

Are you wondering why you’ve suddenly put on so much weight recently? Believe it or not, it’s actually quite common and today I’m going to tell you exactly WHY you have gained the weight and what you can do about it.
Top Weight Gain Causes


Overweight and frustrated?


Willpower is a powerful key component to success when you are talking about attaining a goal outside of losing weight.

However, when it comes to the human body, willpower goes right out the window.


Because the body is a complex organism that is primarily driven via hormones and biochemistry.

The right environment and input delivers optimal cellular and genetic performance…

With the wrong input or environment, the body gets a completely different message and wrong results emerge.

There are actually nine top areas that promote weight gain and this knowledge along with action, can help stop the frustration and win the fight in the battle of the bulge.

The good news is that knowing what can prevent weight gain can help reduce weight – knowledge is key.

So here’s the deal:

I’m going to show you what the top causes of weight gain and then you’re going to use this information to start losing weight.

Sound good?

Great, let’s get into it.

The Low Calorie Myth: You Have Been LIED to for Years

Mainstream media has made it very clear that weight gain is a result of the notion that ‘a calorie is just a calorie’ this is largely a myth based on old science and a drastic simplification.


There is a vast difference in the way the body metabolizes a 100 calorie candy bar vs 100 calories of broccoli.

Both are largely carbohydrates, yet have a marked difference in their effect upon the body. Case in point, we all know those people who can eat cake, cookies or food galore and not gain an ounce.

It is the quality of the food and how it affects your metabolism that is paramount in fat loss. Artificial sweeteners is another example of a drink that contain zero calories, yet promotes fat storage.

The prevalence of obesity and weight gain in the United States continues to rise each year since 1970, this increase in weight is multifactorial – more than just calories in, calories out

When a candy bar is eaten, a spike in blood sugar occurs and a cascade of chemical and hormonal reactions occur that churns the weight gain machine.

Initially, the hormone insulin is triggered. High insulin creates a whole range of unhealthy effects including the storage of belly fat, inflammation, high cholesterol and increased blood pressure.

Broccoli, however, is high in fiber. It is the fiber that slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream which means, there is a negligible blood sugar rise and insulin release.

Broccoli is also dense with phytochemicals that help shrink fat cells. So you can easily see it isn’t the calories that matter most, it is the quality of the food.

You cannot efficiently burn fat with elevated levels of insulin -Lori Shemek

Cooking Oil’s Dirty Hidden Secret

That not-so-innocent vegetable oil (or canola, corn, cottonseed, soybean, safflower, sunflower and grapeseed oil) you have in your pantry are making you fat.

These ubiquitous oils are not only keeping us fat, but sick too. Seed oil is just as inflammatory and its use has risen dramatically since the early 1900s.

In large amounts, which most Americans are ingesting, these manufactured oils are creating an imbalance of two very essential fats: omega 3 and omega 6.

They are considered essential because the body can’t produce them.

Inflammation results from this imbalance and furthermore, the anti- inflammatory omega 3 fat cannot do its job of reducing inflammation due to the excess omega 6. Unfortunately, the more Omega-6 you have, the more Omega-3 you need.


Additionally, these oils are very high in omega 6 fat that in excess creates an inflammatory compound called arachidonic acid.

This compound is stored within the fat cell and the fat cell then releases inflammatory molecules that have a metabolic effect, slowing down the metabolism causing weight gain and poor health.

To help create the optimal balance, swap out those unhealthy cooking oils for oils that help reverse inflammation and create optimal health such as: olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil or avocado oil and eliminate packaged junk foods, fast foods and grain-fed meats, poultry and fish.

Microflora’s Unbelievable Effects on the Body

Yes, it is true, we have bacteria in our gut that is essential to our weight loss success.

However, the majority of folks have an imbalance of these microflora which is causing unwanted fat storage.

Did you know?

We have roughly 100 trillion gut bacteria we are walking around with and that equates to 3-5 lbs of these little critters.

We have more gut bacteria than we have cells in the human body. Our gut not only influences our weight, but our optimal health and our mental health as well.

Science shows that gut bacteria do, in fact, influence our weight.

Research has revealed that obese people have a less diverse balance of microbes that lean folks which drives weight gain, inflammation and the consequences of both.

What we know so far is that people who put on weight lack specific (or have them at extremely low levels) species of bacteria in their digestive tract as opposed to lean individuals.

Researchers have taken the gut bacteria from an obese person and planted in that of a lean person, and the lean person gained weight and conversely, they have taken the gut bacteria from a lean person, planted in that of an obese person and the obese person became lean.

So you can see how powerful an impact the right strains and balance of gut bacteria are to your weight and overall health.

Quick Tip

To create a healthier gut, add prebiotics and probiotics daily. Prebiotics are essentially a unique fiber food that feeds the healthy bacteria, I refer to these foods as ‘fertilizer’ that promote an abundance of healthy bugs. Examples of these foods are bananas, asparagus, artichokes, garlic, onion, jicama or leeks.

Probiotic foods are cultured and fermented foods that plant healthy bacteria within the gut; foods such as yogurt (without sugar, as sugar feeds unhealthy bacteria), kefir, green olives, sauerkraut, pickles, kimchee, cottage cheese and more.

In addition, a daily supplement is essential to weight loss and optimal health success.

Refined Processed Foods = Yep, you Guessed it… Addiction

The typical Western diet is teeming with processed foods that encourage weight gain because this diet is high in sugar, fructose, refined carbohydrates, and artificial ingredients.

These ‘foods’ such as soda, white bread, pretzels, crackers, desserts, cookies, sugar, fast food, white flour, for example, offer very little nutrition and fiber necessary for weight loss.

Refined processed foods are designed to be addictive (like in a lab by scientists) and act upon the dopamine reward system in the brain and thus cause overeating and ultimately weight gain.

Oreo cookies packed with sugar, fructose and white flour, were found via research to be as addictive as cocaine or morphine.

What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort – taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles – to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive -Michael Moss

The solution is choosing a diet of whole foods and as close to nature as possible, simply swapping processed foods for nutrient dense food, is your ticket to fat loss success.

The Fat Gene: Do You Have it?

Research shows that if your parents are obese, you’re more likely to be, courtesy of the “fat mass and obesity associated” gene (FTO gene).

In other words, you have a genetic tendency to naturally store more fat. But that does not mean you will be.

The good news?

Research now shows we are not a victim of our genes – that we have control of our gene expression when it comes to weight gain and health.

We are not slaves to our genes. Even if we are born with an inherited predisposition to obesity, lifestyle is important. -Emily Sonestedt

Scientists confirmed that a genetic pre-disposition to obesity is entirely preventable via diet and exercise. Exercise is powerful; it turns off the fat gene combined with a nutritious diet, neutralizes this predisposition.

Research shows that a minimum of 30 minutes of daily moderate exercise is powerful in blocking the genetic propensity. All exercise is beneficial; however, interval training is highly effective in boosting metabolism and helping to shrink fat cells.

The Low-Fat Food Myth and How it Harms You

There has been a pervasive decades-old belief since the 1970s fed (pardon the pun) by the health industry and researchers, that eating low-fat foods will promote weight loss.

It seems plausible and convincing that fat would make you fat, but science, once again has shown this not to be the case.

Good to know

Many studies now show that dietary fat is not a determinant of weight gain.

Interestingly, research shows that when a consumer simply sees the word “low-fat” on a food label, it can encourage people eat 50% more of that food than if there was no low fat wording.

Low fat foods hurt your waistline in two ways:

  • They can have more calories, spike blood sugar

  • They trigger an increase in appetite hormones, causing you to eat more – not flat belly friendly.

When food manufacturers take out fat from foods, they add in inflammatory and calorie-dense ingredients such as sugar to make-up for the loss in flavor.

A recent study showed, once again, that children who drink full-fat milk, not skim milk, grow up to be slimmer.

Don’t Fear Fat, Embrace it!

If you want to shed pounds, add healthy fats such as: avocados, nuts, seeds, wild salmon, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, olive oil, whole eggs or chia seeds.

Healthy dietary fat breaks down existing fat.

It is the quality of fat that is most important to our health & weight. Read the nutrition label or ingredients to see what is put into the food you are eating.

Any package that states it is low-fat, run the other way. Opt for full-fat foods such as dairy, as they will keep you fuller, longer and help put the brakes on the incessant, annoying cravings or hunger leading to weight loss success

The #1 Reason Why You are Tired all the Time

Are you Sleepy all the damn time?

Well here’s why… you’re metabolism is actually SLOWING DOWN.

Which means that you are burning less fat and becoming a fat storing legend instead.

And guess what? You’re not alone.

Not getting enough shut-eye is a pervasive problem.

In fact, the CDC has named it a ‘public health problem’ and its consequences are many. One of the large-scale effects of sleep loss is weight gain.

Get some sleep

If you can’t figure out why you are gaining weight or find it challenging to lose weight, you might be sleep deprived.

If you consider the consequences of no sleep, then it makes sense you won’t have the energy to either exercise.

You skip that morning spin class or even the energy to make healthy food choices, so you choose quick, refined foods that give you a momentary burst of energy only… and here is why you make these choices:

The more sleep-deprived you are, the fattier, more carbohydrate-laden foods you reach for.

This increases your levels of the stress hormone cortisol that packs on the pounds – especially belly fat.

Lack of sleep also affects our hunger hormones – ghrelin and leptin which stimulates the appetite.

Ok, Here’s What you Need to do Next

First things first…

It isn’t about willpower and you do not have to count calories, points, grams or carbs.

It’s all about making the right choices that affect your biochemistry and applying what you know or *action* is key to weight loss success.

So eat clean consistently and you will be able to change your weight forever, WITHOUT the sudden weight gain throughout the year.

Turn your yo-yo dieting into a lifestyle of clean healthy foods coupled with vigorous exercise and you be astounded at the change in your body.

Lori Shemek

A leading fat cell researcher, health expert, weight loss expert, keynote speaker and recognized authority on inflammation and its role in weight loss, preventing disease and optimizing health. Dr. Shemek is the author of ‘How To Fight FATflammation!’ (HarperCollins) and the best-selling author of “Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’

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