What is Causing My Weight Gain?

Patients have been asking me these questions: What is causing my weight gain? How can I trim down and how can I lose belly fat?

Here are a few common themes that may be causing your weight gain

• Processed Foods:  eating too much processed food and over consuming high caloric foods including processed vegetable oils, sugary drinks and all types of sweet snacks.
• Higher Stress Levels: We have very busy schedules and high stress levels with all of life’s demands. With these busy schedules, this leaves us less time for healthy habits such as regular exercise, good consistent sleep and home cooked healthy meals. Another thing that happens with elevated stress is elevated cortisol levels which can increase abdominal fat.
• Food Prices: Higher Food prices could also lead us to make unhealthy choices. Often the cost of good healthy organic food is more expensive.
• Sedentary Lifestyle: The last 2 decades there has been a decrease in physical activity. According to statistics, a sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity are among the leading modifier risk factors.
• Eat real food; including vegetables, fruit, clean organic meats and fish, being careful of the mercury content in larger fish. Avoid fast food.
• Increase Fiber; such as beans, carrots, apples, oats and barley, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and spinach just to name a few.
• Decrease Sugar including drinks that contain sugar, some sauces and the hidden sugar In foods in restaurants.
• Eat More Proteins such a grass fed beef, organic chicken, salmon that is wild-caught, and you may opt for a good quality protein mix (like the ones we sell in the office).

Track your calories or keep a journal of what you are eating during the day. Sometimes we forget what we have already eaten or we multitask while eating which might cause us to overeat.

Eat mindfully, eat slowly allowing yourself to taste and enjoy your food. This is also better for your digestion.