Why do you gain weight?

In the body, all the food you eat is eventually turned into the simple sugar glucose. Glucose is burned in the body in a cycle called Glycolysis which produces molecules of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), the basic energy unit in biology. However, if more glucose than nessassary is present (ie, if you ate more than is required), the body will convert it to fat and store it, so that later on, in a time of hunger, it can be converted back into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis.

This is why chronic over-eating results in a build up of fat.

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A:

You gain weight because of an increase in body mass. In early growth, the increase in body mass invovles all tissues, including bone, muscle, neural tissue, etc. In adulthood, growth for the most part is the result of an increase in muscle mass (from excercise) and/or an increase in fat (where the calories consumed exceed the calories used per day, with the extra converted to fat as per the process described above).

First answer by ID410504493. Last edit by Cjonb. Contributor trust: 202 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 3 [recommend question]