How to Deal With Gaining Weight

Your weight fluctuates based on different variables that occur in your life. You can gain weight as a side effect from starting a new medication, contracting a medical condition, going through a stressful time in your life or just from not watching what you eat. Despite the reasons, many people do not welcome weight gain favorably. If you are struggling with the battle of putting on pounds, you can deal with it more positively when you have a healthy plan in place.

Things You'll Need

• Scale

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Instructions

• 1

  Identify the reason why you are gaining weight. If you are gaining weight because you are pregnant, then it is important to know that weight gain is a natural part of the pregnancy process. If you are experiencing weight gain because of a poor diet or reaction to a medication, you can control the weight gain.

• 2

  Create an exercise schedule. If you want to get your weight gain under control, exercising and physical activity can help. Even if you are supposed to be increasing your weight because you are pregnant or for medical purposes, it is still a good idea to exercise and stay healthy. Cardiovascular workouts, such as running, biking, spinning, stair-stepping and using an elliptical machine are ideal for burning calories and fat. Strengthening workouts, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, pilates, yoga and weight lifting, will help you tone your body. If routine exercises aren't for you, schedule a tennis game with a friend, go on hikes with hiking groups or join a community soccer team where you will get plenty of physical activity to stay healthy and fit.

• 3

  Adjust your diet. Think about the unhealthy foods that you eat, which can be contributing to your weight gain, and cut them out of your meal plans. Replace unhealthy foods with healthy ones. For instance, instead of eating chocolate bars for your dessert, switch to raw apples, or bananas sprinkled with cinnamon. You should also cut back on foods that are high in sodium if you want to reduce your weight because sodium contributes to water retention, which makes you feel bloated and the extra water in your body increases your weight.

• 4

  Keep a food journal. Write down the food that you eat every day, including the beverages you drink that have calories, such as soda, juice, fancy coffee drinks and anything with alcohol. Evaluate what you can do differently to make your eating habits even healthier. Make sure you are getting enough calories that are needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially if you are pregnant.

• 5

  Find a support group for others in your situation. If you are gaining weight because you are pregnant, join an expecting mothers group and hear about how other moms-to-be are coping with the weight gain. Or, if you have a particular health condition, you can find support groups for that, too, and hear about how weight gain was handled by others. It can help relieve symptoms of anxiety when you have a support system in place.

• 6

  Take yourself shopping. If you put on weight and your clothes no longer fit you, it doesn't help to wear clothes that make you feel even more uncomfortable because they are too tight. If your budget allows, spend some money on clothes in your new size. Even if you have to go up a size, you will feel more confident knowing that the clothes fit you appropriately.

• 7

  Check on your weight from time to time. Don't be afraid to look at the numbers on the scale. By implementing a diet and exercise plan, you might find that you have actually lost weight. By weighing yourself on a regular basis, you can stay more accountable to your weight loss goals, and if you aren't losing a healthy amount of weight over time, you can adjust your weight loss methods to get back on track.

• 8

  Stay positive. Even if you do not see results right away after your hard workouts and strict diet, the changes will happen over time. It is not typical to see immediate weight loss results.