If you struggle with maintaining healthy body weight, you have probably heard that you need to eat less and move more. Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple when you have vein problems. An underlying vein condition is one of the health issues that cause weight gain. Vein problems cause leg pain, and leg pain can lead to fatigue. Fatigue makes it difficult to move at all, much less exercise. Bottom line, could your weight loss challenges actually be due to another easily treatable condition? The answer is: YES!
The Connection Between Poor Circulation and Weight Gain
There are many ways that a vein circulation problem causes weight gain. Think about how you feel with a common cold; the run-down and exhausted symptoms are primarily due to the inflammation reaction in your body. It’s similar to a vein condition. When you feel run down and sit around in the evening it is easy to gain weight since you are burning 200 fewer calories per day. With patients who have a vein condition, it’s not uncommon for them to experience an unexplained weight gain of 10-15 lbs/year. Typically, you think of spider veins and bluish bulging varicose veins as common indicators of a vein condition, and that’s true. But it’s possible to have a vein condition and not have any visible symptoms at all. There are more common and invisible symptoms of a vein condition that affect a person’s ability to lose weight.
Fatigue
People with a vein condition are often robbed of a good night’s sleep due to symptoms or restlessness at night. Due to lack of sleep, they regularly wake up feeling low energy and washed out. Sometimes, in spite of having felt like they slept well, they still wake up feeling tired and worn out. The bottom line is that vein sufferers have stagnant circulation which allows inflammation to build up all day in their body. It takes all night of rest to clear it out, so mornings usually have the mildest symptoms. Inflammation from any source, including a vein condition, will rob you of energy, willpower, and activity and this can all lead to weight gain.
Leg Pain & Swelling
It usually causes leg aching, heaviness, swelling, and tired legs which makes it difficult to start or complete your activity. For some, the thought of exercise seems completely overwhelming. A vein condition causes leg achiness and leg swelling. When these symptoms happen, usually in the evenings, the only thing you want to do is find the nearest recliner and elevate your legs in an attempt to alleviate the symptoms. You may feel better the next morning, only to have the cycle repeat itself each evening.
In my practice, I see patients who have struggled with the inability to lose weight for so long, it’s affected their mindset. You may know you need to burn calories to maintain or lose weight, but you just don't have the energy to do it, and your legs ache and hurt. You may beat yourself up; "I just don't have the willpower to lose weight. I'll never reach my goals!" To make things worse, reduced activity leads to a downward spiral both physically and mentally, causing more weight gain which only serves to make the problem worse.
Wouldn't it be great to find out that inflammation from stagnant vein circulation may be the problem!? Once the inflammation is cleared out after the abnormal veins are treated, activity, stamina and overall energy level go up, usually within a few weeks. Break the cycle before it starts! At Missouri Vein Care, we understand. We're here to help you transition to a healthier lifestyle. It is easy to schedule a vein screen to get started.
