Why You May Not Be Losing Weight
For some people, losing weight can be a lifelong struggle. One by one, they try every fad diet and weight loss treatment but with little to no success. It is discouraging when they are unable to lose weight. They may even keep gaining weight no matter what diet or weight loss products they try.
Popular culture presents weight loss as simply a matter of restricting the food you eat. However, this is not a realistic vision for millions of people struggling to lose weight. Sustainable weight loss is never that simple. Some may actually be struggling with weight loss resistance, a complicated and multifaceted condition with no quick or easy solution.
Why do some people resist weight loss? What are the underlying reasons that people suffer from chronic conditions such as this? There are a variety of factors that affect your body’s capability to lose weight and contribute to weight loss resistance. Here are some possible factors.
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Gastrointestinal Problems
If you want to understand weight loss, you need to understand your gastrointestinal system first. The gut affects your immune system and is home to trillions of bacteria. Current research is studying the relationship between these bacteria and weight loss.
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Thyroid Gland Issues
The thyroid is responsible for a number of bodily functions, including regulating weight. This is why when someone finds it hard to lose weight, he or she often has his or her thyroid checked. The thyroid affects growth and metabolism and it is important to find out if there are any underlying problems that may be causing weight gain.
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Resistance to Leptin
Fat cells are an important part of the hormonal system. They create leptin, a hormone that tells your brain to use stored fat for energy. However, if you have leptin resistance, your brain does not recognize leptin. It thinks you are in starvation mode and instead stores more fat.
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Adrenal Dysfunctions
The adrenal glands, also vital to the endocrine system, take on the job of producing cortisol, the stress hormone. If your body produces excess cortisol, it leads to the body holding on to weight. This is why you are likely to gain more weight when you are stressed.
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Resistance to Insulin
Insulin resistance is a pattern where your body produces this particular hormone but does not use it properly. The problem with the body not using insulin properly is that this hormone stores fat. People with insulin resistance often struggle to lose weight.
So many different types of diet and weight loss treatments are available on the market, but there is not an easy way to determine which of them can offer you sustainable weight loss. However, with comprehensive diagnostics of your whole body system, it is possible to create a customized health program that can help you reach and maintain your weight loss goals. Identifying any factors that may be causing your resistance to weight loss can help you find ways to overcome them.
Can Inflammation Really Impede Weight Loss?
People like to think that simply eating less meat, more vegetables and going to the gym is enough to shed all those extra pounds you gained last holiday season. It is not that simple. As we learn more about how our body works, weight management, and the growing obesity epidemic, we are beginning to realize that things are more complicated.
For many years, researchers tried to identify the critical elements of metabolism and its relation to weight loss. Following their efforts, researchers found that inflammation can have a direct effect on your weight loss efforts. How does inflammation in the body block your efforts to shed those extra pounds? Here is a brief explanation.
To Lose Weight, the Body Needs to Covert Cells
According to a number of studies on weight loss, the conversion of cells is what helps you lose weight. More specifically, this happens when white fat cells turn into brown cells. When white fat cells become brown fat cells, they become more capable of burning fat and converting it into the energy that you need. It means that the more brown cells your body has, the more weight you can lose.
The conversion of cells relies on a major signaling pathway and the messenger, cGMP. Research has found that fat is capable of creating inflammation that interferes with the signal pathway for converting cells. Essentially, inflammation hinders and restrains cGMP, blocking the signaling pathway, suppressing the body’s ability to convert cells, and resulting in accumulated fat.
Fat, Inflammation, and Weight Loss
There are different types of fat present in the body; visceral fat is the one you want the least of. This stubborn belly fat lies deep within your body, around your internal organs. It is the type of fat that prevents cell conversion and causes inflammation, hormonal problems, and cardiovascular disease.
Visceral fat causes a multitude of health issues and is hard to shed. It causes inflammation that blocks the signal pathway telling your body to convert white fat cells into brown cells. That is why you are unable to use it for energy. In order to maximize your body’s ability to convert cells and lose weight, it is important that you understand the mechanics of burning fat and losing weight.
You need to better understand your body, practice good eating habits, exercise, and get enough sleep to prevent yourself from gaining visceral fat and experiencing inflammation. This fat only blocks your body from being a natural fat burning machine. The body is a complex system, and there are myriad factors that play a role in a person gaining or losing weight.
Inflammation is only one of these factors, but paying attention and keeping it in check can go a long way. Take the time to figure out how your body works and what causes weight gain so that your weight loss efforts will not be in vain. By making lifestyle changes and being more aware of your body, achieving optimum health is well within your reach.
Strategies to Lose Weight
Losing weight is a big business. There are so many weight loss programs, ranging from fitness regimens, miracle supplements and fad diets, all promising fast weight loss. Unfortunately, fast weight loss has its drawbacks, including fast rebound when the weight loss program is no longer being followed. Here are some effective strategies for losing weight and keeping it off for good.
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Ditch the Gluten
A recent study found out that a gluten-free diet can help reduce your waistline, insulin resistance, and inflammation. It doesn’t mean that you need to go out and replace all your favorite foods with gluten-free varieties. Simply start cutting back on the amount of gluten you consume, and try to be more aware of what you are eating that may contain gluten.
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Swap Out 1 Meal a Day for a Protein Shake
A meta-analysis reveals that a meal replacement shake can greatly aid in losing unwanted body fats. Follow the basic recipe of blending a non-soy beef, or plant-based protein powder with almond milk, unsweetened coconut, fresh ground flaxseed, leafy greens, kale, avocado, and raspberries.
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Limit Fruit Consumption to 1 Cup of Cherries or Berries a Day
While fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet, too much consumption of fruits can actually hinder fat loss. Excess fructose, the natural sweetener in fruit, can increase weight gain and leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that signals your brain to stop eating; if your brain becomes resistant to it, you are more likely to go after those second helpings.
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Switch Your Carbohydrates for Green Vegetables
Cruciferous and leafy vegetables can provide you with antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber for fewer calories than starchy carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes.
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Slowly Increase Your Fiber Intake
An epidemiological study reveals that higher fiber consumption is associated with weight loss. Some high-fiber foods include quinoa, legumes, lentils, raspberries, and avocado.
Poor or inadequate sleep can affect your fat-burning hormones. It can also cause you to add a banana nut muffin to your coffee order in the morning. Increased appetite or cravings for sugars and carbs are often signs of fatigue.
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Do Intervals to Blast Fat
Repeatedly exercising or burst training for just half an hour makes you a fat-burning machine. A study reveals that burst training can greatly increase the rate of fat loss.
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De-stress
Stress is is killer, in more ways than we recognize. It’s something we all experience from time to time but its what we do with stress that directs our life. Take time to breathe, go for a walk, exercise, find something that works for you that helps you fill back up the areas that are depleted and weighting you down.
Losing weight can be a long journey; however, it doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be temporary. Trying just a few of the practices above can help you transform your weight loss goals into healthy living goals that you can stick with for good.
Want some extra support in meeting your weight-loss goals, improving gut & immune health? I am offering a free consultation Book your session
A Bit About me:
Wendy Purviance is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach and Yoga Instructor helping you get to the root cause of your stubborn weight gain, gas, bloating & joint pain. So you can live your best life! Are you ready for a transformation?
Over 15 years experience writing and speaking to individuals, & groups about integrating essential oils, reducing an individual’s toxic load through their
environment as well as detoxing the body. As a nutrition & whole living teacher, her hope is to share her love of cooking, health, yoga and natural living tips that can transform even the busiest lives.
