6 Possible Reasons for weight gain

May 4, 2017

Healthy eating and regular exercise are two of your top priorities, so there's no need to worry about gaining weight, right? Not necessarily. Seemingly inconsequential behaviors such as eating while multitasking, taking certain medications and opting for alternative sweeteners can lead to unexpected weight gain. Here are some choices that may be impacting what you see on the scale:

Lack of sleep: Sleep deprivation can not only increase your risk of heart disease but also influence you to eat more calories. A 2016 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that individuals with inconsistent sleeping habits consumed an extra 385 calories the following day.
Evening libations: If you enjoy an evening cocktail or two, keep in mind that you're taking in extra calories -- anywhere from 120 to 200 calories for a 12-ounce beer or as many as 500 calories for a margarita or other sweet drink.
Stress: Feeling depressed, anxious or stressed out can cause the body to kick into survival mode and protect itself by holding on to weight. This state also causes a release of the steroid hormone cortisol, which creates an appetite surge.
Medication: As many as 25 percent of those who take antidepressants may experience weight gain as an unwanted side effect. Several other medications, like steroids, antihistamines and beta blockers, also fall into this category.
Distracted eating: You may save time by eating while you're otherwise occupied, but it can come at a cost. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found distracted eaters ate up to 50 percent more calories than those who focused solely on their meal.
Diet food: Are you choosing food and drinks that use sugar substitutes like aspartame and saccharine? These may not be the healthy alternatives you think they are; research has shown that these sweeteners can cause weight gain in rodents.

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