Losing weight is not a linear process, despite what most fad diets promise. If you are doing it right, the number on the scale will go up and down on your way to losing fat. If you find yourself asking “why do I keep gaining weight” there are several potential causes to consider.
The cause of your weight gain depends entirely on whether or not you are trying to lose weight properly. If you approach weight loss improperly, you can inadvertently cause your body to store away extra fat. When you are doing it right, it is completely normal to gain a little before you lose.
Let’s look at a few different reasons why you might be gaining weight.
Why do I Gain Weight so Fast Even When on a Diet?
Let’s first look at the positive reason for weight gain while trying to lose fat.
It’s normal and expected to gain some weight while you are trying to lose it. This fluctuation actually means you are doing something right.
When your body releases fat from a cell, it fills that spot with water to hold its place until the fat comes back. If the fat doesn’t come back, your body realizes it doesn’t need the water anymore and releases the water.
Why does that make it seem like you are gaining weight instead of losing it? It all comes down to water. Water naturally weighs more than fat. When your cells retain water, you have lost fat but gained weight. That weight gain doesn’t last forever though.
As soon as the cells release their water, the scale drops back down again. Since the important focus is losing fat, not losing pounds, it means you are making progress.
Why do I Gain Weight so Easily?
One of the most common culprits of weight gain is food.
The wrong foods create inflammation in the body. Inflammation triggers hormone and blood sugar imbalance as well as weight gain. Even if you are staying away from fast food and desserts, you can still be eating the wrong foods. Products labeled as healthy or diet food are still highly processed and contain inflammation-triggering ingredients.
The best foods to eat are whole, all-natural foods. These are going to be anti-inflammatory, low glycemic, and nutrient-dense, which will help your body heal. A body that is fed properly will relax and let go of fat instead of storing it up.
Why do I Gain Weight When I Eat Less?
Human bodies are built with an emergency trigger switch.
When put in seemingly life-threatening situations, stress hormones cause the body to store away excess fat. That fat is there to use for emergency stores to protect against starvation. It can also be burned as a backup energy store if you must run for your life.
Every living thing has two instinctive directives: survive and procreate. This emergency fat storage is there to ensure survival.
All that to say your body can’t differentiate running for your life and starving from strenuous exercise and dieting.
Exercise has great benefits for your heart and mental health. It’s unfortunately not going to help you lose weight. Going hard in the gym for an hour every night is actually putting your body into survival mode.
The same thing happens when you create a calorie deficit with your diet.
Your body thinks you are starving, so it holds onto fat more stubbornly. The moment you let up on your diet, all that fat is going to come back plus. Your systems are trying to protect you from a nonexistent famine, so they will replenish the depleted energy stores and add even more.
Lose Weight Permanently with Metabolism Reboot
If you have tried diet after diet and still feel like you aren’t making progress, contact us today to learn how Metabolism Reboot can help you make a real change.
Learn about sustainable weight loss without extreme dieting or exercise with Metabolism Reboot. We teach you how to reboot your metabolism to promote permanent weight loss. Schedule a call to learn how to rebalance your hormones and reduce inflammation.