weight than our genes, knowing if you are predisposed to certain health conditions can help you better understand your body and learn what will yield long-term benefits that you can be proud of!
Age
We’d all like to think we can stay young forever, but sadly, that isn’t the case. Whether we like it or not, our age affects our ability to lose weight. Every year after the age of around 30, we lose 1% of muscle mass per year. This may not sound like a lot, but it can add up quickly.
Because muscle mass affects our metabolism and strength, as we age we may not be able to burn calories as efficiently as we did when we were younger. Since extra calories are stored in the body as fat, unless we make a change to our diets, we may begin to see an increase on the scale.
Concerns of Unhealthy Weight
Everybody is different, which means how you define a healthy weight will be unique, too. The most common (though not always most accurate) indication of ideal weight used by medical professionals in the US is defined using BMI, or Body Mass Index. This form of measurement takes the square root of your body height and divides it by body mass. When you’re BMI is too high for your group, you are considered overweight.
Concerns about excess weight and sudden weight gain stem from the impacts that it can have on our bodies. Compared to those at a healthy weight, those who are considered overweight are at greater risk for developing chronic illnesses and medical conditions that negatively impact quality of life including:
- Stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep Apnea
- Liver Disease
- Depression and other mental health conditions
- Chronic Body Pain
Ways You Can Support a Healthy Weight
Although it can feel overwhelming, there are many ways people can support a healthy weight that works for their body, not against it.
Understand What Your Body Needs With Genetic and Blood Testing
The first step to giving your body what it needs is to understand how it works and what it is missing. Genetic and Blood Tests are designed to do exactly that. With a 10X Health Genetic Test, we can search for variations in your genes that may be impacting how your body processes nutrients, helping you to get more out of your diet.
After we see how your body is working, we use our specially designed Blood Test to pinpoint what vitamins and minerals you may be deficient in, where you are excelling, and what else your body needs. By using both of these tests together, we can get a better picture of your health and more personalized recommendations.
Prioritize A Healthy Lifestyle
If you are serious about taking control of your wellness and enhancing what already makes you great, you have begun the transition to a healthier life! When we choose to prioritize a lifestyle that promotes nutrition, recovery, and strength, we are one step closer to achieving our goals.
A well-documented way of helping our bodies function optimally is by getting enough sleep. When we sleep, our bodies release hormones that help regulate hunger cues and energy levels. This is why it’s recommended adults get 8-9 hours of sleep per night, and more if they are sick.
If you have trouble sleeping, there are many ways to help! You can try adding a nighttime supplement to your bedtime routine, reducing screen time an hour before you want to fall asleep, and making sure your room is dark and free of distractions.
Add Advanced Wellness Practices To Your Week
Another way to prioritize your wellness is by adding proven therapies and practices to your daily routines. For example, when it comes to burning fat, a cold plunge is a great way to see results. By boosting metabolism and converting bad fat into useful, good fat, cold water immersion is the perfect addition to any weight loss routine. Regularly scheduling a cold plunge also has many other benefits, including improvements to mood and mental well-being, and increased quality of sleep.
10X Your Weight Loss Journey
When we begin a weight loss journey, one of the hardest parts can be feeling like you are alone. From the first blood test to the last check-in, with 10X Health, you have a trained professional with you every step of the way. That’s why our clients see the results and keep coming back.
We make it a point to be a patient-centered wellness company. Otherwise, we are just giving you the same generic advice other corporations advertise, which isn’t our style. Our system centers on helping you understand your body better so that we can build a wellness routine that will last, pushing you all the way to success! That’s the 10X difference.
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10X Health is here to help you reach your wellness goals! If you are ready to think about weight loss, want to revamp your workout routine, or are simply looking for the best supplements on the market, we’ve got you covered! Head to our website to get your wellness journey started the 10X way.
