Weight Gain

Why do people gain weight? It's a common question with a simple answer. Continue below to discover:

• The Basics of Weight Gain
• The Calorie
• Aging and Weight
• Weight Gain and Menopause
• Consequences of Weight Gain

---

The Basics of Weight Gain

The body is in a constant state of change and it tries to keep a balance of all aspects of itself, this is called homeostatis. For example, when your body temperature rises, your body tells your sweat glands to start releasing sweat to cool itself down. Your body does the same with food. Food is converted to energy, which is measured in the units, calories. Excess calories ingested that are not used as energy has to go some where, that is, it gets stored as fat and consequently weight gain occurs.

The balancing act:

The Equation	Caloric Intake	In Simple Terms	The Result
Energy In = Energy Out	Neutral Caloric Intake	You eat as much calories as you burn	No weight gain, no weight loss
Energy In > Energy Out	Positive Caloric Intake	You eat more calories than you burn	Weight gain
Energy In < Energy Out	Negative Caloric Intake	You eat less calories than you burn	Weight loss

The Calorie and The Joule

The calorie and the joule are measures of energy. Calorie used to measure "heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body"*.

When speaking in scientific terms, the definition of a one calorie is "the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius..."*.

To convert calories to joules:

1 calorie = 4.19 joules

And one kilocalorie is 1000 calories:

1000 calories = 1 kilocalorie

Aging and Weight Gain

The two contributing factors for weight gain later in life is:

• decreased metabolic rate
• decreased amounts of physical activity.

The body's metabolic rate slows down after the age of 30 years old. This means that food is not converted to energy as quickly and is more likely to be stored as fat.

Amounts of physical activity can also decrease with age, without a decrease in the amount of food consumed per day. This means that the calories you put in is not used up and is more likely to be stored as fat.

Weight Gain and Menopause

For women, menopause causes an increase in fat stores and decrease in lean muscle mass. Before menopause, that is, during a woman's fertile years, fat is stored around the lower body on the hips and buttocks. The storage of fat in the lower body acts as an energy reserve in case of pregnancy. Estrogen levels are reduced at menopause, causing the body to store fat around the abdomen and upper body.

Consequences of Weight Gain

Weight gain left unchecked can cause the body to become overweight. Being overweight can increase the risks of health problems such as:

• high blood pressure
• high blood cholesterol
• blood vessel and heart disease
• heart attack
• stroke
• type 2 diabetes
• osteoarthritis

Maintain Your Weight!

In order to maintain your weight as you grow older, most people need to eat less and exercise more. Learn tips for diet and eating habits that can help reduce and reverse weight gain later in life.


* Definitions from http://dictionary.reference.com/

The information provided is intended solely for general information and is NOT to replace advice from your physician or other medical professionals and should NOT be relied upon for any diagnosis, treatment or cure. Always check with your doctor before starting any new drug, alternative, natural or herbal treatments and supplements.