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Warning Signs of Gaining Weight

If you have a sedentary lifestyle and fail to watch your caloric intake, you are likely to gain unwanted pounds. However, putting on weight may be a slower process than you expect. In order to gain 1 lb. of fat, you must consume 3,500 extra calories. Because of this slow process, you can gain weight and not be aware of it. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 60 million adults in America are considered obese. In order to control your weight, you need to weigh yourself often and pay close attention to signals from your body. Consult with your health care provider to determine if you are maintaining a healthy body weight.

  1. Joint Pain

    • When you gain weight, you add extra pressure to your joints. You may start noticing aching in your weight-bearing joints, such as your knees and ankles, and your lower back may ache as well. The discomfort can be more noticeable after exercising, or if you stand for a long time.

    Fatigue

    • Fat is a form of stored energy within the cells of your body and it is not biologically active, which means that it does not use energy. As you gain fat and your weight increases, you increase the burden on your heart, lungs and skeletal muscles. In essence, they must work harder to support your extra weight. Consequently, you tend to experience greater levels of fatigue as your body fat increases. You may or may not notice excessive fatigue immediately when you start gaining fat, but if performing tasks that were once effortless have become noticeably more difficult, you may have gained weight.

    High Blood Pressure

    • Gaining weight can cause your blood pressure to increase to unhealthy levels, which is known as hypertension. As your weight increases, your heart must provide a higher volume of blood to furnish your tissues with blood and oxygen. This greater volume of blood places additional pressure on your artery walls. Your blood pressure consists of two numbered measurements: The upper number is your systolic reading, and the lower number is your diastolic reading. The Mayo Clinic states that your blood pressure should be 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), over 80 mm Hg, or below. As you gradually gain weight, a condition called prehypertension can develop. Prehypertension is blood pressure of 120 mmHg to 139 mmHg, over 80 mm Hg to 89 mm Hg. Weight loss can treat prehypertension before it becomes hypertension, states the Mayo Clinic.

    Puffiness and Swelling

    • Puffiness and swelling, particularly in your extremities, can be a sign of water retention. Water retention may cause you to gain fluid weight. However, the weight gain is usually temporary and frequently occurs during a female's menstrual cycle, or after a salty meal. If the condition becomes chronic, it is referred to as edema. A sign that you have retained water rather than gained actual fat weight is if during the course of a day, your clothing, shoes and jewelry, such as rings or a watch, begin to fit too tightly.

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