We see a lot of clients for weight loss who have tried everything under the sun but are still unable to lose weight. Some of our clients even have the perfect diet but still can’t lose weight. Weight loss doesn’t always come down to calories in vs calories out. There are numerous things that could be going on in the body which can affect weight loss, and we’re going to touch on a few of these for you.
1) You’re under eating or have tried too many low calorie/starvation diets
This is mistake that a lot of dieters make. Just because you’re on a “diet” doesn’t mean you have to eat tiny morsels for each meal. Eating very little makes your body store whatever you eat as fat — just the opposite of what you want. It also causes your metabolism to slow down, making it more difficult for you to lose weight.
We’ve seen many female clients who have a really good diet but just aren’t eating enough to support their energy requirements, or they’ve tried so many diets in the past which are low calorie that they have now negatively affected their metabolism. Eating a low-calorie diet or restrictive eating for a long period of time will cause some type of metabolic damage. This is one of the reason why people’s experiences plateau.
2) Under active thyroid (hypothyroidism)
You might realize the reason you’re feeling tired, sluggish, constipated or have difficulties with concentration or dealing with cold hands and feet might be due to a sluggish/under active thyroid. A sluggish thyroid can slow down metabolism subsequently resting in weight gain. In our country, many people don’t consume the right foods to support thyroid health (i.e. iodine and selenium), we also lack these nutrients in our soils. Without being conscious of this and incorporating these foods into your diet this could be affecting your thyroid health.
3) You’re too stressed
When you are stressed your body going into the ‘fight or fight’ response. When this happens regularly your body releases cortisol, a fat storing hormone. It’s important to put aside 5-15 minutes each day for yourself, to unwind and de-stress! This is important for helping to nourish your adrenal glands and signalling the nervous system to kick into the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ response.
4) Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalances can hugely affect weight loss. Conditions such as PCOS for example can cause insulin resistance which can cause weight gain, making it harder for you to lose weight. It’s also common for female to be estrogen dominate (especially when taking the OCP). Absorbing environmental estrogens is another factor to consider which can lead to estrogen dominance. Environmental estrogens are known as xenoestrogens, these are synthetic chemicals found in plastics, fertilizers, detergents and cosmetics. It is believed that these xenoestrogens can mimic our bodies natural estrogens. Excess estrogen can result in weight gain in both men and women.
5) You’re not getting enough sleep
A lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep may be hindering your weight loss goals. Sleep deprivation can slow down your metabolism and affects the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is what tells your brain to stop eating, whereas ghrelin stimulates hunger and is produced in the stomach. Some research suggests that poor quality or inadequate sleep is associated with low levels of leptin and high levels of ghrelin, often resulting in weight gain.
6) You’re over exercising
We can vouch for this one personally! We’re a sucker for HIIT and that release of endorphins, but for some people too much of a good thing just isn’t right. It can upset our hormones and increase our stress response. Exercising is still important for weight loss but if you are a busy person, and have high stress levels, aren’t getting adequate sleep your body’s stress response will be high, then if you stress exercise (i.e. do a HIIT session) regularly your body is going to pump out even more cortisol (hello fat storage) preventing you from losing weight.
If this is something you struggle with we’d love to see you for a consultation to help you get back to a happy weight so you can feel comfortable, healthy and look amazing. Send me an email today to book in a consultation on info@globalhealthclinics.co.nz, or give us a call on 09 488 0208.
Also see our Hypnotherapy options.