Why can’t I lose weight?

1 Stress causes the body to release cortisol. This hormone helps your body cope with the new demands. However, if the stress continues it can slow down the metabolism and lead to a build-up of abdominal fat. You may find that you haven’t changed your eating habits yet you are gaining weight. Stress may also lead to food cravings and emotional eating, increasing your consumption of sweet and salty snacks.

2 Not enough sleep or disrupted sleep can cause hormonal disruption and impact on weight loss. It can lead to an increase in ghrelin which increases your appetite. It also decreases leptin, the hormone responsible for letting you know that you are full. How much sleep each person needs varies. Identify how much you need to feel rested. The usual is 8-9 hours.

3 Disrupted gut flora. Obese people have different gut flora to slim people. Unhealthy gut bacteria can create low-grade inflammation in the body which contributes to weight gain and obesity. A bacterium known as firmicutes assists your body in extracting calories from sugars and storing them as fat. You may have a reasonable diet and exercise routine but unless you have healthy gut flora you may still be gaining weight.

4 Poor blood sugar control or Insulin resistance. This means that your body can’t utilise the food you are eating. This makes you feel fatigued and crave carbohydrates. It fuels the growth of unhealthy bacteria which prevent weight loss.

5 Toxins. Fat soluble toxins (Like pesticides) lead to leptin resistance. Leptin is the hormone that tells our brain to burn fat for energy. If the brain can no longer hear it, your weight loss will not respond to exercise.