“This promotes muscle wasting and disrupts appetite-regulating hormones, and a growing tumor may also increase your resting energy expenditure,” she says. Many cancers can cause weight loss because “cancer increases inflammation,” Zellner says. If you’re experiencing symptoms like excessive hunger or menstrual changes in addition to unexpected weight loss, head to the doctor for a check up. “This causes your body to burn more calories than it needs to and can result in weight loss,” Zellner says, making it so that your body burns its muscle and fat instead to obtain more calories. “There's a process in your body where your metabolism has changed so that you're burning energy off more quickly,” says Dr. HyperthyroidismĪt times, sudden weight loss can also be caused by hyperthyroidism (or Grave’s Disease), a hormonal condition that can trigger metabolism issues such as overproduction of the thyroid hormone, Dr. Other symptoms of diabetes include extreme thirst and chronic fatigue, Zellner says, so if you’re experiencing these issues along with rapid weight loss, it’s time to head to the doctor. Instead, your body is forced to obtain nutrients from the fat and muscles in your body, Zellner says, causing you to unexpectedly lose weight. When high levels of glucose remain in the bloodstream instead of being absorbed, this leads to malnutrition, Dr. Lofton, MD, director of medical weight management at NYU Langone hospital. “The body is not able to gain energy from food because glucose is not able to get to the cells, and usually urinated out by the patient instead of absorbed,” explains Holly F. Yes, unexpected weight loss can in fact be a result of diabetes-both types. Now, it’s time to get a little more specific about rapid weight loss and the causes behind it. If you experience any of these issues alongside your unexplained weight loss, try to book an appointment with your physician to discuss. If you're concerned that you're losing too much weight and you've already tried methods like increasing caloric intake or decreasing workouts to no avail, it’s time to see the doctor, Zellner says.Īlso, unexplained weight loss tends to come with other symptoms such as irregular heart rate, excessive fatigue or thirst, increased anxiety or nervousness, tremors, menstrual changes, difficulty sleeping, and more, Zellner says. When should I worry about unexpected weight loss? Those common issues include hormonal ones such as hyperthyroidism, autoimmune diseases, malabsorption intestinal issues, or even infectious diseases, explains Zhang. “There are a lot of different reasons for unintentional weight loss, especially if you're eating the same amount of food or exercising the same amount,” explains Linda Zhang, MD, a bariatric surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Unintentional weight loss can be related to a whole host of factors, not just what you’re eating every day. Why would I be losing weight even if I’m eating a lot? “Losing more than that is considered too fast and could put you at risk of many health problems, including muscle loss, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies and a drop in metabolism,” Zellner says. Rapid weight loss is generally considered losing more than 5 percent of your body weight over the course of six to 12 months.Įven if you are actually trying to lose weight, for whatever reason, one to two pounds per week is considered a safe rate of weight loss. In short, there are a lot of factors that can be attributed to rapid weight loss. Losing weight too quickly can also lead to a bunch of nutritional deficiencies, Zellner notes, and even correlates with drops in metabolism over time. It’s especially important for people with vulvas to take note of any rapid or unexpected weight loss, too, since it can cause hormone fluctuations in the body as well as changes in the menstrual cycle, explains Erica Zellner, MS, LDN, a health coach at Parsley Health in California. Specifically, rapid weight loss can indicate a wide range of internal problems, such as mental health issues like anxiety or stress, autoimmune issues, thyroid imbalances, and more. Know that there are a lot of reasons for losing weight even when you're not trying to, many of which are not serious. And while it’s completely normal to fluctuate between a few pounds day to day, when you experience a bout of sudden weight loss, it can be a bit worrisome. Losing unintentional weight can feel pretty jarring-especially if it’s a significant amount all at once.
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