Other Causes of Weight Loss

Weight gain doesn't always come from what you eat. There are many other factors that cause unexpected obesity. Body weight generally increases when the calories the body burns during activity are less than the calories that come from the food consumed. But besides food, there are many factors that also affect metabolism and body weight. Get to know these factors.

Stress

When you are stressed, your body will become tense and produce a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is a major cause of increased appetite so that you can easily eat any food to calm down.

Lack of sleep

There are several things that make sleep deprivation closely related to weight gain, namely:
• When you lack sleep, an increase in hormone levels in the body can increase hunger and appetite.
• Staying up late makes you more likely to eat snacks at night, thereby adding to the accumulation of calories in the body.
• Lack of sleep makes you tend to choose any food like fried rather than healthy snacks like fruit.

Taking certain medicines

It turns out that consuming certain drugs can cause weight gain, such as:
• Antidepressants: depression is one of the causes of weight gain because sufferers prefer not to be active and remain at home. But unfortunately, drugs to treat depression can cause weight gain as well. But there are also some patients whose appetite returns because their moods have improved and not because of the side effects of antidepressants.
• Steroids: weight gain due to increased appetite can be a side effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as prednisolone. People who take steroids can also experience changes in certain parts of the body that store fat such as the stomach and face.
• Other drugs: Other drugs can also cause weight gain, for example drugs to treat migraine headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes, and seizures. So it is with antipsychotic drugs commonly used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In addition to the drugs above, certain types of contraceptives, such as birth control pills and birth control injections, are also considered to be able to gain weight. But this matter still needs further investigation.

Having certain diseases

Some of the following diseases can trigger hormonal changes that can cause obesity, including:
• Hypothyroidism: is a condition when the body does not produce sufficient thyroid hormone. This condition causes weight gain due to slowing of the body's metabolism.
• Cushing's syndrome: occurs when the adrenal glands produce too much stress hormone, such as cortisol, or in people taking steroids for the treatment of lupus, arthritis, or asthma. Weight gain can especially be seen on the face, upper back, neck and waist.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): women with this syndrome generally have many small cysts in their reproductive organs. Women in this condition have resistance to hormones that play a role in controlling blood sugar levels (insulin), causing weight gain which is generally centered on the abdomen.

Technology and lifestyle

A lifestyle with all the conveniences such as internet access to almost any place can make people sit in front of the screen longer than ever before. The habit of sitting for a long time is often combined with the habit of consuming high-calorie snack foods, causing weight gain.

Quit smoking

Inhaling cigarette smoke makes your heart rate increase 10-20 times more in one minute so that the body burns more calories when smoking. When someone stops smoking, appetite will increase but this effect will disappear within a few weeks. The benefits of quitting smoking will be far greater than continuing to smoke for fear of being fat.

Extreme diet

Extreme diets with the aim of losing weight drastically in a short time is an ineffective way. This method does not train the body to burn large amounts of calories in the long run. As a result, the food you consume will not burn completely and the effect is your body weight actually returns to rise quickly.

Reducing the Risk of Weight Gain

Although it is more difficult to detect, the factors that cause obesity can still be managed in the following ways:

• Good sleep patterns. Get used to having enough sleep, and start sleeping and waking up at the same time every day. Use the bedroom only for sleep and sexual activity.
• Ask your doctor before stopping taking certain medications. If you have experienced weight gain due to drug consumption, you should consult a doctor before deciding to stop using it. You can also ask for alternative treatments that are not at risk of increasing body weight.
• Active move. Either due to drug consumption or due to health conditions, weight gain is generally caused by a decrease in the body's metabolic condition. Active moves every day, like walking up the stairs, is one simple way to maintain physical fitness. With regular exercise, one's mood will be better so that it is far from excessive stress and depression.
• Understanding the buildup of fluids due to drug consumption. Weight gain due to consumption of certain drugs is sometimes only caused by fluid buildup. Weight gain due to this condition is not permanent and can disappear immediately after the period of drug consumption. During these times, you are advised to adopt a low salt diet. Examples of drugs that can increase body fluid content are birth control pills.