“I use to be thin when I was in school and college, I do not know how I put on so much of weight suddenly” or “I eat my normal diet but suddenly I have developed a paunch” Do you remember hearing this from your friends or family. There are chances that you may have experienced these changes in your body once you reached your 30’s. Research indicates that men and women gain weight after they are married, have kids and are settled in their jobs.
Let’s understand the common reason for weight gain after reaching 30.
Reason 1: Erratic eating habit
Most individuals get ambitious of moving up the corporate ladder as they reach their mid life and hence fail to pay attention to their eating habits. They skip meals to complete the projects; binge on junk foods regularly. Eating out at official meetings and seminars seem unavoidable. The erratic eating patterns do not suit the sedentary lifestyle which results in the increase in waist line.
Reason 2: Ignorance about basic nutrition
Though the modern day individuals are getting savvy about what to eat and what to avoid, there is a huge ignorance in their understanding between the lines. Having misinformation about various foods and their nutritional values, leads to spending money on various health products that do no good for the body. Following fad diets that promise to help you to lose weight easily, eventually leads to weight gain.
Reason 3: Decrease in physical activity
Most men and women find themselves caught up in the hectic schedule of work and family. They are always juggling to find time for themselves hence scheduling a specific time to exercise is generally not in their daily schedule. Though individuals in their mid life are busy but their physical activity in comparison to their early life drastically decreases which is a major cause for weight gain. Studies suggest that a decrease in the physical activity is the primary reason for the increase in fat mass with age.
Reason 4: Poor sleeping habits
A person in their mid life gets independent. His schedules generally include late working hours, late parties, all this leads to delay in the usual sleeping time. Being awake till late at night leads to late night bingeing which in turn leads to weight gain. Sleep deprivation leads to poor energy management which in turn adds kilos. For instance if you are feeling sleepy at work, you are tempted to have a cup of tea or coffee for that instant energy later you may skip your exercise schedule because you of your hectic work schedule which leads to weight gain.
Reason 5: Stress
For many people in their 30’s it is a time to focus on career goals, financial goals, getting married, starting a family. Major life changes can be stressful. Studies suggest that there is a connection between stress and gaining weight. When an individual is stressed, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which contributes to weight gain. Additionally, people tend to eat more under stress. All this could combine to a drastic weight gain.
Reason 6: Metabolism
Metabolism is the rate at which the body burns calories. As an individual enters the 30’s the metabolism rate slows down. In simple words, an indiviudal burns fewer calories than they did in their younger age hence even if they continue with the same diet and exercise regime like they followed in their earlier years, they still tend to gain weight. In women changes in the hormones caused due to pregnancy and menopause also adds to kilos.
Reason 7: Addictions
Research indicates that most individuals start a new relationship with smoking, and drinking alcohol to manage stress or social pressure as they reach their 30’s. These addictions have their own set of combinations for instance tea and smoking, eating peanuts or other fried variety of food with alcohol. Once these habits set in, they add to the increasing waist line and destroy childhood ideologies and well crafted good habits.
The main problem with weight gain in middle age is more than a cosmetic issue, it is closely related with various health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and various cancers.
While it is hard to lose the weight that is gained in the middle years but it is definitely possible, however prevention is always better than cure.
Here’s what you can do to avoid weight gain in your mid life:
The simplest ways to avoid weight gain in the mid life is to avoid all of the above. The judicious mix of following a healthy eating pattern and adding physical activity to your daily regime can help you ward off the extra kilos gained in your mid life years.
So do not lose heart even if you gain weight ….. Be positive as losing weight is as easy as gaining weight.
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