Have Extra Weight?

Know The Reasons Why

It is extremely common for men and women to watch the scale report higher and higher weight as years go on. According to 2017–18 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

• Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight.
• More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity.
• About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity.

Every year, gaining even 1-2 pounds can quickly result in a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Have you every asked "why?"

Every person will have unique answers to the question of why they have gained unwanted weight, and some answers are modifiable, some are not. Your body weight is partly determined by your sex, hormones, and your genes. Women experience age-related drops in estrogen and men face drops in testosterone; this results in extra pounds to settle in our mid-region. Both sexes experience a decline in Growth Hormone, making it harder to maintain muscle mass.

Certain factors that contribute to your weight ARE modifiable: activity, intake, and stress.

As we age, we tend to get less active. As our families grow, time we may have spent at the gym is now replaced as time at home or with less calorie-burning activities. People in their 30's-50's usually have jobs that require a lot of sitting. The amount of lean muscle we had begins to decline by 3-8% per decade after age 30, a process called sarcopenia. Since a loss of lean muscle leads to less calories being burned at rest, weight creeps up.

The older we get and the less active we get, the majority of us do not restrict our calories. In fact, we tend to eat more! Our bodies do not process or metabolize food as efficiently as when we were younger. This metabolic decline can cause us to gain even 10-15 pounds extra.

Stress levels tend to rise during adulthood. The stress hormone cortisol increases the level of the hormone ghrelin, which causes you to eat more. Chronically elevated cortisol also causes fatigue, mood changes, and insulin resistance. Before you know it, stress has taken a major toll on your body's weight.

How To Maximize Your Weight Loss?

Address Each Component For Success

Get active and burn more calories - sit less, stand more often, take more steps, chose stairs over elevators, park the car further away and walk more. Find ways to expend more calories by being more intentionally physical with your daily activities.

Increase your time and level of workouts - exercise for at least 10 minutes longer (or 10 minutes harder) than planned and take advantage of the enhanced calorie-burn that naturally occurs after your workout. Start stregth training with weights to build muscle. You don't need to lift the amount of weights that a weight-lifter can. Remember, the more lean muscle you build/maintain, the more calories your body will burn at rest.

Practice mindful eating. Focus on what you are eating and how much. Nutrient-dense foods are better for you than calorie-dense foods. Look at labels and seek out food choices that offer more minerals and vitamins and less ingredients that are hard to pronounce. A good rule of thumb is if the ingredient list has items you actually have in your kitchen to cook with, it is likely a better choice of food.

Get adequate sleep. A good night's sleep is one of the keys to good health-and may also be a key to maintaining a healthy weight. There is mounting evidence that people who get too little sleep have a higher risk of weight gain and obesity than people who get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.