Each year, the number of people that are overweight increases. Being overweight can actually be attributed to a number of factors. Here are ten of them.

1. You lead a busy lifestyle.

If your life is full of activities round the clock, you might not be finding time to eat on time and eat the right food choices to make sure that you are getting the proper nutrition. For instance, you start your day early, head on to work, attend meetings all day or do paper work throughout the day and then go out with friends or do household chores at night and you get to eat your first full meal of the day late at night just before sleeping. This could easily cause a person to become overweight over time.

Not being able to get the proper and balanced nutrition is a big factor in becoming overweight. To avoid this, it is important to make sure that you eat breakfast and lunch and then have a light meal at dinner, which should include food choices that have carbohydrates that can be easily and quickly absorbed by the body.

2. You are not getting enough sleep.

A lot of studies have been conducted and have shown that people who do not get sufficient sleep can also cause a person to become overweight. This is because what the body lacks in sufficient rest or sleep, it tries to get from food that is consumed. The person, in turn, feels that he or she has to eat more, usually food that have more calories and carbohydrates, to compensate resulting in more calories taken in which are not used up properly.

Also, people who are not able to get sufficient sleep have higher levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that causes hunger and lower levels of leptin, which is a hormone that helps in curbing hunger.

3. You live an inactive lifestyle.

If you have the kind of work where you spend all day sitting on your desk and then you drive home and then spend evenings in bed watching TV, you may be leading an inactive lifestyle. The lack of physical activity results in the body not being able to burn the calories that have been consumed. It is important to try to incorporate some form of physical activity or exercise in your daily routine to increase your body’s metabolism and to activate your sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for weight loss.

4. You have recently gone through or are going through a difficult time in your life.

If you are troubled or depressed over a situation or problem in your life, you may have the tendency to overeat and just lie around and even drink and smoke – all of which could lead to weight gain. There have been studies that were conducted that 30 percent of people gain weight because of stress or depression.

5. You are taking a medication that causes weight gain.

Some examples of medications that could cause you to gain weight would be corticosteroids like prednisone, antidepressants as well as medications used for seizures. Such medications could slow down the metabolic rate of the body and increase appetite.

6. You have Type 2 diabetes.

If you are experiencing skin itching, deteriorated vision, frequent urinating and thirst along with sudden and unexplainable weight gain, then you may be suffering from type 2 diabetes. If this is the case, it would be best to go to an endocrinologist to undergo the proper tests to evaluate and treat your condition.

7. You are exposed to an environment that does not promote healthy lifestyle habits.

Some examples of such an environment would be living in a neighborhood that does not have sidewalks as well as safe areas for recreation like parks and affordable gyms. The lack of such facilities could make it hard for people to be active physically. You are living in an area where the food stores serve oversized food portions or in area where you do not have access to healthy food choices.

8. You have a family history of being overweight.

A lot of research has been made that has shown that obesity and being overweight run in families. If one or both your parents are obese or overweight, then your chances of being obese or overweight are also greater.

Also, since families share food and are exposed to the same physical and eating habits, if the overweight parents are leading unhealthy lifestyles, the children could also adopt such lifestyles, making them overweight as well.

9. You are a smoker and have recently tried quitting.

There are some people who gain weight once they stop smoking. Although this has not been entirely proven yet, there are experts that say a reason why people gain weight after quitting smoking is that food suddenly smells and tastes better. Another reason is that because nicotine has an effect of making the body’s metabolic rate faster, once a person stops smoking, fewer calories are burned. Keep in mind, however, that smoking is bad for your health and gaining weight after quitting is nothing compared to the serious health conditions that you may end up with after many years of smoking.

10. You have a health condition that causes weight gain or a slower metabolism rate.

Some of these health conditions include hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. These conditions affect the hormones that are produced by the body which could slow down the metabolic rate of the body.