I overheard my (thin) friend say to someone who was planning to go on a diet: “all you have to do is exercise a lot and don’t eat very much.”
While there is something to this, it’s not the whole picture. Excess calories may not be the only cause of weight gain. Cutting portions, desserts, alcohol, and sugary soft drinks will certainly take you far down the road toward a healthier, thinner body. And increasing exercise not only burns calories, but raises your metabolism to burn more calories while you are at rest.
But nothing is more discouraging than taking these steps and still gaining weight. Each person has a different set of conditions that cause weight gain. In addition to custom fitting your calorie intake and exercise level to your own lifestyle and metabolism, take a look at these other possible co-factors:
1. Emotional Factors: boredom, loneliness or depression may cause excessive eating for comfort.
2. Insufficient sleep: sleep deprivation causes physiological stress which triggers fat storage as a response.
3. Stress: your body may react to stress by slowing your metabolism and dumping hormones, which may cause fat storage, especially in the abdominal area. You will probably crave carbs, which will trigger a temporary sense of relief because carbs can trigger the increase in the brain chemical serotonin, which has a calming effect.
4. Late Night Snacking: it is easy to reach for unhealthy snacks, and loose track of caloric intake, late at night. You might feel you need a treat for your hard day, or you might mistake feeling tired for the need to eat something for energy. It’s better just to go to bed.
5. Medications: Some prescription drugs used to treat depression, mood disorders, seizures, migraines, blood pressure, and diabetes can cause weight gain.
Here are some links for more information … and inspiration!
• Stress and simplicity
• Diet & exercise on zenhabits
• Getting Started
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