10 Causes of Sudden Weight Gain You Should Never Ignore

You don’t have to keep an eye on your weight and adjust diet to prevent your body gaining from an extra inch. A little gain is obvious as you age and it has nothing to do with your food. But if you put on 5 pounds or more in a week and that to be without any proper explanation, it’s a thing to worry.

There could be serious causes of rapid weight gain for which even your eating habits can’t be blamed. Although this much fluctuation in weight is common among women but not for men.

Here’s what could be the reason behind it.

Unknown Causes Behind Rapid Weight Gain

1. Not Enough Potassium

Potassium is a savior; it protects your body from harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. In other words, this key nutrient regulates blood pressure. It also helps muscles and nerves to function properly and in flushing out waste products from cells.

When your body doesn’t get enough potassium, the fluid balance of body is disturbed leading to increased water retention. Result- Weight gain. So, get 4,700 mg of potassium through diet daily.

Also Read: Easy Yet Delicious Banana Recipes To Help You Get The Potassium You Need

2. You’ve Quit Smoking

Regular smokers will experience rapid weight gain once they stop smoking immediately. This happens due to sudden suppression of nicotine that in turns affect appetite.

When you were smoking, your diet was not much and quitting can suddenly make you feel hungrier.

3. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Weight gain is not always due to over eating, oversleeping or not taking enough sleep at all is one of the causes of rapid weight gain. Sleep-deprived people are affected more as they are low in energy and rely on carbs for fulfillment. This means more calories, more weight.

Also Read: Can’t Sleep ? Here’s How To Fall Asleep In Just 2 Minutes

4. There’s Something Wrong With Kidney

If you are facing weight gain issues and swelling too, it might be your kidney that is at risk. This can be a symptom of nephritic syndrome where the kidneys get damaged or stop functioning properly.

As a result, toxic waste doesn’t get removed from body easily and problem of fluid retention also build up. For this, check out for other symptoms of kidney problems as well:

• Appetite loss
• Joint pain
• Poor concentration
• Not urinating properly or urine looks foamy
• Headaches
• Muscle cramps

5.Cancer in Ovaries

One of the most dangerous causes of weight gain rapidly is ovarian cancer. But, it is not the only sign of this disease. If other symptoms as mentioned below are also there, consult a doctor right now:

• Sleeping issue
• Indigestion
• Appetite loss
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Abdomen pain

6. Hypothyroidism

First speculation of an unexplained weight gain is a thyroid disorder as this is common in one out of every 8 women. But it shows more symptoms like fatigue, poor energy levels, constipation, puffy face, dry skin, weak muscles, and sensitivity to cold.

7. Perimenopause

Women in early 40s gains weight rapidly when they are in early stage of menopause. It is triggered by irregular hormone levels and show changes like weight gain, irregular periods, mood swings, and loss of muscle mass.

8. Your Blood Sugar is Not Normal

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of rapid weight gain. Your body struggles with insulin production which results into abnormal storage of fat especially around belly. So, go and check your blood sugar level if sudden weight gain is concerning you.

Also Read: 8 Early Signs & Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes Not To Be Ignored

9. Medicines Might be Culprit

Those on medications for depression, diabetes, high blood pressure can also suffer from an unexplained gain in weight. But avoiding medicines is not an issue to cut down the weight. Consult your doctor about this.

10. Cushing Disease

Cushing syndrome is not usually the reason behind sudden weight gain as the disease is very rare. But, one should not ignore any chances especially if you have stress. Cortisol production is affected due to stress which might be due to this condition. Result is excessive fat around neck, back, legs, belly, and arms.

So, when you don’t know what is making you obese despite of taking right diet and doing exercise, consult a doctor. These 10 reasons might be the culprit.