Why do people get fat? Part II

A small amount of people eat properly, stay fit and still don't lose weight or often put on weight (not in the form of muscle). Why? There can be a number of factors involved here:

• Stress;
• Medication;
• Lack of sleep\ rest;
• Hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone deficiency);
• How your body responds to hormones like insulin and leptin, which inhibit the development of obesity when fat and calories intakes increase.

Stress is our body's natural response to external threats - be those life-threatening (physical) or worrying about paying bills or a mortgage (psychological). The human body releases a stress chemical called cortisol to help a person recover from these situations. It tells the body to release sugar into the blood and triggers the body to release storehouses of fat and muscle so the body can use it for energy. The other side of that coin is, though, that it encourages the body to slow down to allow it to restore energy supplies. Continued levels of stress (a thing perceived differently by different people) mean consistently high levels of cortisol in the blood, which can lead to, among other things, weight gain. Or, if you're trying to lose weight - it can inhibit it.

(Courtesy freedigitalphotos.net)

Certain medication for certain ailments effect the body in different ways. Medication to treat mental illness, i.e. bi-polar disorder, depression or even epilepsy, are often linked with weight gain. This is usually because the drugs effect the part of the brain that controls processes such as mood regulation, hunger and satiety. Drugs for other problems and diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer or inflammatory disorders can also have negative impacts on our weight. These drugs are said to usually only affect weight for the first few months. Some varieties of the contraceptive pill have also been cited to lead to weight gain. It is important to remember that some medicines will lead to a reduction or loss of appetite while others will lead to specific cravings. It is also vital to remember that different medication will impact each body in different ways.

(Courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

You may have heard of the sleep diet, but there is a more straight-forward explanation to the sleep-diet connection. There is the basic situation when we feel tired, so eat badly because we don't have the energy to make healthy food as well as not having the motivation to work-out. Over time this will obviously lead to added inches. There is more going on though - hormones of course! Sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreased levels of the hormone leptin that tells us we are full. If lack of sleep continues the levels will become increasingly imbalanced and the body will gain weight, or if trying to lose weight, at best weight will plateau. Another problem I find personally is that when overtired it seems more difficult to get to sleep. Try not to watch the television directly before or in bed and have some relaxing herbal tea. Also - make sure your bed, mattress, pillows, etc. are comfortable to optimise your sleep when it finally does come.

Hypothyroidism, put simply is an underactive thyroid. This means that your thyroid does not produce enough of the hormone thyroxine. When the body doesn't have sufficient levels of thyroxine it slows everything down - the amount of energy you use, your metabolic rate, etc. It is usually caused by your immune system attacking your thyroid or damage to it. Underactive thyroid can be a very annoying factor for people trying to lose weight and often goes undetected. However, it only occurs in a small percentage (roughly 3%) of people and alone cannot be blamed for extreme weight gain, though it may be a contributing factor if PROPERLY DIAGNOSED.

Almost all of the above, we can see, are related to hormones. Hormones effect every process in the human body and we need the correct amounts of them all to work, rest and play - to steal an old chocolate bar adage! Hormones and their levels are specific to each person but things can be done to regulate their production and how we use them.

I do feel also, though, that a lot of people like to blame one or a combination of the factors above and claim to 'eat well' and 'do loads of exercise' when in fact the food they are eating isn't healthy and\ or low in calories\ saturated and they are doing no exercise at all, exercising without raising the pulse or 'treating' themselves after the gym.

Eating healthily? Really? This isn't healthy!



Working out? Looks like it!

We all know someone who has chosen that cream cake with the premise of 'working it off next week at the gym'. This just falls into another excuse previously discussed and drives me crazy. The scenarios listed here only apply to a minimum amount of people - the rest of just don't make the effort!

Does anybody know of any other medical or other reasons why we may not lose weight despite 'doing everything right'? We all know someone who SAYS the above apply, but do they really? Let me know!