Why Am I Gaining Weight?

With obesity, overeating, and food addictions at astonishing levels in the US, even amongst our children, something has to change.  Though there are many reasons why you and your family might be gaining weight, I’d like to share a few possibilities you may not have considered.

Let’s face it, weight problems are not fun.***  I’ve never been obese, but I have struggled with fluctuating weight my whole life…well, except when I was a kid and was constantly moving.   I’m not going to insult your intelligence; most of you who would even read a wellness blog know and understand the basic human functions of food intake, digestion, calories and how the body uses them for energy.  Strangely, though, so many of us (even the smart ones) don’t utilize this information wisely.  We fail miserably and, well, we gain weight…we lose it…we gain it back, and so forth.  It sucks.

I want to give you some tips that might truly be revelation to you.  If not, please share them with someone who isn’t as knowledgeable as you are.

1.  Prolonged lack of good sleep can cause weight gain.  When my husband worked third shift for a couple of years and worked a part time job on top of that, he managed to put on around thirty pounds.  Though it may not have been the only reason for packing it on, my guess is, it sure didn’t help.  According to Dr. Mercola there is a hormone produced by your body called ghrelin that may increase your desire for yummy, fattening foods.

“Your body’s level of ghrelin can be influenced by many factors, including your lifestyle habits. For instance, chronic lack of sleep increases ghrelin, making you feel hungry when you don’t really need to eat. This is likely one reason why a lack of sleep can make you gain weight.”

Note to self: Try to get at least 6-8 hours of good sleep a night. Someone please tell my Missy Moo (toddler girl) that waking me up at night isn’t good for mommy.

2.  Adrenal Exhaustion can cause weight gain and other health problems.  The adrenal glands are made to give us energy in acute (occasional) stressful situations.  Think about how the cavemen and women might have spent their days.  They hunted, cooked their meat, rested, had sex, socialized in their community of other cave people; they worked together to create a safe environment for the clan.  They shared.  Threats and stress likely didn’t occur every waking minute like they do for today’s family.

We have to go to work, leaving our homes and families for hours at a time.  That alone causes stress wondering what antics you might come home to.  The bills have to be paid, the house cleaned, the shopping done, homework to do, cars cared for, home secured; on top of that, we have to watch our world get inundated with violence, greed, disasters, hunger, disease, injustice, and the division of families.  You have to wonder if having access the every other part of the world via news reports is good or not.

Bottom line…stress causes an abundance of cortisol in our bodies.  It’s OK for awhile, but long term high levels begin to destroy our bodies; including, weaken immune system, deter healing, impair digestion, and hinder cell regeneration.  Not good.

Work on reducing stress in your life by redirecting negative emotions.  Meditation, prayer, exercise, and talking are all great ways to render stress harmless.  You might also try moving to a remote island without your kids, bosses, mortgages, and all forms of communication with the world…just a thought.

Well, those two things took up more words than I thought they would, so I will continue this later.  Give some thought to why you or someone you know might be gaining weight if the obvious overeating isn’t the culprit.  Share your experiences with us.  Be well-be beautiful.

***Please don’t think that I’m saying anyone who is not thin is by any means not acceptable, beautiful, or fit. Everyone is different; they have varying body types and are entitled to maintain whatever weight they feel is right for them. Just be healthy.

Photo by Genabubbles

Resources: Mercola.com, Womentowomen.com