Why Am I Putting On Weight Even After Healthy Eating?

Are you constantly gaining weight? Worried about the weight gain even after eating clean? If you’re eating clean and consuming whole foods with no processed ingredients, and generally doing your best to live a healthy lifestyle, the weight scale should fall, even though little.

But if you notice that the scales are rising instead of your constant efforts, the problem may be how you are implementing the weight close measures and how fruitful they are. The truth is that there are many possibilities that lead to weight gain, and clean eating itself certainly does not guarantee weight loss.

So let’s explore why this could be happening to you:

1. Portion Sizes Matter

Even healthy foods consumed in excess can make you gain weight. Clean eating usually revolves around nutrient-laden foods like vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains, but calories still count. Consume healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. If you’re consuming large portions of these foods, your body might be in a slight caloric surplus, and it can trigger weight gain.

2. Don’t Underrate Exercise

Weight gain is not all about what you eat. Regular movement or exercising is important to avoid further weight gain. If you are indeed eating clean but without any exercise, your body may not be able to use the calories that you take in. Being sedentary can result in weight gain even when you’re eating healthy. Be sure your exercise routine matches up with your healthy eating habits.

3. Stress And Hormones

Stress can cause weight gain. Chronic stress and anxiety increases cortisol production, which results in fat storage, especially in the belly. Even if you are eating clean, but coping with a lot of stress, your metabolism may slow down, thereby cause weight gain. Also, other hormones such as thyroid may act against your efforts to lose weight, no matter how well you are eating.

4. Underlying Medical Conditions

Some conditions, such as hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or insulin resistance, make it possible to gain weight. These diseases affect how calories are burned down by your body and how fat is stored in your body. If you are eating healthy, yet still find it difficult to lose weight, it can be best to see an online weight coach or an online physician who can help identify any health issues that may be causing the weight to rise.

5. Fluid Retention

Weight gain is sometimes not due to stored body fat but because of the retention of water. Some foods cause the body to retain extra water, particularly salty processed foods or those high in sodium and

refined carbohydrates. Most possibly, the nutrient rich diet that you are consuming may allow the water to retain, resulting in temporary weight gain. Fluctuations in hormones relating to the menstrual cycle can also affect the water retention parameters in the women.

6. Healthy Foods Are Not For All

Even in clean diets, some healthy foods do not go well with your body. For instance, if you have gluten or dairy intolerance; healthy food items can cause your body to react with inflammation or weight gain. Besides, some foods might include legumes, grains, or high-fiber foods that might cause bloating; hence causing temporary weight gain.

7. Take A Good Night Sleep

Not only long, but quality sleep is required for maintaining an optimal body weight. Lack of sleep can unbalance ghrelin and leptin, the two hormones that are responsible for controlling hunger and a feeling of fullness. This unbalance in hormones leads to increased food consumption and weight gain. Poor sleep can upset your metabolism and increase cravings for unhealthy food which can ultimately lead to weight gain.

8. Slow Metabolic Activity

With a sedentary lifestyle, the body will adapt to a given routine, thus causing metabolism to slow down. If you’ve been so regular in eating clean and exercising well for some time, may be your body is burning calories at a slower rate. It’s a normal phenomenon; however, it means that there should be modification done in the diet or types of workouts to see continuous progress.

9. Count The Calories You Consume

Eating clean does not mean you are eating any fewer calories. For example, whole grain pasta, quinoa, and wholesome smoothies can be high on calories. Though the nutrients they contain are good for health, one can still put on weight by eating too much of healthy foods. It is always advised to track the calories in food you are consuming.

10. Emotional Eating Is A Big No

At times, even though people are eating more wisely, emotional eating is still followed by many. Stress, anxiety, boredom, or certain feelings might result in overeating, no matter how healthy the foods are. One might even eat healthily yet emotionally, which can trigger weight gain.

Achieve Your Weight Management Goals With MDChronic

It might be very disappointing to eat healthy and still watching the weight scale going up. However, it is important to understand that weight management is very complex, more than just food: exercise, stress management, sleep, and hormones are other important aspects to be taken care of.

In case, you are doing all the good things but nothing seems to work, start recording your portion sizes, assessing activity levels, and ensuring all medical or hormonal issues are being addressed. And the best of all is, scheduling a consultation session with a health coach via an online care platform.

It’s not just about weight; it’s about feeling great. Build up healthy habits and follow an active lifestyle to keep your body weight in control. MDChronic is a leading virtual care platform, helping its members with general wellness and preventive care services, along with weight management and lifestyle tips.