Unless the doctor tells you that you definitely have to put on some weight to keep your body functioning optimally, nobody wants to add even a few extra pounds, more so if it puts someone to being overweight or obese.
But gaining weight doesn't happen only when you eat more than the ideal daily calorie. A WebMD feature lists down some of the other reasons why.
First on the list is being "trendy"-that is, trying to follow every modern and new diet plan in the market. We are all familiar with them: low fat, low carb, high protein, high fat and low carb, etc. The problem is we may use our lack of knowledge of what's best to eat any type of food. The suggestion? Before you even consider to follow any of these programs, make sure that you've obtained a professional opinion, especially from independent experts. You also need to talk to your doctor about it.
Another potential reason is comfort eating. Simply put, when you're under some type of stress, whether it's good or bad, the first thing you normally do is to reach out for food. Celebrating a milestone? You eat out! Trying to battle depression? You console yourself with something that may remind you of home. Of course, the solution to stop this kind of eating habit is simple: learn to manage stress more effectively.
Your age can also have a profound impact on your ability to lose weight, especially since this is something you cannot control. You can delay aging, but it's inevitable. Along with aging is a change in metabolism: it slows down. Hormone changes also worsen the problem. At this point, the basic advice of "exercise more and eat less" is golden. Build muscles too since they tend to burn more calories than fat.
Meanwhile, if you're always short-changing sleep, you may want yourself putting on weight. This is because those who lack sleep end up eating more than they should. Lack of sleep leads to poor concentration and bad decision making.
