It’s completely normal for your weight to fluctuate, and loads of different things can cause your weight to change over time.
Illness, hormones, ageing, stress – all of these things can have an impact on how much you weigh. It’s also important to remember that weight doesn’t necessarily correlate with your health.
However, scientists have discovered that there are four specific life events that are most likely to make us put on a few pounds.
Academics at the University of Cambridge analysed dozens of studies – and found four crucial times that make weight gain more likely. They also found that these times are when exercise is likely to be at its lowest.
The life events that cause the most weight gain are; going to university, getting a job and becoming a parent.
The first six studies looked at weight gain in mothers compared with women who didn’t have children over the same time period.
A woman of average height who had no children gained around 7.5kg (16.5lb) over five-six years, while a mother of the same height put that on plus an extra 1.3kg (2.9lb).
The second set of 19 studies looked at the transition from secondary school into university or getting a job.
Nine studies found that leaving secondary school was associated with a decrease of 6.7 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise for women – that jumped to 16.4 minutes a day for men.
The biggest drop in exercise levels was when people went to university, with overall levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity falling by 11.4 minutes per day.
Three studies also found people put on weight after leaving school, while others found decreases in physical activity on starting employment.
‘Over the age range of 15 to 35 people are gaining weight and we wanted to know whether there are particular life events that are contributing to this gain,’ says Dr Eleanor Winpenny, from the University of Cambridge.
‘If all these life transitions are contributing to small weight gains, overall that becomes a problem.
‘Parenthood is a time when lifestyles are changing. Of course, there are challenges with having a small child, but it’s also an opportunity for people to think about their own lifestyles and how they could be more healthy and active.
‘In school you are encouraged to do sport, and there are school food policies to encourage healthy eating, but then when you leave school, that changes. You move into a new environment.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/20/going-university-becoming-parent-two-key-life-events-cause-weight-gain-12088512/
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