What Causes Women to Gain Weight?

Many women feel as if they are in the midst of a never-ending war with the scale. Keeping yourself svelte and trim may, at times, seem next to impossible. If you find that this task proves more challenging than it once did, consider the reasons why you might be gaining weight. Some weight gain can be attributed to factors over which you have some control, but other factors are out of your control.

Excessive Food Consumption

Some moms find that their on-the-go lifestyle leads them to consume more food than they once did. They have little time to consider portion size or measure out food servings. Eating between meals can also lead you to down more calories than you initially intended, leading to weight gain.

Insufficient Physical Activity

The exhaustion commonly associated with raising a family and tending to a household leads some women to give up the physical activity that they once enjoyed. If you find yourself sinking into the sofa or taking to bed early instead of completing that evening run or doing some time on treadmill, you might be gaining weight as a result of this behavioral change.

Hormonal Changes

Women’s bodies are largely hormone driven. As you age, the hormone balance within your body shifts, and this shift can lead to weight change. While slight hormonal changes can occur at any time, the largest, most noticeable changes accompany major female life events, including the onset of menses, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

Medication

Some women find that weight gain is an unwelcoming companion to medication change. If you have recently started taking a medication, and find that you are now not fitting so well into your favorite jeans, the new drugs could be to blame. Many medications list weight gain as a potential side effect. This side effect is particularly common in birth control drugs as these drugs are specifically designed to change your hormonal levels.

Stress

As WebMD reports, excessive stress can lead to weight gain. When your body senses stress, it goes into survival mode. When in this mode, you are more likely to store fats. Additionally, the psychological impact of stress may lead you to comfort eat, compounding the already present weight gain-related effect.