A lot of the time, losing weight is an attempt to improve your health. It can reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart problems and other health conditions. But what about people who don’t actually want to lose weight? Sometimes you find yourself shedding the pounds without really knowing why. If you haven’t changed your lifestyle but you’re looking skinnier, there are a few possible reasons.
If you’re an adolescent, it might just be part of puberty. The body dramatically changes shape during the teenage years. You lose fat here, gain muscle there and it’s pretty much impossible to know for sure how you’ll look at the end of it all. Just make sure you eat plenty of nutritious food full of protein and energy to help fuel your growth. And it’s not just puberty; hormonal changes at other times of life can make you gain or lose weight.
Hormonal changes can be a natural part of aging, but they may also indicate a problem. If your thyroid gland is overactive, that can lead to weight loss; if it’s underactive, you may gain weight. Other medical conditions that can contribute to weight loss include heart failure, diabetes and some cancers. In short, be alert in case there are underlying health issues that need to be diagnosed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of problems that can trigger unintentional weight loss are digestion-related. IBS and celiac disease are just two of them. If you’re not eating enough, even unknowingly, that’s going to have a bad impact on your weight. Again, if you’re losing weight for no obvious reason, it’s important to talk to your doctor and see if they can figure it out. There may be a treatment that can help.
It’s not just physical problems. Mental illness can also have an affect on your weight, especially if you are going through a stressful time like a divorce or bereavement. Weight loss can be particularly associated with depression and anxiety, or it can be a sign of an eating disorder. You may need counseling.
Losing weight is often seen as a positive thing, which means when you start noticing you’re less heavy, you may be tempted to celebrate without considering the reason. If you suddenly start losing weight despite not changing your lifestyle, you should definitely talk to your doctor and try to identify the cause.
