Being Low in Vitamin D

Your body's missing certain nutrients
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/10/!weird!reasons!youre!gaining!weight/"
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'eing low in vitamin D, magnesium, or iron can compromise your immune
system( sap your energy levels, or alter your metabolism in ways that make it harder to take
healthy-lifestyle steps. )You may compensate for low energy with caffeine( sweets( and simple
carbs() says *edaya( )Or find that you feel too run down or weak to exercise."
+ix it: ,hile you can try to boost your iron le-els by eating red meat and spinach and increase
magnesium by adding 'ra%il nuts or almonds to your diet( it.s nearly impossible to consume
enough mil/ or get enough sunlight to compensate for low -itamin 0. )1t.s important to /now that
it could ta/e awhile to find your right dose of -itamin 0() says *edaya. )1f you ta/e too much(
you can get /idney stones. You need to ha-e your blood tested e-ery three months( so your doctor
can ma/e ad2ustments to the dose for you.)
3dding an iron supplement is a little less tric/y4but it.s still wise to let your doctor rule out
hypothyroidism or other conditions that might cause insulin resistance( and thus weight gain(
before you start ta/ing supplements.
You.re getting older
1t.s the one condition that.s una-oidable.)5ften( 1 hear patients tell me they thin/ their
metabolism is slowing down() says +radin!6ead. )7his is real4we don’t burn as many
calories at ! or "! as we used to burn at #!. $o we need more exercise
%and less food%to keep metabolism going. 8ome studies show that exercise
might be e-en more important than the diet for long!term weight maintenance.)
+ix it: )6emember that all calories are not e9ual when it comes to weight() says +radin!6ead.
):ating lean protein will cause your body to burn calories more efficiently. 5n the other hand(
carbs are something your body tends to burn more slowly and even store in your body more
readily." &hoosing low-fat proteins and reducing carbs are good ways to help avoid
unnecessary pounds.
You ha-e plantar fasciitis
);any musculos/eletal conditions( including plantar fasciitis( but also osteoarthritis and /nee or
hip pain( can result in unintentional weight gain() says 0r. 0onald 'ohay( cochairman of the
public education committee for the 3merican 5rthopaedic +oot & 3n/le 8ociety. )<lantar
fasciitis certainly can force you to cut bac/ on your acti-ity enough to cause weight gain.)
+ix it: ;odify your exercise program to swap bi/ing or swimming in place of weight!bearing
exercise( says 'ohay. 8ee/ out a physical therapist who can design an appropriate program for
your specific needs4as/ your doctor or chec/ the ,eb site of the 3merican <hysical 7herapy
3ssociation to find a 9ualified therapist in your area.
You ha-e =ushing.s 8yndrome
,eight gain accompanied by high blood pressure( osteoporosis( and changes in your s/in tone
and 9uality( including purple or sil-ery stretch mar/s on your abdomen and ruddy chee/s( could
be a sign that your body isn.t processing nutrients the way it should( due to a cortisol!producing
tumor on one of your adrenal glands. 7he syndrome affects only about 1> in e-ery million adults
annually( so proceed with caution before demanding a battery of tests. )=ushing.s 8yndrome is
not terribly common() says ,ittlin( )but one of the telltale signs is that your fat distribution is
more in the midsection of your body( lea-ing your arms and legs loo/ing more slender.)
+ix it: 1f you suspect you are gaining weight that you can.t attribute to your eating habits(
medications( or lac/ of exercise( a few tests4including a blood test and urinalysis( to get an
accurate chec/ of your body.s cortisol le-els( will gi-e your doctor the first clues to this
condition. 1f the le-els are deemed excessi-ely high( then your doctor will order further tests( li/e
a =7 scan of your pituitary and adrenal glands( to determine if such a tumor exists. 1f the tumor is
confirmed( doctors will li/ely perform surgery to remo-e the tumor ?and possibly the affected
gland@( followed by a course of steroids to help regulate the remaining gland.