Weight Gain Can Be Frustrating

If you’ve ever wondered, “why am I gaining weight?” you know the frustration of unexplained weight gain. It’s one thing to gain weight when you are inactive and eating too much, but when you’re really trying to take off the pounds and they just keep piling on, what can you do? While you may have tried multiple diets without success, getting to the bottom of the cause of your weight gain and thinking in terms of a functional medicine diet may be just what you need.

What is considered rapid weight gain?

The definition of rapid weight gain is not set in stone, because everyone is different. If you gain more than two to three pounds in 24 hours or five pounds in a week, you should definitely see a doctor because this could be a sign of heart failure. Beyond that, though, it’s normal to see the numbers on the scale fluctuate a little bit. If those numbers are creeping up and staying up, though, it’s time to take charge and determine what’s causing your weight gain.

Sneaky Causes of Weight Gain

You may be stressed or exhausted. Chronic stress causes our bodies to release cortisol, which can cause you to gain weight and be unable to release it. Lack of sleep can throw off your metabolism. Learning to manage stress and get enough rest can help you shed those excess pounds.
There could be an underlying medical cause. An underactive thyroid can cause unexpected weight gain and the inability to lose weight, and so can other hormonal imbalances. If your insulin levels are too high, your body will go into storage mode and keep you from losing weight.
You might have portion distortion. At restaurants, portions are ridiculously large. As Americans, though, we are accustomed to that, and so many of us end up with too large of portions at home, too. It can be helpful to actually measure food; you may be surprised at how much you’re eating.
Inflammation may be to blame. It may be helpful to try an elimination diet, stripping out inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, corn, soy, sugar, and eggs, in order to get to the bottom of what’s troubling you.
Healthy foods may be tripping you up. Research shows that when we eat healthy foods, like yogurt, avocado, and whole grains, we tend to stop paying attention to how much we’re eating. Sometimes, we eat good food, but we do it too close to bedtime, so we don’t have time to digest it. Healthy food still has calories, though, so it’s important to remain mindful of how much you are eating and when you’re eating it.
It could be your age. The older we get, the harder it is to burn fat and lose weight. You can help shift things in your favor, though, by incorporating metabolism boosting strategies like working to build muscle and eating adequate protein.

The Clear Path to Weight Loss

The best way to look at your weight loss problem is holistically. With functional medicine, weight loss, like everything else, is viewed through the lens of the body as a whole, rather than an isolated issue. Look at your lifestyle and try to adjust it to make it easier for your body to lose weight. Get enough rest, exercise regularly, manage your stress, and be mindful, not only of what you eat, but in general. Fill your diet with nutrient-dense, whole foods, and you may find that you reduce the inflammation in your body and start to lose weight naturally. Pay attention to your portion sizes, and eat without distraction, to further boost your efforts. If you still find that those stubborn pounds are sticking around, talk to your doctor about possible medical issues. Odds are, though, that you will already feel healthier, even if you haven’t lost all of the weight you want to lose.

Functional Medicine, for the Whole Body

Weight gain or loss is not an isolated problem, but a symptom of distress in your body. At Advanced Functional Medicine, an integrated medical clinic, we a full functional medicine approach to healing, using a comprehensive diagnostic screening to get to the root of a patient’s issues. Our whole body approach to medicine utilizes all-natural, researched-based nutritional approaches to optimize the body’s natural healing abilities, rather than just using medication to treat symptoms. Each individual receives unique and customized care, formulated based on the latest scientific resource, and we have a 96 percent success rate in patient outcomes. As a medically driven, patient-focused health clinic, we support our patients’ individual health goals, providing natural relief for symptoms of chronic factors and expert guidance about the decisions affecting a patient’s long-term health. It is our goal to help reverse chronic disease without resorting to dangerous or unnecessary drugs or surgical interventions, promoting healing from the inside out, in its truest, healthiest form. To schedule an appointment or learn more about how we can help restore your health and strengthen your body’s unique physiological functions, call 858-500-5572 or contact us through our website.