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- Watching what you eat is important, but you may still be not losing weight.
- There are some other health reasons that could be preventing you from losing weight.
- It is important to consult with your doctor.
There are a number of reasons you could be struggling to lose weight or are gaining weight, even if you’re eating right.
Holly Lofton, MD, director of the Weight Management Program at NYU Langone Health told INSIDER this is a common problem for her patients, but there are solutions.
“I see this very commonly,” Dr. Lofton said. “The average person comes in, they know how to lose weight … They’re doing what they expect they should, they’re tracking their calories, they’re doing 10,000 steps and they’re not getting weight loss, or, god forbid, [they are gaining weight].”
Here are some reasons why you may be gaining weight even if you have a healthy diet. Dr. Lofton advises talking to your doctor in order to identify why if you have specific issues with any of them.
Side effects of your medications could be causing you to gain weight.
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Certain medications, particularly antidepressants, can cause you to gain weight as a side effect of the drug.
“[SSRI antidepressants] have weight-gain potential when taken for more than a couple of months,” Dr. Lofton said. “That’s a really common [reason for weight gain].”
“You could just do an online search and see if weight gain is one of the side effects of your medication. That’s readily available information online,” she added. “Also, talk to your doctor. If the medication you are on does have weight-gain potential, there are likely some alternatives in similar classes that might be better for you.”
Contraception can also make you gain a few extra pounds.
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Some forms of contraception can also have weight gain as a common side-effect. According to WebMD, birth control pills have lower amounts of hormones, making it less likely for oral contraception to cause weight gain. However, Dr. Lofton said other kinds of contraception can cause weight gain.
“I see it commonly with these depo shots … the three-month depo injections [can add] about 13 pounds a year,” Dr. Lofton said.
You might have a hormone imbalance that makes you gain weight.
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Your hormones are chemicals that control most of your bodily functions. So, if you’re gaining weight without any obvious explanation, it could be a sign you have a hormone imbalance.
According to StyleCraze, the hormones that are most likely to cause weight gain include: thyroid, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, estrogen, cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, melatonin, and glucocorticoids.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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