Reason for Weight Gain

O ne of the biggest healthy-living #likeaboss buzzkills out there is when you’ve realized you’ve put on extra weight—and have no idea why. If your skinny jeans fit just a couple of months ago, and you haven’t done anything differently, what gives?

You eat healthy foods, stay loyal to your boot camp class and drink plenty of water, but the pounds have crept onto your frame. And for no good reason! Or is there?

While your exercise and eat-right efforts are still super important for you to achieve flat belly success, there are a number of things that can cause your waistline to expand—many of which are downright sneaky or out of your control. (Cue the groans.) But don’t panic! To help you kick pesky poundage to the curb, we uncovered some of the top flat belly saboteurs and asked experts how to overcome each …so you can get back to your slimmer self. And after you see how simple it can be to get on a path toward your ideal weight.

The thyroid, a gland in the neck that sits above the Adam’s apple, regulates a wide range of bodily functions including metabolism. But sometimes, for a variety of reasons, your thyroid may become under-active and result in a condition called hypothyroidism. One of the many symptoms of the condition? You guessed it, weight gain. The worst part is that the condition often develops slowly, so many people don’t notice the symptoms of the disease until they’re full blown, says The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. It gets worse: If a thyroid issue is to blame for your weight gain, it doesn’t matter how diligently your dieting and working out; it will be near impossible to shed the pounds.

Do This!: Take a trip to the MD. “If you’ve suddenly put on weight for no apparent reason, I suggest you see a doctor so a medical professional can decide whether it is a thyroid issue or another cause,” says ‘Biggest Loser’ dietitian Cheryl For-berg.

When losing your love handles is the goal, portion size is just as important as eating healthy. The reason: Many nutritious foods—like avocados, oatmeal, quinoa, dark chocolate, nuts and nut butters—can lead to weight gain when eaten in excess.

Do This!: Unless it’s a fruit or a vegetable, don’t make the assumption that the healthy food you’re eating is low calorie. Next time you’re whipping up a meal, remember these three portion control cues: 1.) A helping of nut butter or shredded cheese should be no larger than a ping-pong ball; 2.) a true serving of rice and pasta is about the size of your fist; and 3.) lean meats should be about the size of a deck of cards. Sticking to the recommended serving size can help zap away excess pounds.

Earlier this year, a University of Utah study found that drinking two cups of water before each meal could significantly accelerate weight loss. So it should come as no surprise that not drinking enough H20 can have the opposite effect on your waistline. “Not only does water give us energy and help maintain body temperature, but it also help us feel more full,” says Forberg. “Not drinking enough water can cause us to eat excess calories that could lead to weight gain. Plus, when you’re dehydrated, the body will conserve water for vital body functions, which can result in water retention and a higher number on the scale.”

Do This!: Keep hydration and pounds at bay by sipping continuously throughout the day. And when your taste buds finally tire of plain H2O.

“As many as 25 percent of people taking certain antidepressants report gaining ten pounds or more,” says Alissa Ramsey, Registered Dietitian and Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Some medications may cause food cravings, especially for carbohydrates, and some find that their medication increases their appetite. The drugs may affect metabolism negatively as well.” And since depression is often accompanied by a disinterest in food, another pool of thought is that once antidepressants become effective, people regain their appetites and overeat.

Do This!: “Switching medications can often help since certain types are more apt to cause weight gain than others. However, if you change medications, it may not aid your depression as effectively. It can be a lot of trial and error,” adds Ramsey.

Of all the little white lies, the expression “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” is one of the worst, regarding weight loss. However, when we’re talking about weight gain, ignorance could be the very reason behind your ever-tightening waistband. “When you avoid the scale because you don’t want to know the number, that’s when you get into trouble. This is especially true in the winter months, when we’re more apt to indulge in comfort food and cover ourselves with bulky sweaters,” says registered dietitian Christine M. Pabulum.

Do This!: If you want to shed the extra poundage, you’ve got to lay off the treats, increase your activity throughout the day and hop on a scale at least once a week—if not two or three, to monitor your progress. “I recommend weighing in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” says Pabulum. “If Monday is a bit higher than usual, all the better for getting back on track for the upcoming week. And Friday is good because if you’re a bit on the high side then, well, it’s all the more incentive to stay-the-course for the weekend and not go too crazy.”

There’s no denying that working out is an important weight loss factor, but oddly enough, thinking about your upcoming sweat sessions too often can make it more difficult to lose weight. Research indicates that when your favorite spin class is always on the brain, you apt to consume more calories—likely because you assume you’ll just blast it away during the hill and sprint sections of your class. And sadly, for the average gym rat or spin-devotee, this is hardly ever the case.

Do This!: Set it and forget it! At the beginning of each month, sit down with your iCal and plan out your workouts for the next month. This way you aren’t constantly thinking about your post-work gym sessions; you can just reference your calendar and go. To fuel your weight loss further, avoid excessive noshing and pick up some of these per-workout snacks tailored to your fitness routine.

Is your obsession with Reese’s and Sprinkles derailing your weight loss efforts? It might be if you’re not using the self-checkout kiosks at the grocery store. Let us explain: According to a study Consulting Group, impulse purchases dipped 32.1 percent for women—and 16.7 percent for men—when they were the ones to scan their items and swipe their credit card. Although not all impulse buys are bad for your belly, a whopping 80 percent of candy and 61 percent of salty-snack purchases are unplanned.

Do This!: Next time you’re at the grocery store, head to the self-checkout line. Switching up your routine may just be your ticket to slim-down success.

You eat right and exercise but, sadly, nearly all of your efforts are negated if you’re staying up all night catching up on ‘Empire.’ In study after study, shorter amounts of sleep are associated with higher BMI levels and larger waistlines. The primary reason? “Lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of the hunger hormone hireling, and decreased levels of lepton, the satiety hormone,” explains Ramsey. “Research also shows that when we’re sleep-deprived, our brains respond more strongly to junk food and have less of an ability to practice portion control.”

Do This!: Ramsey assures us that after a week or two of adequate sleep—which she defines as seven to eight hours per evening—the surge of hunger and cravings should subside. And to boost your calorie burn before hitting the sheets.

Strange but true: When you think of your meal as a light choice, it can cause your brain to pump out more hireling, the hormone that boosts appetite. To keep your hunger in check, stick with restaurant foods that are surprisingly low-cal, instead of the obvious options like the house salad and veggie soup. For example, if you’re at Chick-fil-A, go for the breaded and fried Chicken Sandwich over the Cobb Salad. The sandwich sounds like the more indulgent alternative, but in reality, eating it over the greens keeps 300 calories and 36 grams of fat off your plate.

Do This!: No-sacrifice eats at your favorite restaurants! Whether you’re craving Chinese, fried chicken or pizza, we’ve got you covered.

We don’t mean suggest that you pass the buck, but your demanding boss may be to blame for your expanding waistline. “The hormone cortisol is released when our body is under stress that causes triglycerides to be relocated to visceral fat cells, increasing storage of belly fat,” explains Ramsey. “Elevated cortisol levels also cause an increase in blood glucose, while suppressing the effects of insulin, leading to constant feelings of hunger and can lead to overeating. To make matters worse, all of that unused blood glucose is eventually stored as body fat.”

Do This!: Discuss your workload with your manager. Alternatively, come into the office early when no one is around to bug you. This will allow you to get a head start on the day’s assignments without your Chatty Cathy cubical neighbor annoying you. To relax even more, take a mid-day break.