6 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight
If you are like most people, you’ve tried numerous weight loss and exercise programs in an effort to lose those stubborn pounds only to find yourself right back in your fat jeans a few months later! Some of the best appetite suppressants might have worked but for the most part, you’ve retained the fat. How frustrating! The energy people spend trying to lose weight can be a huge stress and the failure to be able to keep it off is depressing.
As a Nutritionist, I work with people one on one and I hear the same story over an over again. Despite their efforts to eat a healthy diet they just can’t lose those stubborn pounds. Today I want to share with you the six most common issues I see in my clients who just can’t lose weight.
1. RELYING ON EXERCISE ALONE – If I had a penny for every time someone told me that they “know how to eat” but just need to move more, I’d be rich! Many people are under the misconception that if they just went to the gym more or had a personal trainer a few times a week, or improved their mental health at work then they can lose those unwanted pounds. The truth is though that even a moderate exercise session of cardio or weight training will only burn about 200-300 calories for most people. Let’s assume you burned 300 calories five days a week – that’s 1500 calories burned. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat! It would take over 2 weeks to lose 1 lb. and that’s assuming you didn’t consume those calories back in a post workout snack! Many people will eat more when they exercise thinking they “deserve” extra calories. But I’m not saying that you should stop exercising in your volleyball trainers altogether. But maybe bringing down the amount of ingestion of calories could have a drastic effect.
Diet will account for 80-90% of your success in weight loss. Be sure to include a clean eating plan with any workout program for best and quickest results. Here’s a calculator for you to see just how much exercise is helping to burn off calories – Calories Burned By Exercise calculator.
2. HIDDEN SUGARS SPIKING INSULIN – People tell me all the time that they don’t eat sugar yet when I look at their typical daily intake they are eating foods that break down to sugar in the body all day long! Any type of carbohydrate food whether it’s a baked potato, rice, fruit or cotton candy all breaks down to sugar in the body. Once sugar is converted to glucose your pancreas secretes insulin to manage the higher blood sugar levels. Insulin is a fat storage hormone! If you eat hidden sugars all day long you are spiking a fat storage hormone all day long and your body never gets a chance to burn fat.
Learning how to balance your meals with the right amounts of low glycemic carbohydrate foods in combination with healthy fats and protein is the key to controlling insulin and allowing your body to finally burn fat.
3. LACK OF SLEEP – In our fast paced world, sleep is often put on the back burner as something we just don’t have time for but sleep is essential to our health and weight loss. Sleep revives us and helps rebuild muscle and allows our body to make hormones it needs to be healthy. One hormone in particular is leptin, which is increased with sleep. Leptin is a satiety hormone and tells our brain when we have had enough to eat. Lack of sleep decreases leptin, which decreases our satiety warning and leads to overeating. We also tend to reach for sugary snacks as a way to “get energy” when we feel tired.
Get your 7-8 hours nightly! Sleep hygiene is important and developing a good bedtime routine will help you get the much needed sleep your body needs for health and weight loss.
4. NOT EATING ENOUGH FAT – I admit that as a Nutritionist I am guilty of following and preaching the low fat lifestyle that was so commonly thought to be healthy in the 90’s. What we now know though is that fat isn’t what makes you fat – sugar makes you fat! In addition, fat is necessary to help burn fat and to make vital hormones and maintain health. Good healthy fats are what I’m talking about – such as olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, nuts and even organic butter.
Make the switch to a higher fat diet and a lower carbohydrate diet and see those pounds come off while improving all aspects of your health.
5. HIDDEN FOOD SENSITIVITIES – The gut is responsible for 70% or more of our immune system. Disruption of the healthy bacteria in the gut from toxins in the diet, antibiotic overuse, medications, and sugar is more common than most people realize. Just about all my clients come to me complaining about gut issues. Unfortunately, most doctors don’t recognize how food sensitivities and food allergies can affect our health and don’t connect many common disorders such as irritable bowel, celiac, Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, eczema, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, and heart disease with the typical Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).
Symptoms of food sensitivities might include bloating, gas, reflux, migraines or skin issues and the result is inflammation and weight gain. Determining which foods are causing an issue and getting our guts healthy is a key factor in any successful weight loss plan.
6. TOXIC BUILDUP IN YOUR BODY – Your body’s ability to process toxins is a key factor in your ability to lose weight. Unfortunately most overweight people also have some degree of toxic waste buildup in their livers and more often fatty liver disease. With a food supply that is full of toxins along with chemicals found in our household and daily hygiene products (creams, etc.) you can be sure that everyone’s liver is a bit sluggish. A sluggish liver struggles to process substances such as hormones and toxins efficiently which leads to a build up. Since toxins are stored in fat cells, your body will not only store more fat but won’t want to let that fat go!
Eating clean, “real” foods that are free from hidden chemicals and pesticides and using natural products for your household and personal use will go a long way in preventing toxic build up in your body. The body is very well equipped to handle a normal toxic load. Most people are way beyond this toxic load however and a good detox once or twice a year can help get the body functioning well and losing weight again.
READY FOR A CHANGE? If you are tired of being sick and tired then it’s time to make a change! I’m passionate about what I do and love helping people transform their lives with diet and exercise.
Contact me today for more information or visit my websites at: BodyDesignsbyMary.com and TwoWeekDetoxPlan.com
Get ready for an amazing year!
Are you looking to transform your health? Mary works with clients all over the country developing personalized nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss and health. If you’re ready to get started on your journey to health and wellness contact her today!
Visit BodyDesigns Two Week Detox Plan or BodyDesignsbyMary for more information.
