Most of us have gained a few pounds at various stages of our lives: during a holiday, over Christmas; after a relationship breakup, during winter or during a particularly stressful life episode. We usually expect to gain some weight at those times, so when our clothes start feeling tight it isn’t a surprise.

However, sometimes you are not expecting to gain weight. You may be following a healthy diet and lifestyle while getting regular exercise, yet the scale still nudges upward. This can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention emotionally upsetting.

Here are 5 unexpected reasons you may be gaining weight

  • You are suffering from depression.  We all know that a person who feels sad or lonely tends to eat more comfort food. Sometimes the symptoms of depression are a lot more subtle and you may not realise that you’re actually depressed. Many people don’t feel as happy in winter as they do in summer. Perhaps you’ve recently experienced a series of stressful events and that has affected your usually positive mood. Depression usually affects a person’s appetite; some people eat less, but the majority eat more. Depressed people often don’t feel the same satisfaction from a meal and therefore tend to eat larger portions or snack throughout the day. They also tend to crave carbohydrate rich foods because they can help increase serotonin production. Tyrosine can help to rebalance brain chemistry, and there is a lot of helpful information in the book Help for Depression and Anxiety.
  • You have a fatty liver and don’t know it. Approximately one in 5 adults in the USA has a fatty liver, which many of them don’t realize. Your liver is supposed to be the main fat burning organ in your body. If you have an unhealthy liver you will not burn fat adequately and it will accumulate around your torso. You can read my recommendations for reversing fatty liver.
  • The medication you take is making you gain weight. There are a great many drugs in this category; some examples include the oral contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy, some antidepressants, some antipsychotics, medication for epilepsy and some drugs used for breast cancer and prostate cancer. I don’t recommend you stop taking your medication, although if you’ve experienced a significant amount of weight gain, please discuss with your doctor the possibility of an alternative medication. People who need to take several different drugs typically experience weight gain because of the added strain placed on the liver to break down and excrete them. Most people find that taking a good liver tonic can help improve the efficiency of their liver and therefore allow weight loss despite taking medication.
  • You have a food allergy or intolerance. Many people don’t realize that food sensitivities can cause weight gain or inhibit weight loss. If you regularly ingest a food you are allergic to, your immune cells mount a response and release a host of inflammatory chemicals. The excessive inflammation generated in the body can cause insulin resistance by inhibiting the correct function of insulin receptors. Not every allergy produces extreme symptoms such as swelling or itching. Sometimes food sensitivity can cause a very subtle reaction; fatigue, insomnia, dark circles under the eyes or abdominal bloating are all common symptoms. It is best to see a naturopath or nutritionist to help you uncover problematic foods. While you are trying to uncover hidden food sensitivities, the herbs and nutrients in Metabocel tablets help to address insulin resistance and therefore make weight loss much easier.
  • You might have subclinical hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland). This is an extremely common problem. It is most common in women, however at our clinics we are seeing increasing numbers of men who suffer with this condition. Your thyroid gland controls your metabolic rate. If it is sluggish you will also have a sluggish metabolic rate and be prone to weight gain and fluid retention. Your doctor can give you a blood test to check the health of your thyroid gland, but the problem is, most blood tests are nowhere near comprehensive enough. Simply having a TSH blood test is not enough because this can be in the normal range during early stages of thyroid dysfunction. It is important to have other hormones tested, as well as thyroid antibodies. This is explained in the book Your Thyroid Problems Solved.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

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