Question: Lifestyle habits
Answer: Lifestyle habits—including the foods and beverages you consume and how active you are in your daily life—can also affect your weight. If you take in more calories  from food or beverages than you use during physical activity and through daily living, such as doing housework or walking to the store, your body may store some of these extra calories as fat. Lifestyle habits that may lead to weight gain include

eating or drinking a lot of foods and beverages that are high in calories,sugar, andfat
drinking a lot of beverages that are high inadded sugars
spending a lot of time sitting or lying down

Over time, if you continue to take in more calories than you use, you will likely gain weight.
Question: Where you live, work, play, and worship
Answer: Where you live, work, play, and worship can also make a difference. It may be easier for you to make healthier lifestyle choices if

you live near a grocery store that offers healthy affordable foods, including fruits and vegetables
your workplace has a kitchen where you can store and prepare healthy meals you bring from home
your job doesn’t require you to spend a lot of time sitting down
your neighborhood has safe places to walk or do other types of physical activity
your place of worship includes healthy food options at special events
Question: How much sleep you get
Answer: Adults ages 18 to 64 should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.

Not getting enough sleep is also linked to weight gain. Experts recommend that adults ages 18 to 64 get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Adults ages 65 and older should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.4

Not getting enough sleep may make you feel hungrier, consume more calories, and be more likely to choose unhealthy foods and beverages instead of healthier options.5 Getting enough sleep may help prevent these problems and increase overall well-being.
Question: Medicines
Answer: Some medicines can affect your energy balance by making you hungry or making your body burn fewer calories. Medicines that may contribute to weight gain include6

some medicines used to treatepilepsy,depression, orpsychotic disorders
corticosteroids, also called steroids
somediabetesmedicines, such asinsulinand sulfonylureas—a type of medicine that helps yourpancreasrelease insulin into your blood
some medicines used to treathigh blood pressureand improve your body’s blood flow, such asbeta-blockers,alpha-blockers, andcalcium channel blockers
someantihistaminemedicines used to treat allergy symptoms
Question: Health problems
Answer: Some health problems may also lead to obesity or weight gain. Examples include6

someendocrine diseases, such aspolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),Cushing’s syndrome, andhypothyroidism
damage to your hypothalamus, a small area of your brain near thepituitary gland
depression
long-termstress

Some eating disorders, such as binge-eating disorder and bulimia  nervosa, may also lead to obesity or weight gain. Both disorders involve eating a large amount of food while feeling a loss of control. In bulimia, people try to prevent weight gain in unhealthy ways, such as by vomiting or using laxatives.
Question: Family history and genes
Answer: Your chances of having overweight or obesity are greater if one or both of your parents have overweight or obesity.7 Children whose mothers had obesity during pregnancy are also more likely to have obesity themselves.8 Children and adolescents who have obesity are more likely to have obesity as adults.

Your genes may also affect both the amount of fat you store in your body and where on your body you carry the extra fat. Genes may also play a role in your appetite and how physically active you are.