by Hill.Mandy

Created on: May 30, 2009

Some people gain weight more easily than others do. Why is this? Well there is not one single, simple reason but a variety of factors that influence and individual's tendency to lose or gain weight. There are, in fact, five major factors that can affect your own unique dieting and weight loss profile.

~Constant Dieting: Yo-yo dieting can lower your metabolism, which ultimately leads to weight gain and difficulty losing weight.

~Inactivity: Weight gain may also be caused by a lower metabolism. It is a proven, indisputable fact that exercise increases your metabolism and influences weight loss. The psychological benefits of exercise are also not to be taken lightly. Exercise has a positive mental effect. It can make you feel happier, increase your self esteem and give you a feeling of a can do optimism. If you are inactive, or otherwise lazy, you are going to gain weight faster than someone who gets moderate exercise.

~Genetics: Inherited body types, body shapes, and build account for some of the differences among individuals. A family history of obesity increases, up to a 50 percent, your chances of becoming obese. Diet, exercise, and conscious lifestyle changes can keep your weight down and your body looking and feeling fit. Just because your parents or family may be overweight, doesn't necessarily mean that you have fat genes; you just have that chance of having them.

~Gender: Also impacts you weight. Women's bodies are predisposed to carrying more fat than are men's bodies, which no amount of feminism or women's rights rallying is every going to change. Adult men usually have 10 to 20 percent more muscle and less body fat, than a woman of the same age and weight.

~Temperature: Believe it or not, this is an issue. Your metabolism is slightly higher when the climate is brutally cold or unbearably hot. This is because your body and metabolism need to be more active to keep you healthy and comfortable at extreme temperatures. For example when you are cold your body shivers, no one likes this, but shivering keeps you warm and burns calories.

~Present Body Weight: Your present body weight will influence how much weight you are likely to lose, and how quickly. Those who are very overweight can lose large amounts in the first couple of months, in part because the more you weigh the more calories your body will burn. It takes a considerable amount of effort and energy for a three hundred pound person to walk a mile-after all; they must carry three hundred pounds the entire distance.

~Medical Disorders: These can affect your ability to lose weight. If you suspect you're gaining weight in spite of a moderate diet and regular exercise program, or if you're having a very difficult time losing weight, get a full medical check-up. A surprising number of people suffer from conditions such as thyroid disease, which has an enormous effect on metabolism and weight.

Just remember that everyone gains and losses weight differently. No one person is alike so no one is going to lose or gain the same amount as the person next to them.

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