Weight loss journeys are not easy. They are also not linear? If they were, weight management would be so easy and none of us would have to go on a weight loss ?journey? in the first place.
When you?re on a weight loss journey, it?s almost inevitable that you?ll hit a plateau at some point, and even start to gain a little weight back. This can be frustrating can leave you feeling defeated. Often this leads to eating less and exercising more? and yet, still, the weight doesn?t seem to shift.
Have you ever thought that, maybe, there are some other factors that are affecting your weight loss results?
If so, then you?re correct. There are myriad factors (other than diet and exercise) that can play a big role in weight loss. So, here are 4 little known (but important) reasons that you?re not losing the amount of weight you should be.
Factor 1: You Are Not Getting Enough Sleep
I?m going to guess that this is not what you wanted to hear. However, when we get less than 6hrs of sleep per night, it impacts our hunger hormones, which leads to an increase in our cravings for high sugar and high carb foods. Both of these factors can definitely have an impact on our weight loss. Basically, it?s your body?s way of telling you, ?I need energy?now!?
It doesn?t matter how good your diet is, and how much you?re moving your body; if you do not get at least 7hrs of sleep per night (on average), you will find it difficult to lose weight.
Below, I have listed a few ideas as to how you can increase the quantity and quality of sleep every night:
- Limit your screen time before bed, as digital screens can trigger your brain into thinking that it?s still daytime; and thus, may diminish the quality of your sleep.
- Do not have caffeine after 12pm.
- Listen to calming sounds or music designed for meditation.
- Create a clam and peaceful environment to go to sleep in. Putting some kind of lavender scent in your room is great for this (lavender spray, candle, essential oil etc.).
- Go into a stress-free zone daily. This will relieve stress and anxiety, which will ultimately improve your quality of sleep. For example, if you put your legs up on a wall and close your eyes for 10 minutes, your body will automatically go into a stress-free zone and your mind will thank you for it later.
Factor 2: You Have Issues With Your Thyroid
Do you feel like you gain weight really easily, struggle to lose weight, constantly feel tired, feel weak and experience muscle cramps, constantly feel cold and struggle with regular bowel movements?
If so, then you may have a slow thyroid (slow metabolism).
However, it?s important not to self-diagnose; but rather, find a doctor or integrative medicine doctor that will test all T3, T4, Thyroid antibodies, TSH, and reverse T3.
This will help give you clarity as to whether any issues with your thyroid or not.
Factor 3: Your Gut Microbiome Is Imbalanced
There is a huge connection between you gut health and your weight. It has been proven that your gut bacteria can have a large impact on how effectively your food is digested, as well as helping your body to recognise when it?s full.
A particular study found that the gut microbiome in obese people were very different to those that were not classified as obese. The obese group had lower gut bacteria diversity, which impacted how their body actually digested food.
Another study found that those who were obese and had less gut bacteria diversity experienced a greater risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks, type 2 diabetes and higher low-grade inflammation in the body. The obese group who were at risk of these diseases had high levels of ?Firmicutes?, which is bad gut bacteria. Firmicutes have a negative influence on fat metabolism. Thus, you want to try and increase good gut bacteria to help absorb food properly and positively influence fat metabolism.
So, what foods can we add into our diet to help the good gut bacteria grow?
You want to increase your consumption of probiotic (good bacteria) foods, such as:
- Yoghurt
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Tempeh
- Miso
- Kombucha
You also to want to increase your consumption of prebiotics. These prebiotic foods will help feed the probiotics. Foods that are high in prebiotics include:
- Wholegrains
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
Factor 4: Your Cortisol Levels Are Through The Roof
You might not even be aware of this one. Cortisol is the stress hormone in your body. Cortisol is typically be high in the morning and should gradually decrease throughout the day.
You may have become too used to living an extremely stressful and fast paced life. Perhaps you think you have no time to stop, slow down and rest. However, if you are truly struggling to lose weight, it might be because your cortisol levels are constantly high (i.e. you?re in a constant state of stress).
When cortisol levels are constantly high, it can cause a lot of inflammation in the body, and this inflammation can have a significant impact on your weight loss results.
So, how can you reduce your cortisol levels?
- Make sure you get enough sleep every night
- Go into a stressed free zone daily (e.g. meditation, yoga, lying down with your legs up on the wall etc.)
- Deep breathing
- Gentle exercise
- Surrounding yourself with positive people
- A calm environment
What Should You Do Next If You're Struggling To Lose Weight?
In conclusion, if you truly believe that you are trying everything to lose weight and it?s still not working, then I would highly recommend seeking out a dietician, a nutritionist or integrative doctor to help investigate all these things and identify your individual barriers to weight loss.
Once you are aware of these barriers, you can then work closely with a nutritionist to help you with your diet and make sure that you are achieving the best results possible.
If you're interested in finding out more about how you can lose weight sustainably (i.e. without dieting), then you have to check this post out; it's a definitive guide as to what exactly sustainably weight loss is.
So, stop feeling frustrated with you stunted weight loss and start taking action to get that weight dropping again!