Unexplained weight gain can be frustrating and concerning. There are many potential causes, ranging from lifestyle factors like diet and exercise to underlying medical conditions.
Some common reasons for unexpected weight gain include:
- Lifestyle factors: Consuming more calories than you burn through activity and exercise leads to weight gain over time. Things like eating more processed foods high in sugar and fat, drinking caloric beverages like soda or juice, decreased activity due to a desk job or injury, poor sleep habits, and increased stress levels can promote weight gain.
- Medications: Some prescription medications like steroids, antidepressants, seizure medications, diabetes medications, and antipsychotics may slow metabolism, increase appetite, or lead to fluid retention resulting in weight gain for some people.
- Underactive thyroid: An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) slows metabolism, which can lead to gaining weight without eating more. Symptoms include fatigue, feeling cold, muscle weakness, and more.
- Cushing's syndrome: Excess cortisol production causes weight gain primarily in the face, between the shoulders, and abdomen along with other issues like easy bruising, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and blood sugar changes.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): This hormonal disorder affecting up to 10% of women prevents proper ovulation and is associated with weight gain, irregular periods, excess hair growth, and infertility.
If you are experiencing significant,
unexplained weight gain, it is important to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to identify any underlying causes. Maintaining a food and symptom journal and tracking lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and medication changes can help provide useful information to share with your doctor.
Depending on what is causing the weight gain, your doctor may adjust medications, order blood tests to check hormone/thyroid levels, or refer you to specialists like an endocrinologist, registered dietitian, or mental health professional. Adjusting activity levels, eating more whole foods and less processed items, and finding healthy stress relief techniques can also aid weight loss efforts.
At
Elite Hormone Health, our physicians specialize in targeting hormonal imbalances that can contribute to unexplained weight gain. We provide customized treatment plans involving lifestyle changes, prescription medications, bioidentical hormones, and nutritional supplements tailored to your unique hormonal needs. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!