6 reasons why you're overweight

6 reasons why you're overweight

Not sure how the number on the scale got so high? You're not alone. Here are six reasons why you're overweight—and what you can do about it

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1. You're not sleeping enough

Not only do we crave unhealthy comfort foods when we’re  tired, but our sleep levels are linked to our hormone levels, says Joey Shulman, the Thornhill, Ont.-based author ofThe Last 15—A Weight Loss Breakthrough. “People who are sleep-deprived tend to have more secretions of the hormone cortisol, so they’re more stressed out. And that’s going to trigger fat storage as well,” she says. Lack of sleep also causes fluctuations in the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, which indicate whether you’re full or hungry.