Have you stepped on the scale lately and wondered, “Where did this extra weight come from?” You haven’t changed much in your routine, yet the numbers are creeping up. Unexplained weight gain may be alarming to see, but knowing what the possible causes may be can help alleviate your anxiety.
Key Takeaways
- Rapid or unexpected weight gain may result from lifestyle factors, medical conditions, hormonal imbalances, or side effects of medications.
- Poor sleep, high stress levels, a sedentary lifestyle, overeating, and even quitting smoking can all contribute to gradual or rapid weight gain.
- Conditions such as heart failure, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, PCOS, menopause, and pregnancy can cause the body to store excess fat or retain fluids, leading to weight increases.
- Steroids, antidepressants, antipsychotics, blood pressure medications, diabetes medications, and epilepsy treatments may affect metabolism, appetite, or fat storage.
- Sudden or persistent weight gain, especially accompanied by symptoms like fatigue, swelling, or shortness of breath, should prompt consultation with a healthcare provider.
What is Unexplained Weight Gain?
Unexplained weight gain refers to unexpected increase in your weight despite not making any changes to your diet or physical activity.
It can happen slowly over time, or it could be a rapid weight gain in a short amount of time. While gaining weight is a common occurrence for anyone, some people may understandably feel concerned about it.
There’s always the possibility that it could signal an underlying health condition or a problem with your current lifestyle if it happens to be a significant increase.
Why Am I Gaining Weight So Fast?
Rapid weight changes can be attributed to several factors, like lifestyle changes, medical conditions, and even medications and their side effects. In the next section, we’ll take a closer look at what causes sudden, rapid weight gain to happen.
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Download Eato For FreePossible Causes of Sudden or Rapid Weight Gain
Not everyone wants to gain weight all of a sudden, especially for those who are on their weight loss journey. But sometimes, it may just happen when we least expect it.
Some possible causes of rapid weight gain include:
a) Lifestyle factors
Unsurprisingly, the biggest lifestyle contributor to weight gain is related to the foods that you consume and your activity level. Sometimes, some people do not realize that they are actually consuming more calories than they should. It may appear to be a small portion, but that small portion could unknowingly contain a huge amount of calories.
That, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, can lead to unintentional weight gain over time. At the same time, apart from food and activity level, many other factors can affect your weight. These factors include [1]:
- Lack of sleep: Studies suggest that poor sleep can contribute to weight gain. Not getting enough sleep often leads to higher caloric intake and the increased consumption of saturated fats. This habit then results in an overall increase in weight and body mass index (BMI) [2].
- Long-term stress: When you are under immense stress, your body will release the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol can increase appetite and cause you to feel motivated to eat. When this eating habit is uncontrolled, you may experience rapid weight gain [3].
- Quitting smoking: Cessation of smoking can also lead to some people gaining a few extra pounds. This is because your body no longer has nicotine to slow down metabolism. When metabolism is sped up, you would naturally feel hungrier [4].
b) Health conditions
Some medical conditions can also contribute to unexplained weight gain. For example, conditions such as heart disease, liver failure, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes can all contribute to unexpected weight changes.
In the case of heart disease or heart failure, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body. However, when it worsens, your heart will start to slow. The slowing of the heart causes fluid retention in the body, which leads to weight gain. If you notice that your body weight is increasing by more than two to three pounds in a day or more than five pounds in a week, that is usually a sign of heart failure [5].
Insulin resistance is often a sign that someone might have a chance of getting type 2 diabetes. It’s often due to genetics and lifestyle factors. It causes the body to store excess blood sugar as fat, which leads to an increase in body weight [6].
c) Hormonal imbalances
Hormonal changes and hormonal imbalances contribute to unexpected weight gain in various stages of life. Common hormonal causes of weight gain include hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pregnancy, and menopause.
d) Side effects of medications
Some medications can also affect your body’s metabolism, causing you to put on weight. For instance, steroid is one medication that can cause weight gain. Steroids work by suppressing the immune system and inflammatory response.
By doing so, it alters the way that your body processes carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and glucose. All of these changes can result in increased fluid retention, increased appetite, and increased fat storage [7].
Other medications that can cause weight gain include the following [8]:
- Antidepressants
- Antipsychotics
- Blood pressure medications
- Epilepsy medications
- Medications for diabetes
What Causes Rapid Weight Gain in Females?
Rapid weight gain in females can be caused by a variety of factors. It can be attributed to aging, medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pregnancy, menopause, and even stress.
Can Unintentional Weight Gain Be Prevented?
Unexplained or unintentional weight gain can’t always be prevented, as it could be a symptom of an underlying health condition or a side effect of the medication that you are taking.
But there are a few actions that you can take to minimize this weight gain as much as possible. Here’s what you can do:
- Eat a healthy diet and stay active.
- Cut down on processed foods and foods high in sodium and added sugars.
- Eat smaller, frequent meals instead of large meals.
- If you are craving a snack, try to go for a healthy snack option.
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If you start to notice sudden or persistent weight gain without a clear cause, it could be beneficial for you to see a doctor and seek further advice.
Some considerations for you to make if your weight gain happens to be:
- Rapid or extreme increase (e.g., more than 5 pounds (2.27 kg) in a week)
- Accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath, or mood changes
- Increasing excessively despite healthy habits
- If it’s affecting your physical and mental health
- Due to the medications that you are taking
The Final Takeaway: Navigating Unexplained Weight Gain
Unexplained weight gain isn’t always something to panic about, but it also shouldn’t be ignored. One of the ways that your body tries to tell you something is off could be through weight changes. Always consider the bigger picture and listen to your body. If the weight gain appears to be sudden, and you feel unwell, that is your cue to see a healthcare professional.
You can keep track of any weight or diet changes easily with the Eato app. Take charge of your health before it gets serious. Try Eato today for free.
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