Why am I NOT Losing Weight?

Here are some unexpected reasons why you may not be losing weight…

You’re desperate enough to try anything in order to lose weight. You blame yourself for not doing this and not doing that. You feel depressed because you feel you have failed. You always thought you didn't try hard enough, that’s why you still have those extra pounds. Stop.

It may not be your fault after all. Here are some reasons why.

1. Thyroid Diseases.

As time goes on your organs slow down and show signs of aging. Organs which release hormones (endocrine organs) become sluggish and operate poorly. Your thyroid gland is one of those. Thyroid

Your thyroid hormones have an impact on almost all of the cells in your body. If you have insufficient levels in your system (hypothyroidism), your metabolism will slow down and you may gain weight, even while you’re trying to lose it. Women (5%) are affected more than men (0.5%). Various thyroid diseases lead to insufficient levels of thyroid hormones. So be sure to have your thyroid checked out by your healthcare practitioner.

2. Don’t cross the line to the pathologic type of stress.

Keep your stress levels under control and well within the physiologic range. Remember stress (pathologic) can wreak havoc on your goal to lose weight. We have an article on pathologic stress you may want to read up on.

When your stress levels are beyond your control, your eating habits may begin to suffer. You may forget your goals and eat anything in sight, especially foods that could provide you with some sort of comfort. Some people call these types of foods comfort foods. Comfort foods often remind you of good times with your family and friends or of a happy childhood. At those times you weren't stressed out, that’s why the same foods provide comfort now. Are you still eating your comfort foods? Find alternative ways to alleviate your stress.

Scientifically speaking, your stress hormones stimulate carbohydrate and fat breakdown in order to produce glucose to feed your muscles and other organs. The rise in blood glucose levels signals your pancreas to release insulin. While this may be a good thing for your individual cells, it’s actually detrimental to your health as a whole. Insulin increases your appetite making you eat more than you need, especially sugary and carbohydrate-rich foods.

Processed Hamburger

3. Don’t be lazy and depend on processed foods.

It’s a known fact that processed foods (or convenience foods) do save you a lot of preparation time. Well, what the manufacturer didn’t tell you was that they added some ingredients to shortcut preparation time and increase profits. Most of the processed foods out there are full of trans fats, sugar and chemical additives. We don’t notice them when we eat processed foods in a hurry. Slow down there a bit, and read the label first. Plus, if you eat more slowly and savour your meal, your brain will get the “I’m full” message before you are able to overeat.

4. Oestrogen levels decline.

When oestrogen levels fall (like in menopause), the scales tip towards imbalance. Oestrogen helps regulate your body weight. So a decrease in oestrogen levels contributes to increased fat storage. Another factor is your balance of progesterone to estrogen. Not enough progesterone to balance out your estrogen levels causes low thyroid function and potential weight gain. Also known as estrogen dominance, this hormonal imbalance is very common in women today. Book in with your healthcare practitioner to get your hormones tested.

Obesity & Diabetes

5. Insulin Resistance and Diabetes.

As time passes, your body’s ability to get a grip on blood sugar can go haywire and lead to weight gain. Diabetes increases your appetite especially to sweets, sugars and carbohydrate-rich foods. These tend to be stored rather than used up because of biochemical changes caused by diabetes. In addition, these two conditions contribute largely to deposition of visceral fat. This is the type of fat you should be more concerned about. Click here for more information regarding visceral fat. Basically, its found in your abdominal cavity surrounding your internal organs. Visceral fat can secrete a whole plethora of unknown substances leading to weight gain.

6. Medications.

There are some medications that promote weight gain. If you’re taking any of them, please schedule a consult with your doctor before you decide to stop them of your own accord. Explain to him or her that you want to lose weight.

Please stop blaming yourself, especially if you happen to experience any of the abovementioned conditions. Instead talk to your healthcare practitioner about the steps you can take to improve your health and maintain a healthy weight.