Hidden Factors Contributing to Weight Gain
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
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Surprisingly, a typical reaction to extreme calorie deficits is excess body fat.
Therefore, the first place to look for hidden factors that may be contributing to weight gain is the daily diet. If your daily diet is too restrictive, the body typically responds with the addition of excess body fat which replaces lean muscle.
In addition, a diet too restrictive in calories effects the body's immunity power - in particular T-cell response which decreases significantly in a restricted-calorie environment.
About T-Cells
T-cells disable pathogens and signal for assistance when needed in the body, and when a significant disabling of response occurs, the body becomes a perfect candidate for illness. Add stress to a diet deficient in calories and T-cell response is further decreased and the body is placed at greater risk for illness. It's the body's back-up plan for survival.
It may take the body six months or more to recover after a diet sufficient in calories is initiated - for body fat to be diminish or be replaced by muscle. Recovery time is impacted by the stress factor. Therefore, be certain that your weight reduction plan isn't too restrictive in calories. Sure, it's great to lose those encumbering pounds, but doing such too swiftly or unsafely can result in illness.
In addition, the following hidden conditions may be connected to weight gain, particularly unexplainable weight gain:
- thyroid hormone imbalance
- pregnancy equals natural weight gain
- diabetes; also most often associated with weight loss in the beginning stages, weight gain may also be triggered by diabetes
- allergies; when the body doesn't perform proficiently then weight gain can sneak in.
Allergies are the body's response to certain substances that it is unable to handle and these can be triggered by a variety of things - from the body's reaction to sugar substitute which collects within the body over time and weakens the immune system, to certain foods such as strawberries, eggs, tomatoes and shellfish.
- stress; when stress is part of the Weight Gain Equation, weight gain tends to concentrate in the mid-section of the body
- climate, particularly associated with areas experiencing a continuous channel of moisture; weight gain would be minimal
- sodium overload which causes the body to retain water
In Summary
A detailed list of hidden factors and conditions effecting and contributing to Weight Gain, including the symptoms associated with such can be found here at Diet Bites. And if you find that you are experiencing unexplainable weight gain, please meet with your doctor as soon as possible.
The most common cause of weight gain is of course, consuming more calories per day than the body expends/uses. The extra calories are then stored in the fat cells and are expended on those days when the body's calorie intake and/or energy output via activity is too low to meet the body's energy needs.
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