5 Worrying Reasons Why You Are Losing Weight Without Wanting To

If we are not following any specific diet and still we continue losing weight it is advisable to go to the doctor to examine us and verify if we have any health problems .

Are you losing weight without wanting to and don’t know why? Unintentional weight loss may be warning of a serious problem, such as the existence of a systemic disease.

Therefore, although we may be happy to lose a few kilos, it is important that if we are not doing anything to lose weight, we go to our doctor. When the involuntary weight loss exceeds 3 kg in one or two months, it is necessary to look for the cause to rule out possible complex pathologies.

Some reasons why you are losing weight without wanting to

We are going to discover some reasons that make you lose weight involuntarily and that can cause serious health problems.

1. Consumption of certain drugs

Although medicines usually provide symptom relief or a solution to a problem, they can sometimes have a negative impact on weight.

• The drugs that usually cause unexplained weight loss are usually those used in cancer treatments (due to chemotherapy) or those used for the thyroid.

However, within drugs we cannot avoid talking about drugs. Cocaine or amphetamine use can cause unintended weight loss.

2. Stress, anxiety and depression

Emotional problems are usually one of the reasons why you are losing weight without wanting to, because our emotions have a great effect on the body.

Loss of appetite and eating improperly are some of the reasons that make you lose weight. According to research published in the journal  Nature Reviews Endocrinology,  suffering from depression is related to the alteration in the states of appetite and satiety, which conditions unnecessary weight loss.

In cases of anxiety or depression, drugs can also induce a lack of appetite that favors weight loss. Therefore, we must attend to its contraindications.

3. Persistent infections

Due to a weakened immune system, it is likely that we are exposed to the flu, gastroenteritis and a number of infections that may be causing us to lose weight.

In cases of gastroenteritis, for example, diarrhea can cause, in addition to dehydration, weight loss.

Also, we would have to monitor if our habits to go to the bathroom have changed. For example, if before we often suffered constipation and now diarrhea, or if there are periods in which they are interspersed. Sometimes it can be a sign of colon cancer. These types of diseases are closely related to involuntary weight loss, as stated in a study published in the Journal of Oncology Practice. 

4. Oncological surgery

If you have recently undergone cancer surgery in which part of your small intestine has been removed, it is very likely that you are losing weight due to energy consumption and fatigue after the operation.

Many surgeons already warn that it is totally normal for there to be a loss of weight after surgery. However, this should be temporary.

If the problem persists over time, we would have to find out what is causing this weight loss.

5. Addison’s disease

Addison’s disease occurs when there is a lack of hormones, especially cortisol, which affects the adrenal glands.

When the disease is advanced, there may be weakness, nausea, and vomiting. There is also an alteration in gastrointestinal function, and loose stools may arise.

All these conditions can be one of the reasons why we are losing weight without wanting to, as confirmed by an investigation carried out in 2018. 

Beware of dietary changes

On many occasions a change in diet can cause us to lose weight in an inexplicable way. For example, introducing more vegetables and fruit can lead to this weight loss.

Also if we radically modify our habits. For example, opting for vegetarianism or veganism could lead to weight loss.

• Many times, during the adaptation period of the body, we undergo changes in our gastrointestinal function.
• Our body may not be able to absorb the new nutrients correctly until it gets used to it.
• If we introduce new foods that we have never eaten, we have to give our body time to get used to them.

In the first weeks it is normal to go to the bathroom more. Many people call this a “detox period.”

Identify weight loss to assess whether it is an indicator of poor prognosis

The important thing is to detect if the unexplained weight loss is temporary or lasts over time. In any case, it will be necessary to go to the doctor to reassure us about it, and tell us which of the above reasons is behind this weight loss.