8 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight

Losing weight is a challenge. Many people will tell you, “It’s all about how many calories you burn off vs how many calories you take in,” as if your body were a straightforward mathematical equation. Sincerity requires admitting that if it were so simple, every single person would have aced this test.

There are a great number of additional elements at play, some of which include heredity, environment, sleeping patterns, and muscle mass, amongst others. According to Amy Gorin, RDN, a specialist in plant-based nutrition in Stamford, Connecticut, who specializes in weight management, “weight management is tremendously hard.”

Losing weight is not impossible, despite the obvious challenges involved. It’s crucial to keep things in perspective and look at the big picture (eating more vegetables, walking more). It may also be beneficial to move backward and identify the things that are preventing you from reaching your goal or producing a plateau in your progress.

If you are aware of these eight frequent obstacles, you may once again be on your path to winning despite the fact that you are now losing.

1. The Health of Your Gut Is Causing You Problems

New research is shedding light on the significance of your microbiome, which refers to the group of bacteria that live in your digestive tract, to your overall health and, potentially, to your weight. According to the findings of a study that was published in June of 2020 in the journal Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics (which are blends of probiotics and prebiotics) may assist in preventing weight gain. Additionally, it was discovered that those whose gut microbiomes contained less variety were more likely to have a body mass index that was greater (BMI).

How to Proceed The registered dietitian and owner of The Nourish RD in Chicago, Kirby Walter, advocates beginning by increasing the amount of prebiotics that are consumed in one’s diet. “Prebiotics are a type of fiber that provides nourishment to the beneficial bacteria that are found in your gut. It doesn’t matter how many probiotics you take; if you don’t provide adequate nourishment for the beneficial bacteria in your gut, they won’t be able to grow to the point where they can outcompete the pathogenic bacteria there. Increase the amount of prebiotics in your diet by putting an emphasis on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Give your gut a spectrum of prebiotics that it can enjoy by eating a variety of foods like green beans one day, kale the next, and then a tomato salad. This will keep your gut happy.

2. Your genes are not working in your favor at this point.

It’s a harsh fact of life, but it’s probable that you won’t be able to choose the body type or form you desire and then effortlessly arrive at that goal by eating the proper foods. “Genetics matter a lot, even though people don’t like to hear it,” says Jason R. Karp, PhD, author of the book Lose It Forever. “People don’t like to hear that because they don’t want to believe it.” He refers to a study that was done on Swedish twins who were either raised together or separately. The findings of this study as well as those of previous twin research projects have demonstrated that genes are responsible for around 70% of the variation in people’s body weight. Dr. Karp identifies that as a moderately significant influence.

In addition to this, there is the concept of the set-point weight range, which refers to the range of weights at which your body is, for all intents and purposes, content. It is possible to arrive there if you lead a life that is filled with health and happiness (translation: eating nutritiously without restricting yourself and exercising but not overly so). If you try to drop your weight to an extent that is too far below your set point, “your brain responds to weight loss with tremendous mechanisms to drive your weight back up to what it considers normal,” says Karp. “Your willpower or your conscious decisions have nothing to do with it.” The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explains the concept of a set point and says that the key to successfully adjusting your set point is to lose weight in a manner that is modest and steady.

How to Proceed According to Karp, in order to prevent regaining weight after losing it, you will need to continue eating fewer calories than you did before, and as Beth Israel points out, you should take things carefully. This means that you should not lose more than 10 percent of your body weight every six months; for a woman who weighs 160 pounds, this would be equivalent to losing 16 pounds in that time period.

If you find it difficult to accept this, just keep in mind that having this information can have a profoundly good impact and can set you free. It can give you the opportunity to give yourself grace for the body that you are in rather than punishing yourself because you haven’t reached a goal weight or aesthetic or because you lack willpower. This is because it can give you the opportunity to give yourself grace for the body that you are in. Regardless of the size of clothing you ultimately find yourself able to fit into, you can use this as motivation to engage in more healthy behaviors that leave you feeling good about yourself. According to a study that was published in March 2021 in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, weight-inclusive interventions have the potential to improve not only one’s cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, but also one’s body image, self-esteem, and certain mental health conditions. This transition may need a significant amount of work on your part, and a HAES (health at every size) dietitian can assist you in making it. The Association for Size Diversity and Health offers a search tool that you can use to locate specialists in your region; however, the tool is presently undergoing maintenance and won’t be operational again until September.

3. As you become older, you will see a decrease in muscle mass.

According to Gorin, “When women reach menopause and their estrogen levels begin to drop, they begin to lose muscle as they age.” According to the findings of many studies, beyond the age of 30, a person experiences a 3–8% annual decline in their muscle mass. According to the Mayo Clinic, muscle burns more calories than fat does over the course of a day. This is a significant finding.

According to Gorin, “Post-menopausal women have a higher risk of gaining body fat as they age and require less calories to maintain their current weight.” According to an article that was published in the September 2019 issue of Nature Medicine, normal changes in fat tissue that come with age can lead the body to acquire weight. This information comes from the study.

How to Proceed You have no control over the passage of time, but you do have power over the behaviors that affect your health. “People of any age can lose weight and keep it off as long as they create the habits that are necessary and have a plan in place for any slips in behaviors that can cause weight gain,” says Karp. “The key is to create the habits that are necessary and have a plan in place for any slips in behaviors that can cause weight gain.” According to Gorin, effective actions include making nutrient-rich meals the basis of your diet, reducing empty calories (such as processed and high-sugar foods), and include strength exercise as part of your weekly routine in order to restore muscle that has been lost.

4. The Problem Lies in Your Own Medicine Cabinet

Certain drugs can directly cause weight gain or make it more difficult to achieve weight loss goals. According to research conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, some of these medications include insulin, which is used to treat diabetes; certain antipsychotics or antidepressants; certain therapies for epilepsy; steroids; and blood pressure-lowering medications such as beta blockers. It is possible that they will cause you to gain weight due to the fact that they interfere with your metabolism in some manner, alter your appetite, cause you to retain water, or contribute to weariness, causing you to be less active.

How to Proceed Discuss the matter with your physician if you or your doctor discovers that you have unintentionally gained weight. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s advice, you should not stop taking your medications simply because you have gained weight. Your primary care physician may be able to change the medication you are taking or the dosage that they give you in certain circumstances. If that is not an option for you, consider establishing a relationship with a qualified dietician who will be able to direct you toward making nutritious food choices.

5. You Underestimate Your Portion Sizes

The issue with the portion sizes that are listed on packages is that they are somewhat arbitrary. Even though there has been some movement toward making the serving sizes on food packaging more accurate (for example, the serving size of ice cream has gone from a half-cup to a two-thirds cup, as stated by the United States Food and Drug Administration), this is still an external guide that has no bearing on how hungry you are or what your body truly requires.

How to Proceed Gorin suggests making a plan for what you are going to consume during the day. “This can be accomplished by either logging your food in a food diary to see how many calories you’re actually consuming and adjusting portion sizes as needed or working with a registered dietitian to create an easy-to-follow meal plan,” she says. “This can be accomplished by either logging your food in a food diary to see how many calories you’re actually consuming and adjusting portion sizes as needed.” Gorin has devised meal plans that allow for customization, cutting through the clutter and removing the element of uncertainty over portion sizes. In addition, there is a plethora of food preparation software and apps at your disposal. You can keep track of calories, goals, and progress with one choice called Lose It, which is available for free on both the App Store and Google Play.

6. You eat without paying attention or when you’re distracted

What did I just eat? is a question you could find yourself asking if you like to munch mindlessly while watching television or using your smartphone. A meta-analysis that was conducted and published in the journal Appetite in September 2022 discovered that distracted eating is connected to a higher body mass index (BMI). When you are conscious of what you are eating, your brain and body may make the connection that you are no longer hungry and can stop eating.

How to Proceed When it is in your power to do so, Gorin suggests cooking your own meals. “When you spend the time to cook or even just assemble ingredients, you know the care that goes into preparing the foods you eat, and you may be more likely to sit down and savor your food as opposed to simply wolfing it down,” she says. “When you spend the time to cook or even just assemble ingredients, you know the care that goes into preparing the foods you eat.” In addition, Gorin recommends taking at least a few minutes away from electronic devices in order to eat.

7. You Forego Meals, Which Leads to Overeating Later On

It is tempting to go through the day attempting to eat as little as possible and even skip meals in an effort to reduce the number of calories that one consumes. But if you do this, your body will urge you to eat, and according to Walter, starvation might have the opposite of the desired effect. “Ninety percent of my weight loss clients are not eating enough during the day, and then they wind up bingeing,” she adds. “When they do binge, they eat more than they should have.” According to Walter, if you deprive yourself of food for the entirety of the day, the protective systems in your body will activate. These are the processes that prompt you to go find something to eat. As a direct consequence of this, it is not uncommon if you consume a whole bag of cookies in a short amount of time late at night.

How to Proceed Walter suggests establishing a regular eating routine for yourself. Your body will be able to anticipate that it will receive appropriate nutrients from you if you eat at regular intervals throughout the day. This will allow your body to function at its optimal level. Additionally, she recommends that even if you are attempting to lose weight, you should establish a strategy for how you are going to incorporate a variety of foods into your daily routine in order to avoid the feeling of deprivation that comes along with it. For example, is it okay if I bring you an Oreo after lunch? When you go out with the kids on Saturday, are you going to give yourself permission to eat a scoop of ice cream?

8. You Overestimate Your Calorie Burn

According to Karp, the foods you eat and the amount of food you consume are more critical factors in determining your weight loss success than the amount of activity you get. Despite this, he claims that “exercise is the secret to keeping weight off” (the secret to keeping off weight). According to the findings of several studies, physical activity kickstarts the production of mitochondria inside the muscle tissue. (The National Human Genome Research Institute states that mitochondria are the cells’ primary source of energy.)

The end result, according to him, is that this “makes you a better fat and carbohydrate-burning machine.” In addition to this, according to Karp, the people who are successful in losing weight are the ones that exercise. “The majority of National Weight Control Registry members [those who have maintained weight loss over a long period of time] engage in physical activity as part of their weight loss and weight-maintenance strategy,” he says. “This includes 89.6 percent of women and 85.3 percent of men.”

How to Proceed According to Gorin, engaging in physical activity shouldn’t be regarded as a kind of punishment for indulging in a meal. She argues that exercise is a celebration of the movement that your body is capable of achieving, and that this movement is a lovely thing. It is better to seek out pleasurable methods to include physical activity into your life, activities that make you feel capable, or activities that build in social connection (if that’s something you’re interested in) – all of these aspects can help you keep to a schedule.