Fundamentally, weight management is about energy balance. When you take in more energy than your body is using, then your body will store the excess, causing you to gain weight. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy in food.

There are certain medical conditions that can affect the body’s natural energy balance. Many of these conditions cause the body to use less energy than usual, and if you consume the same amount of food, then you’ll be taking in more energy than your body is using. The body generally stores the excess energy in the form of fat. This makes it much more difficult to lose weight, which can be frustrating for many people.

Which medical conditions can lead to weight gain? How can you find out whether you have one of them?

Key Takeaways

• When the body uses less energy than you’re taking in through your food, then the body will tend to store the excess energy as fat.

• Certain medical conditions can cause the body to use less energy than normal; as a result, consuming the same amount of food will result in an excess of energy that’s stored as fat, leading to weight gain.

• Although not every person who’s struggling to lose weight has a medical condition, it’s important to consider the possibility and to get a proper medical evaluation. In some cases, treating a medical condition can make losing excess weight far easier.

Weight management is about energy balance

Weight management is fundamentally about energy balance. The amount of energy in food is measured in the form of calories. If you’re taking in the same amount of energy that you’re using up, then your weight will stay stable. If you take in more energy than you use, then you’ll gain weight, while to lose weight, you need to take in less energy than you use.

Many people find that losing excess weight is challenging. This is often frustrating, and there are many different reasons why it may occur. In some cases, it can be caused by a medical issue. Various medical conditions can alter your body’s natural energy balance. By causing the body to use less energy and to store more of it as fat tissue, these conditions can lead to weight gain.

Although not everyone who struggles to lose weight has one of these conditions, it’s important to consider the possibility. A proper medical evaluation can help to ensure that any medical issues are diagnosed and treated, which can make a huge difference in your weight as well as your overall health.

Common medical conditions that can cause weight gain

There are many different medical conditions that may alter your body’s natural energy balance and lead to weight gain. Although there are too many to list all of them in this article, here are a few of the more common ones.

Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland produces hormones that help to regulate your overall metabolism, including how your cells use and store energy. When this gland produces too little thyroid hormone, this is called hypothyroidism. 

People with hypothyroidism have a decrease in their metabolic rate, so their bodies use less energy compared with people who have normal thyroid hormone levels. As a result, they tend to gain weight. In addition to gaining extra fat tissue, people with hypothyroidism often gain additional weight in fluid, due to their bodies retaining salt and water.

Diabetes

In some cases, people with diabetes may gain weight when they start taking insulin or medications that increase insulin production. This is because insulin causes your cells to take up sugar from your blood, and if there’s more sugar available than they can use, the extra will be stored as fat. If you’re eating the same amount that you were eating before you started taking insulin, then you may gain some weight because of this.

The damage caused to the body by high blood sugar is considerable, so it’s very important to take insulin if you need it. At the same time, many people who start taking insulin may benefit from a program that helps them to manage their weight, so that the insulin doesn’t cause weight gain.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a condition in which a woman’s hormones become imbalanced. In a woman with PCOS, the body produces higher levels of androgens, which are male hormones such as testosterone. In addition, levels of insulin are also increased, causing cells to take up sugar from the blood and store the excess energy as fat. 

The relationship between weight and PCOS is complex. Being overweight increases the risk of this condition, but the condition itself can also lead to weight gain, and most women with PCOS are overweight.

Cushing’s Syndrome

Cushing’s syndrome (sometimes known as Cushing syndrome) is a condition in which the adrenal glands make too much of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone – it typically rises when a person is under stress, but should fall again after the stressful situation is over. In people with Cushing’s syndrome, the levels of cortisol remain high at all times. This can result from the body producing too much cortisol, or from taking medications that mimic cortisol (corticosteroids, such as prednisone). 

Progressive weight gain, especially on the face, neck, and abdomen, is a very common symptom of Cushing’s syndrome. The arms and legs will often remain thin, while the central parts of the body experience weight gain.

Depression

The relationship between depression and weight is complex. Some people with depression lose weight, while others gain it. Depression can affect a person’s appetite, but it may either increase or decrease it. The disease can also have a huge impact on activity levels, causing many people to become less active. Because of these issues, people with depression may find themselves gaining weight.

Certain Medications

There are also a huge number of medications that can have weight gain as a side effect. These include a variety of common drugs, including birth control pills, antidepressants, epilepsy medications, steroids, and certain diabetes and high blood pressure medications. 

Adopting a holistic approach to weight loss

If you’ve made an effort to lose weight, but have not seen results, you may want to consider getting a medical evaluation to rule out medical causes. In many cases, medical treatment can help to address underlying medical causes of weight gain. There are also certain medications that can be used to help with weight loss directly, such as GLP-1 RAs.

Medical treatment should be used to support healthy weight loss. It’s not a replacement for a healthy diet and exercise; these are always an important component of living a healthy lifestyle, whether you’re receiving any medical treatments or not. However, many people find it challenging to create a healthy lifestyle plan, and to stay on track with maintaining this.

Some people may benefit from the guidance provided by a holistic medical weight loss program, like NOVI Optimum or NOVI Optimum Plus. These programs integrate medical therapy, nutritional advice, and exercise into a coherent plan for sustainable weight loss. Health coaching is included, in order to help patients find ways to integrate their weight loss plan into their lives and stay on track.