This may be due to menstruation, heart or kidney failure, preeclampsia, or medicines you take. A rapid weight gain may be a sign of dangerous fluid retention. If you quit smoking, you might gain weight. Most people who quit smoking gain 4 to 10 pounds (2 to 4.5 kilograms) in the first 6 months after quitting.
Sudden weight gain -- 2-3 pounds in a day or more than 5 pounds a week -- could mean it's getting worse. You also might have swollen feet and ankles, a faster pulse, heavy breathing, high blood pressure, memory loss, and confusion. You might want to track these symptoms so you can tell your doctor about abrupt changes.
From constipation to immune dysfunction, not eating enough can lead to a host of health issues. One of the main reasons that undereating can lead to weight gain is because consuming too few calories can cause your resting metabolic rate to slow down. This means you may burn fewer calories throughout the day.
In some people, obesity can be traced to a medical cause, such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing syndrome and other conditions. Medical problems, such as arthritis, also can lead to decreased activity, which may result in weight gain.
There are a wide range of hormonal issues that may cause sudden, unexplained weight gain. These include thyroid deficiency, declining estrogen (often due to menopause), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Coronary heart disease. Stroke. Gallbladder disease. Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint).
Factors like age, decreased activity levels, loss of muscle mass, a slower metabolism, and even your menstrual cycle can all cause you to gain a few extra pounds. So unexplained weight gain isn't always something to worry about, especially if you can pinpoint the reason after thinking about it for a few minutes.
It kicks in to preserve and store fat for future energy. Research shows that this happens because the human body has evolved to value storing fat and energy and to interpret a shortage of calories as sign of distress.
What does hormonal weight gain look like? Hormonal weight gain looks like any type of excess weight. Factors such as age, sex, body type, and cause of weight gain may make you gain weight differently. However, it's not possible to know that hormones are causing your weight gain by the way it looks.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
The typical fat-gain areas for many women are the hips, arms and thighs, giving them what is termed a 'pear-shape'. The other areas where many women accumulate fat are the chest and the abdomen. Such women have slim arms and legs, and are seen as 'apple-shaped'. They also might have a family history of diabetes.
Thyroid disorders
When your immune system messes with your thyroid, it can cause unexplained weight changes. Your thyroid helps control your metabolism, so if it's underactive (hypothyroidism), everything slows down. That's why common symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, constipation, hair loss, and depression.
The hormones leptin and insulin, sex hormones and growth hormone influence our appetite, metabolism (the rate at which our body burns kilojoules for energy), and body fat distribution. People who are obese have levels of these hormones that encourage abnormal metabolism and the accumulation of body fat.
Abdominal swelling, or distention, is more often caused by overeating than by a serious illness. This problem also can be caused by: Air swallowing (a nervous habit) Buildup of fluid in the abdomen (this can be a sign of a serious medical problem)
Bloating Is Localized While Belly Fat Is Widespread
One easy way to tell the difference between bloating and belly fat is that, with bloating, only the stomach expands due to the excess gas accumulation. You will likely notice other bulges with excess fat, particularly on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and back.
A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).