Losing weight could be a valid goal for some while others want to prevent any weight loss. For those who just want to maintain their weight or perhaps gain a little more weight, not to mention the ones eyeing to avoid losing too much weight, several factors may lead to unintentional weight loss. It is a good idea to keep these few considerations in mind:
1. Caloric Deficiency
An inadequate intake of calories is one of the most common reasons for losing weight. When one burns more calories than the number consumed, the body will begin to use fat and muscle tissues as energy reserves, causing a loss of weight.
Here are some of the strategies that can be helpful:
- Use food journals or calorie-counting apps to keep track of your calorie intake.
- Eat a well-rounded diet, providing healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates to store energy throughout the day.
- If you lead an active life, take this into consideration and increase your calorie intake accordingly.
2. Underlying Medical Conditions
Certain medical problems can lead to unexplained weight loss. The following is a list of common diseases that typically lead to weight loss:
- Hyperthyroidism: This condition causes the thyroid gland to be overactive. It is responsible for speeding up one’s metabolism and leading to weight loss.
- Diabetes: In uncontrolled blood glucose, there is often weight loss. This is especially so in type 1 diabetes.
- Digestive Disorders: Occasional disease such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may also lead to a deficiency in digestion that causes weight loss.
- Cancer or Chronic Illnesses: These may cause weight loss through some metabolic changes, loss of appetite, or malabsorption of nutrients.
What to do:
Unintentional weight loss of more than 5% of your body in six to 12 months or less warrants a trip to your primary care physician, says Sayed. The same goes for more modest weight loss that can’t be attributed to lifestyle changes (like eating better and exercising).
3. Stress and Mental Health Issues
If you experience chronic stress, anxiety or depression, you may be prone to changes in appetite and other eating habits. While stress might cause one person to overeat, another person might forget to eat or lose motivation to cook nutritious meals. It’s even been shown to disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut, studies have shown.
What to do:
- Look for professional and at-home stress-busting practices to calm your mind, like mindfulness or meditation, whenever you can.
- Consider seeing a therapist if you’re losing weight because of severe depression or anxiety, Dr. Friedman says.
- Keep to a regular eating schedule, making sure you consume something nutritional at every meal even if the quantity of food is less than usual.
4. Excessive Exercise
Despite being very much needed for general well-being, over-exercise, when coupled with inadequate nutrition or rest, can lead to unwanted loss of body weight. Intensive activity runs down glycogen stores and causes an increased expenditure of calories, and if those calories remain unreplenished, a consequent weight loss will ensue, particularly in the case of muscle mass.
What to Do:
- Make certain that for your activity level, especially if you are doing high-intensity exercise, you are eating a full-enough diet to sustain yourself.
- Do strength training and cardio to maintain lean muscle and limited fat loss.
- Rest and recover so that your body has time to rebuild muscle and refill energy stores.
5. Poor Diet Choices
If a person is eating poorly and lacks certain nutrients, then the body does not get to function in the best mode and thus you lose weight. This could include dieting or skipping meals to an extent that they experience nutrient deficiency and are too low on energy to maintain their body weight.
What to Do:
- Do not start restrictive diets with absolute food group reverse unless it is medically necessary.
- Eating a wide variety of foods that are nutrient-dense will allow your body to enjoy a perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.
- Focus on wholesome and unprocessed foods that nourish your body and help you maintain a healthy weight.
6. Medications and Treatments
Some drugs may have weight loss as an unintended reaction to their intake and include chemotherapy drugs, hyperthyroid treatment medicines, some antidepressants, diuretics, among others.
What to do:
- If you have been on medication while witnessing weight loss, speak with your doctor to see if there may be side effects.
- Do not stop or modify your drug intake in any manner without consulting your doctor first; do ask whether alternatives that may result in weight loss less frequently may be available.
- A doctor may also advise nutritional supplements or dietary modifications to help alleviate weight loss caused by drugs.
7. Age-Related Changes
Your metabolism generally slows down with age while muscle mass often dwindles; thus, it may become challenging to maintain or even gain weight as one ages. Moreover, changes in appetite, dental issues, or difficulty cooking and shopping for food can lead to unintended weight loss among older adults.
What to do:
- Concentrate on high-calorie, energy-dense foods that contain plenty of good nutrients: including avocados, nuts, seeds, and full-fat dairy products.
- Incorporate resistance training to help maintain muscle mass and metabolic rate.
- Make meal times a priority and consider working with a nutritionist who is well trained in those matters, if it is financial, feasible.
8. Dehydration and Fluid Loss
Rapid or unintentional weight loss occasionally results from loss of fluids instead of fat. Conditions such as diarrhea, vomiting, hypersweating, and dehydration may cause fluctuations in weight.
What to do:
- Drink sufficient amounts of water during the day.
- If long-lasting dehydration or fluid loss, most probably due to disease, occurs, consult a healthcare provider.
Conclusion
Preventing weight loss is affected by the caloric intake, physical health, psychological state, and lifestyle factors. Keeping informed and making conscious decisions regarding food choices, exercise instruction, and general health could sufficiently assist you in achieving the targeting healthy weight. If you notice any substantial or unaccounted-for weight loss, you ought to see your provider immediately to rule out and appropriately treat such conditions.
