Hey my Ebony Woman! Thank you for stopping by again. We are set to explore together eight medical reasons why some women may have challenges with weight gain and loss, lengthy post but trust me it will be a well invested reading time!
A quick look into the background of the Black population weight stats: according to a 2019 study carried out by the UK Government, it was observed that Black adults were most likely to be overweight or obese out of all the ethnic groups and the Chinese, being the least likely. In the study, 73.6% of the Black population were reported to be obese or overweight.
An interesting side point to note: Abdominal fat is known to be a high risk for many diseases including hypertension and diabetes, the hip and leg fat have quite the opposite effect by being protective against these diseases.
Have you ever wondered why despite all the well-meaning diet and regimented regular exercises the weight remains stubbornly at about the same level and or in some instances on the increase! This could deflate the enthusiasm to lose weight, and I believe someone reading this might just be at the point of giving up. There are a few known medical reasons that can pose as threats to our weight loss.
Right at the top of the list is Underactive Thyroid. Our thyroid organ produces thyroxine hormone. Thyroxine helps to maintain normal body metabolism, however, with underactive thyroid, there is less circulating thyroid hormones in the blood. This reduction leads to decrease in metabolism, low energy level, tiredness, and weight gain or difficulty in losing weight.
In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that 1%-2% of women are affected which is 10 times more than men. In a London borough, it was reported that every 3 out of 1000 women are affected. Although, women of any age can be affected, it is more prevalent in older women at about 10% of over 60-year-olds.
If you are suspecting this might be you, give your GP surgery a call and a simple blood test will give answers. Underactive thyroid can be managed effectively with a medication called Levothyroxine.
Cortisol Hormone: Our bodies respond in an amazing way to stress, to help cope, cortisol, is released from the adrenal gland. It allows more glucose to be released into the blood, increases adrenaline and heart rate to deal with the current stress; the whole system is naturally meant to turn off once the stressor has passed.
However, in chronic stress, the system remains turned on! The persistent exposure to cortisol leads to insulin resistance, high blood glucose, weight gain and potentially type 2 diabetes. Managing stress well and taking steps to avoid sustained stress levels cannot be overemphasized, please read my post on Look Closer Home
May I present to you…drum roll… Leptin! Leptin is produced from the fat cells; it helps us to maintain our normal weight by altering our food intake and use of energy over a long period of time. Excess body fat produces leptin, which sends signals to the hypothalamus in the brain to reduce hunger feelings, allowing the body to use some of its stored fat.
However, in the case of dieting or crash diet, the body’s fat mass is significantly reduced; less leptin is produced which increases feelings of hunger and appetite, invariably triggering high calorie intake and weight gain. This is the science behind the disadvantage of crash dieting or dieting of any kind.
In obese or overweight individuals, continued excess food intake can lead to leptin resistance hence nullifying its effect of hunger suppression.
Cyclical fluid retention in women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome as discussed in my blog post, the premenstrual syndrome, (PMS) leads to cyclical weight gain and poses the frustration of being unable to fully appreciate any weight loss progress a woman has made.
Ovarian Hormones: The cardiovascular protection of oestrogen is well documented. It does so by increasing the fat tissue around the hips and legs, this type of fat is evidenced to offer protection against hypertension and diabetes; in contrast to the effect of abdominal fat.
Oestrogen increases during the 1st half of a woman’s cycle, this increase suppresses appetite for food, hence less eating. Conversely, in the time period between ovulation and the start of the next menstrual period, increased progesterone or progestin level coupled with low mood, as seen in PMS, may bring about an increase in appetite and more food consumption.
Inadequate sleep and tiredness encourages weight gain or difficulty in attaining weight loss. Although the reason is not fully understood, there is a school of thought that has suggested less leptin is produced when are sleep deprived, hence, increasing appetite.
Effect of Age: We naturally lose muscle mass as we get older; in addition, we do not necessarily possess as much energy as when we were younger. Muscles help us to burn calories, less muscle mass means our bodies hold on to more calories which are deposited as fat tissue.
Consuming the same amount of food and not exercising as much will invariably lead to weight gain. Therefore, developing a lifestyle of regular movement, sustainable exercise and meal regime is expedient in order to maintain our normal body weight.
Medications: The most common medicines known to predispose to weight gain and or pose a challenge to losing it are: diabetic medication, insulin to be precise and steroids.
Insulin helps our muscles to store up glucose, and turn glucose into energy. This in turn reduces the amount of free flowing glucose in the blood; on occasion this can lead to hypoglycaemia. In order to prevent low blood sugar, diabetics on insulin tend to eat and snack more frequently. It is important to speak to your healthcare professional as there are some NHS-based educational classes that can help diabetics to better understand managing their medications and diet.
The same goes for steroids which increase appetite hence weight gain, being watchful of calorie intake and increasing exercise level can prevent weight gain.
There is a common, recurring theme to all the facts detailed above, and that is our bodies and the hormones they produce have a major, at times unavoidable, impact on our weight gain or weight loss. This impact may cause the feelings of not being in control, however, think back on what you have just read, and you will notice a recurrent statement “it/they cause increase in appetite”, therefore we have the control over how we satiate that “increased appetite”. A useful and most important take away tip, in as much as you are craving the sweet, salty food or snack there are other great tasting alternatives.
I wish you could see the satisfaction and a big smile on my face writing this blog post especially for you my Ebony Woman; it is because you deserve to understand how amazing your body is! Much love always!
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