05/29/2026
First, we’re not here to pathologize nor add shame to bodies that gain weight. We understand bodies are, and have always been size diverse.
There are many factors that influence how a person’s weight and size can change. While food and movement might play a role in how the body shifts in size, for some people (that’s right, not everyone who makes improvements to nutrition intake or exercise/energy output loses weight!), there is a much bigger picture to consider:
- Stress and anxiety: Cortisol, energy conservation, and eating patterns all change under stress.
- Exercise: changes in muscle mass, stress levels, and mental health.
- Coping with food: Food releases feel‑good hormones like serotonin and dopamine. It’s normal to find comfort in food, but when it becomes the only coping tool, it can make hunger/fullness cues harder to recognize.
- Sleep: Poor or inadequate sleep increases hunger hormones.
- Medication: Some medications affect appetite or metabolism.
- Nutrition: Changes in eating habits, energy density, food quality, or your relationship with food.
- Chronic dieting: The body adapts to restriction by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger, and reducing muscle mass.
- Genetics: Just like height or shoe size, body size and shape are largely inherited.
- Addictions: Drug or alcohol use can lead to inadequate nutrition, and recovery can also shift weight.
- Age: decrease in muscle mass decreases; changes in hormones.
- Body Cues: Difficulty recognizing hunger or fullness cues can lead to extremes, from becoming overly hungry to eating past fullness.
- Hormones: Shifts in estrogen, insulin, or thyroid hormones.
Your weight, shape, or size may not be something you have “control” over, but we understand this can feel frustrating for folks desiring weight or body composition changes.