Tag Archives: weight gain

Cortisol’s Risks and Rewards Based on Your Stress Level

Cortisol is a hormone that’s released into the bloodstream by the adrenal glands. It’s released in two ways: in low, steady levels and in high, short bursts. Releasing a short burst of concentrated cortisol is part of your body’s survival mechanism, also know as the fight or flight response.

Steady levels of cortisol provide low doses that help to regulate:

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Theresa

Your Thanksgiving Day Survival Guide

We all like to think of the holidays as everyone’s favorite time of year, where families get together over delicious food to share stories and make memories. In actuality, while the holidays are a great time, if everyone is being honest, the holidays are full of chaos, stress, over-eating and the occasional screaming match between over-involved loved ones.

Yes, we all do enjoy the holidays, and Thanksgiving is the kick-off holiday function for the months of more holidays to come. One of the biggest stressors of the holiday season? Food and weight gain. The solution? The best offense is a good defense- a plan to keep those creepy calories at bay. Thanksgiving is, in a sense, an entire holiday based around one gigantic meal, but with a well-laid plan in place, you’ll be able to make it through Turkey Day without your elastic pants. (more…)

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Kelly

Caffeine Intoxication a Real Risk for Caffeine Addicts

Most of us probably have the regular cup or two of coffee or tea in the morning to wake up and get raring to go for the day. I know each morning I look forward to my cup of hot green tea and sometimes even have a cup in the afternoon as a pick-me-up. On the weekends, I get a nonfat soy latte as a treat.

There’s a lot of research out there on caffeine- some of it good and some of it not so good. For example, caffeine has been shown to have a positive effect on sports performance. Caffeine increases the power output of muscles by releasing calcium, which basically helps you go longer and faster. Caffeine also helps you feel less tired, so, in a race, you just keep going and going. That cup of joe has also been shown to improve mental alertness and may help ward off a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, cirrhosis and colon cancer. (more…)

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Jennipher

Weight Gain Caused by Exposure to Light

We’ve all heard the many reasons for gaining weight, but you’ve probably not heard this one: Consistent exposure to light at night may lead to gaining weight. The odd part is that the study says that weight gain occurred even when eating habits and activity levels did not change.

The researchers found that mice who were exposed to a dim light at night over eight weeks had a body mass gain that was about 50 percent more than the mice that lived in a normal light and darkness cycle.

“Although there were no differences in activity levels or daily consumption of food, the mice that lived with light at night were getting fatter than the others,” said Laura Fonken, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuroscience at Ohio State University.

The mysterious weight gain comes from what the researchers believe is ill-timed eating with the mice that were exposed to nighttime light. (more…)

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Jason

Vegetarian Diet Myths Debunked

Vegetarianism isn’t just about eating ‘bunny food’ and pounds of tofu everyday. There are a lot of myths surrounding vegetarianism; everything from how healthy going vegetarian really is for the human body all the way down to how to make proper meatless nutrient substitutions. We have compiled a list of the most prevalent vegetarian myths out there and are here to set the record straight.

MYTH: Vegetarians don’t get enough protein.

FACT: Protein doesn’t only come from animal sources. Protein can be found in veg-head-friendly foods like beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Some great sources of protein for vegetarians are tempeh, quinoa, almonds, brown rice, and pinto beans. In addition, most people, vegetarian or not, get more protein than they need in a day, so extra effort to add protein to your diet is usually unnecessary. (more…)

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Kelly

Hormones May Predict Regaining Weight

It’s become an ending just as predictable as the latest Hollywood romantic comedy: weight gain after a successful run on a diet. While the most common explanation for this unhappy ending is dieting methods that will never turn into lifestyle changes, you may have hormones to blame as well.

According to a new study, the levels of appetite hormones in the body before dieting may be a predictor of weight regain after dieting.

“Treating obesity with drugs or dietary programs can be very effective in the short-term, but the long-term success of maintaining the weight lost is usually poor,” said lead study author Ana Crujeiras, PhD, of Compejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago in Spain.

“Our study sheds light on how the appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin affect weight regain after weight loss. This knowledge could be used as a tool to personalize weight-loss programs that could guarantee success in keeping off the weight.” (more…)

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Jason

Overweight Drinkers More Prone to Brain Injury

Excessive drinking can cause weight gain. That’s not news. But what is news is that if you gain weight and drink excessively, it’s double trouble for your brain health, according to new research.

According to the new study, if you are overweight and you abuse alcohol, you are more susceptible to brain injury than people who drink and are not overweight.

“It is commonly believed that it is the large amount of consumed alcohol by itself that leads to brain injury in alcoholics,” said principal investigator Dieter J. Meyerhoff, a professor of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco and San Francisco VA Medical Center. (more…)

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Jason

What is Sleep Eating?

Also sometimes called sleep-related eating (disorder), nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED), or sleep-eating syndrome, sleep eating is a rare and dangerous sleep disorder (not an eating disorder) that affects up to three percent of the population. There can be comorbidity with eating disorders; however, ten to 15 percent of those that suffer from eating disorders also experience sleep eating.

Definition
Sleep eating is classified by episodes of sleep walking during which one eats. Often the foods eaten during sleep are high in sugar or high in fat. Non-food items (such as soap) or odd combinations (such as raw bacon covered in mayonnaise) have also been reported as eaten during episodes of sleep eating. The sleep eater often awakes in the morning with no memory of the event.

There are several dangers associated with sleep eating. Sleep walking of any kind poses the risk of self-injury from running into things, falling down stairs, etc. Those that are sleep eating are at risk of injury from eating uncooked food or non-food items, choking, using knives, and even cooking while sleeping, and starting a fire. In addition, sleep eating also carries the same risks as binge eating, such as weight gain and increased risk of diabetes. (more…)

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Brooke Randolph

Don’t Trust Your Scale

If you are a scale junkie, you might not like what I have to say.

If you get on the scale multiple times a day, and let those numbers decide what kind of a day you’re going to have, you are not only driving yourself crazy, you’re also wasting your time.

Your weight fluctuates day to day, hour to hour, three, four, even five pounds at a time. It’s normal, and it has nothing to do with how well you have been dieting or how hard you have been exercising. You can’t control it.

If you are a rational human being, you know that it is impossible to gain five pounds of excess fat in a day unless you entered a pie eating contest. So why would you let that stupid number on the scale rule your life? (more…)

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Kelly

Tips to Gain Weight the Healthy Way

Okay, okay… please don’t throw rotten tomatoes and raw eggs at me, but it’s true… there are some people out there who would like to gain weight, but want to do it in a healthy way. If that’s you, read on for some useful tips to help you reach your goals.

There are several factors for why people may want to gain weight:

  • People who are underweight based on genetics and eating behaviors
  • Athletes who are trying to bulk up for sports performance
  • People with a recent medical procedure, like having your jaw wired shut, or having your tonsils removed (ouch!)

Whatever the reason, gaining weight should be done in a healthy way with nutrient-dense foods instead of junk foods that are consumed just for the sake of adding calories. (See dieters, it’s not all about stuffing your face in order to gain weight).

(more…)

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Rebecca

10 Exercises to Lose the Baby Weight

Throughout the process of child birth, your body undergoes some severe changes, including weight gain and changes in the hip structure. Weight gain and an increase in body fat is normal. It helps provide nutrients and an ideal environment to grow and nurture a new life.

The hip structure, or pelvic girdle, of the female body changes tremendously during the later stages of pregnancy. The joints of the bones soften due to the hormonal changes, allowing the ligaments of the sacroiliac joint to loosen and the baby to pass through. Although the body should return to its normal state after pregnancy, hip pain, and weight gain are common side effects of this life-changing process.

Exercise before, during, and after pregnancy is vital to help prevent bodily injury and make pregnancy more efficient (less painful). It also helps the body lose the extra weight gained. Below is an exercise routine that will help you lose that dreaded baby weight after pregnancy.

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Posted on April 23, 2026 by Matt