SARAH DI LORENZO: Why you keep gaining weight without realising and how to stop it

Have you gained weight without even realising it? I call it “Bracket Creep” but I’m talking about the scales not tax brackets!

One of the most frustrating things is to be gaining weight and not knowing why or how it happened. I see many patients who can’t understand how they got to their current weight and the frustration can really impact their quality of life.

There are a range of reasons why weight gain happens, particularly people heading into their 50s and 60s. Once someone figures it out, it’s great to to see the weight issue being resolved.

The most common cause would be small lifestyle shifts that seem insignificant but add up over time. Less exercise, not drinking enough water, medication side effects, hidden health issues and ageing in general.

The next big one is the lack of portion control when eating. Over weeks or months, portion sizes may be slowly going up, even though you could be eating healthy you are still eating too much food. Extra snacks, second handfuls of nuts or adding too much avocado could be the culprit. Even when it comes to breakfast cereals, understanding portion sizes is so important. Most people I know struggle to stick to the right serving size.

Something I see a lot and it is not counting your liquid calories from take away coffees, teas, alcohol, juices and soft drinks. Then on the other hand they could be having big healthy smoothies which can be around 500–700 calories with their breakfast. So always be mindful of your liquids.

Many people have changed their level of activity by changing jobs or moving house where they are no longer doing the incidental exercise they once were can lead the weight creeping on.

This is something I see a lot and it is when people are stressed, sleep is poor or there are emotional factors at play. Chronic stress raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which can increase appetite, cravings for sweet junk foods and lead to extra snacking or overeating.

Poor or inconsistent sleep disrupts hunger hormones, increases cravings, and lowers self-control which can also lead to subtle overeating and snacking.

When people are stressed, emotional or bored, eating can become mindless and this is also where the weight blindly creeps on.

Certain medications, ageing and hormonal changes can slow metabolism or encourage fat storage. Anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, steroids, diabetes medications, or blood pressure pills are just a few examples where many people report weight gain. So chat to your healthcare provider if this is you. Some women going through menopause can be completely overwhelmed with the weight creeping on. Menopause is a time where eating needs to be adjusted to match the changes the body is going through.

In general, ageing would be one of the biggest factors. The result of ageing naturally is a decline in muscle mass. Muscle is active tissue so this leads to a reduction in baseline calorie needs. This is why it is so important to keep resistance training with age. Other factors could include undiagnosed under-active thyroid, low vitamin D, low iron and poor gut health. I get all of my patients to have a full check-up when addressing this.

As well they need to track food intake, activity, sleep and stress while under my care. I find this helps reveal habits that might otherwise slip under the radar. It is about being aware and mindful. The solution is to start by overhauling the diet and focus on a healthy whole food diet including vegetables and lean protein at meals that support fullness and balanced blood sugar. Obviously, reducing processed, sugary, and high-calorie snack foods in favour of whole, minimally processed foods can make a meaningful difference.

Revisit your exercise routine, make sure you are walking after meals to help regulate blood glucose. Increase your incidental exercise. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, managing stress, getting to or maintaining a healthy weight.

Weigh yourself a couple of times a week. Regular weekly weigh-ins or other forms of self-check encourage self-awareness. Regular weighing also makes you aware and be able to pick up weight gain before it gets too much.

Being aware, consistent, mindful, sleeping well, drinking your water, managing stress, getting regular check-ups and exercising are all key to maintaining your healthy weight.

Look at taking care of your health like a job. What you did when you were 20 is not the same as when you are 50, so adapting is so important. Regular self-assessment is so important for long term health and wellness.