Not happy with your weight, fed being told that you should be a size “zero”, its not easy losing weight. There are several external factors that make us overweight. Genes have a major part to play in our body’s make up, they can give us signals that make us think we are hungry all the time, in a medical study it was shown that many genes have been identified that either increase or decrease our appetite. An under active Thyroid, this condition happens when this gland does not produce the hormone that helps with your body’s metabolism, your doctor will advise you on the steps to take for this medical condition, but its worth remembering that once you are on the drug thyroxin it can take up to nine months to feel and see any change in your body.
Emotions are another factor in our body’s make up, had a bad day at the office, had an argument with work colleague this can make us turn to comfort food, crisps, cakes or even that bar of chocolate in the cupboard.
Stress is another factor that can turn us comfort eating or craving, would you reach for the weight watchers soup or head to the nearest take-a-way, bet I can guess. When we are under a lot of stress our body’s produce a hormone called Cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) this hormone amongst other functions is responsible for proper glucose metabolism, stress relief can be regulated by some techniques such as exercise, listening to music, sex and meditation.
These are a few of the factors that cause us to be overweight, but one important fact to remember is that you do not become overweight overnight! On average it takes us 3500 excess calories to put on an average 1lb of extra weight.
In the end losing weight is all down to the individual, there is no easy fix, no magic, just determination and support from those around you.
