What is Making You Fat?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Vickie Bunzey, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

One last bag of chips, one last indulgence in pie, one last Friday night pizza party, one last piece of chocolate. Monday morning my diet starts. I will be good, I will eat healthy, I will exercise, I will fit into my skinny jeans.
How many Mondays have you started out with a new mantra of “I will be thin, I will be healthy?” Unfortunately, this is a yo-yo cycle of dieting that too many women know only too well and can’t seem to stop. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to keep the weight where you want it. The good news is that it may not be all your fault. The bad news is that no one is telling you how to stop the yo-yo dieting. Understanding the factors of weight gain will help you lose the weight forever.
First, know where you stand. Grab your tape measure. A woman with a waistline more than 35 inches may be faced with increased risks for health problems. This statistic comes from a study done of over 100,000 men and women. Over a 10 year period, those with a larger waist line were more likely to die from heart disease, cancer and respiratory disorders as those whose waists were slim. This was true with people who’s body shape changed to a larger waist size but did not significantly gain weight. Increased abdominal fat can lead to inflammation, higher cholesterol and insulin resistance and ultimately many other health problems.
Why do so many of us suffer from excessive belly fat? Here’s the top 10 countdown.
10. Medications
Stop and think about the TV commercials you watch. It seems to me that every other commercial is for some drug fixing a health concern. The number of people who are on medications is growing daily. Medications can decrease metabolism regardless of changes to the diet, and the medications can change hormone levels in the body. This impacts our ability to lose weight and keep the weight off.

9. Disease and Illness
Thyroid Disease, Diabetes and Cushing’s disease (increased production of cortisol in the body) have become common ailments. Again, people end up gaining weight and undergo medical treatment for the disease as well as to slow down weight gain or decrease the weight gain. Hormone levels are out of balance, metabolism is hindered and weight is hard to lose.
8. Genes
It’s true, you can be predisposed to gaining weight easier than your friend. Research shows that even though your chances of gaining weight may be higher than someone else, environmental factors and individual lifestyle choices play a much bigger role in a person being overweight then genetics.

7. Stress
Fight or Flight. This is our bodies natural system to deal with stress. When stress increases, our bodies prepare for us to fight or run. When stress levels rise, cortisol is released in the blood stream, causing changes in the body. Cortisol helps release sugar, stored in the muscles and liver, into the blood stream for quick energy use. This hormone is responsible for accumulation of fat in the abdomen which is hard for the body to get rid of. As long as there is stress, cortisol remains high making it hard to lose weight.
6. Portion Sizes
America is the land of supersized portions. Portion control is a leading factor in weight gain. We tend to over eat foods that are high in fat and calories, and do it on a daily basis. Most of us don’t know what a healthy portion size is. We are served on oversize plates and drink from oversized cups. We have lost control of our portions.

5. Skipping meals
Weren’t you told in school not to skip breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day? Skipping meals is bad. It slows down your metabolism. Your body is lacking the nutrients it needs to refuel. Skipping a meal usually leads to overeating because you are so hungry by the time you stop to eat. When you are overly hungry, food choices are usually quick and easy and portion sizes are large. Of course this leads to weight gain from too many calories and, guess what, the extra calories are stored as fat.

4. Low Fat Foods
We have been told that fat is bad and thus the low-fat food craze. Just because a label says low fat does not mean lower calorie (or healthy). When buying a low fat product, remember to look at the label and see how many calories and what the serving size is. Because low-fat food products are highly processed food, they do not satisfy our body so we tend to eat more. Many times it is better to each the real food and just use portion control. Processed foods are a problem in themselves. For multiple reasons, they hinder weight loss.

3. Lack of exercise
It is important to practice both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. By performing both types of exercise you can help increase the amount of calories burned. Many people do less and less exercise and eat more calories. The combination of lack of exercise and high calorie intake is why we gain weight. The more strength training you do, the more muscle you gain, which leads to higher metabolism. A higher metabolism burns more calories at rest and during exercise.

2. Slow Metabolism
Muscle will burn more calories than fat which is why need more muscle than fat. It is a common belief that as we age, we lose more muscle. This is only true if we do not remain active. Continuing to do strength and cardiovascular exercises will keep the lean muscle mass needed to keep our metabolism burning. With a properly running metabolism, the worry over calories is lessened. I am living proof of this.

1. Poor Food Choices
The fact is that generally our diets are not good. Our diets are filled with processed foods that are easy to prepare and full of empty calories. Portions are large and meals are lacking essential nutrients from foods like fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Fast food and prepackaged foods can lead to extra weight around the waist due to a lot of fat and extra calories. Eat real food. It’s what your body needs.

Next Monday start over the right way. Diet and exercise will help monitor weight gain. Making better food choices, the right portions and not skipping meals will help you lose weight. Understanding the causes of your weight gain, will help you take control. Keep a journal. Studies show that people who keep a food and exercise journal double their weight loss. Consider a health coach. Successful people whether they be an athlete or in business, work with coaches. Next Monday start over and make it a lifestyle for the rest of your life. End your yo-yo dieting.

Vickie L. Bunzey
CHHC, Your Balanced Healthstyle
Director, Renew Weight Loss