We resort to all sorts of tricks to shed those extra pounds! Trendy diets, complex salon treatments, even pills and “weight loss” mixtures. But at best, the weight stays the same, and at worst, it stubbornly returns like a nightmare. And all because, in our pursuit of results, we often forget to understand the underlying causes. Forewarned is forearmed, so let's list the ones the beauty industry doesn't mention.
1. Hormonal imbalance
Symptoms:
– hair on the head loses volume, while on the face and body, on the contrary, it grows rapidly;
– excess weight is formed according to the male type, i.e. the figure becomes rounded in the abdominal area;
– tendency to acne;
– irregular menstrual cycle.
These symptoms may indicate that your ovaries are producing too much of the male hormone testosterone. While weight gain may seem subtle, if not addressed promptly, it can lead to serious health problems.
The solution : a visit to a gynecologist-endocrinologist, who will take blood tests and perform a pelvic ultrasound. In many cases, a special diet, vitamins, and physical therapy can restore the normal structure of the ovaries. In some cases, anti-hormonal medications are essential. Combined with exercise, you can shed not only excess weight but also accumulated, unused energy. This is good for both your figure and your psyche, you'll agree.
2. Hypothyroidism
Symptoms:
– brittle hair and nails;
– excessive dryness of the skin;
– constant chills;
– extra 3-5 kg in the stomach and buttocks area, which are almost impossible to get rid of.
This indicates that you may have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). An underactive thyroid reduces the body's metabolic efficiency: excess fat and water accumulate in the tissues, which cannot be eliminated by diet alone, and you feel too exhausted to exercise regularly.
The solution : another visit to an endocrinologist. This is especially necessary if you're over 30, live in a big city, suffer from autoimmune diseases (diabetes, anemia, chronic fatigue syndrome), or simply catch colds too often. Once your thyroid function is corrected and you return to a healthy lifestyle, your “ideal” weight will return.
3. Swelling
Symptoms:
– “floating” contours of the figure, pastosity;
– shortness of breath;
– urinary dysfunction.
First of all, it's the result of excess water in the body's tissues. However, the causes can vary. If you swell from any liquid you ingest, it's likely that your kidneys are malfunctioning. Shortness of breath indicates heart problems. And a sudden increase in waist size could indicate liver disease.
There's another reason for puffiness that all fans of rapid weight loss techniques should consider. If you overdo lymphatic drainage treatments, you'll eventually develop compensatory lymphostasis, which is a disruption of normal lymphatic function. This won't solve your metabolic problem, but rather worsen it.
Solution : simply know your body's weak points and, if possible, avoid self-medication. If you fanatically and only occasionally try to expel fluid from your body, you'll only harm yourself. Your goal is to restore balance to all your organs and systems, and try not to overload the weak links.
4. Bad habits
Symptoms:
– long-term use of drugs and substances that affect mood (drugs, alcohol, antidepressants, diet pills);
– sudden weight gain during the year;
– disruption of the nervous system (from irritability to apathy, etc.)
I don't want to sound trivial, but nothing on Earth goes unnoticed. Weight gain is one of the side effects of this “mental anesthesia” that we can become addicted to for various reasons. The mechanisms behind this process are both complex and simple. The essence is that metabolism, constantly stimulated by doping, becomes accustomed to its presence, and dependence develops. Without the doping, the body seeks other compensation. And so you lose control, hoping for some external stimulus to pull yourself together. But this is yet another trap.
Solution : Be honest with yourself. Answer the questions of what's happening to you and why. No one but you can do this. And try to distance yourself from all sources of negative emotions. After all, excess weight (unless you're obsessed with losing weight) isn't the cause, it's the consequence.
5. Fanaticism
Symptoms:
– regular and careful counting of calories with the goal of not exceeding 1000-1200;
– loss of appetite;
– exhausted appearance, poor health, increased excitability.
Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, when asked how she maintains her perfect figure, once replied, “I sit there without eating!” While respecting this admission, let's not take it as a guide to action. Each of us has our own body type, determined by nature. If we don't respect this fact and give our body what it needs through food, we'll quickly recall the saying, “A skinny cow is not a gazelle.”
Statistically, only 5% of women in the world have a body type that meets today's slimming standards. The rest can't achieve this standard without compromising their health. Consider this: 98% of people who lose weight on a diet quickly gain it back, and 90% of them weigh more after three years than they did before trying to lose weight.
Therefore, we need to focus not on kilograms and imposed criteria, but on our own health and well-being. Planned, daily, and starting tomorrow. Without fanaticism, but with common sense and attention to ourselves, our beloved selves. This is the attention we need most.