Why are we gaining weight? 5 common reasons

Do you know India is home to the second highest number of young people who have excess weight? The prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980 in more than 70 countries. Why are we seeing this rapid shift in obesity statistics? Why are we gaining weight?

Whom do you blame for your increased count on the weighing scale? Is it your ‘inactive lifestyle’ or ‘unhealthy diet’? There are varied reasons for gaining weight. However, the objective is to identify those reasons and work your way out to eliminate or possibly find a solution to deal with them so that you prevent yourself from getting extra flab on your body.

5 common reasons you can blame for your weight gain:

1. Sedentary lifestyle: A sad but true fact is that as children we used to play so much and now we hardly get up from our seats. Even for children, traditional games like running and active playing have taken a backseat and are replaced by mobile/laptop games. This lack of activity has led to a growing trend of obesity among adults as well as children.
2. Food choices: You must have heard the saying ‘You are what you eat’. This stands so true for people who are gaining or losing weight suddenly. Everything you eat adds up something to your body. Now, how much of those things your body requires is what you need to monitor. Example, at least 400gms (5 portions) of fruits and vegetables per day should be consumed in diet by an individual. Do you consider this before eating? Most of us don’t do that. We just prefer eating foods readily available in the market, high sugar foods, snacks like burger and pizza, and this contributes more to your weight.
3. Lack of sleep: The trending shift in our lifestyle, extended working hours, travel time, expectations to meet the family as well as personal needs, social media, and many such things have replaced our sleep timings. Lack of sleep can cause weight changes in your body; you may lose or gain weight unexpectedly. 
4. Chronic stress: Do you eat more when you are stressed? Don’t worry. There is nothing uncommon with you. Stress often leads to comfort eating. People experiencing chronic stress are known to either starve themselves or overeat. Both extremes are equally bad. Research shows that chronic stress and psychological illnesses such as depression are more likely to lead to obesity due to their impact on the thyroid gland function.
5. Certain medical conditions and medications: You may have heard of people saying that their thyroid is responsible for weight gain. While this may not be the case always, it holds true for some people with thyroid dysfunction. Like thyroid disorder, there are many medications and medical problems which may cause weight gain. For example, anti-depressants, birth control pills, blood thinners, blood pressure pills, and steroids.