Watching the Scale go up

Proverbs 25:16 - If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

​There are many reasons why people gain weight:

• Many medications have the side effect of weight gain.
• You may have a slow metabolism making it more difficult to control how many calories are being sent to your fatty cells instead of out of the body.
• You’re getting older. Being older may add difficulty to staying as active as you were when you were young.
• You may eat more than normal to appease the pain and add unwanted calories.
• There are also several medical reasons why you could be gaining weight. If you begin gaining weight more rapidly than usual it may be a good idea to have a checkup.

 
One of the main factors of weight gain is chronic pain. As I just stated, taking medications for the pain, such as some antidepressants, can contribute to weight gain. Also, because it hurts so much just to move around, you aren’t as active as you used to be which may cause your system to slow down.
 
The article, “Could Weight Gain be Adding to Your Pain?” on Berkeleywellness.com  contains the results of a survey showing just how likely a person with chronic pain will gain excess weight.
 
Another thing to look at is how much food you eat. It can be that gradually you started eating more food to help ease pain. But just as the Bible verse above states, too much of eating sweet foods isn’t good. When you pay attention to what you’re eating, you may notice that at first that candy bar tastes great but later it’s taste falls short. Not so with fruits and vegetables. The sweetness of an orange stays the same throughout its consumption.
 
So what can we do? Eat less and though it may seem like you’d be causing more pain, exercise is a key ingredient to not only losing weight but also decreasing pain.
 
Need some motivation to exercise? Take a pound of hamburger out of the freezer. Look at it. Note how the weight feels. Now think about all of the excess weight you’re walking around with.
 
Even if you lose one pound it will help lift a piece of the burden off your back and reduce pain. And the increase of activity will rev up your metabolism, help you sleep better, and even help with your emotional state.
 
To read some tips on exercise and staying fit for life select the link below.

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