Are you someone who feels like they have tried everything to lose weight and nothing works? You’re not alone. There are many things that can affect your body’s ability (or willingness) to lose weight. Certain imbalances in the body could be preventing weight loss. Sometimes we have to go deeper and consider the mind-body connection. If you feel “stuck” and your typical diet and exercise approach doesn’t seem to be working it may be due to one of these seven factors.
1. Your Narrative.
The absolute first thing that I would consider is what is the story that you are telling yourself about your weight and body image. The mind is SO powerful and indifferent to the reality of the situation. What does that mean? It means that if you think, speak, or feel that you can’t lose weight no matter what you do, then your body is going to respond accordingly. Often we are conditioned to believe things about ourselves that are simply not true and block us from being in alignment with our true self.
2. High Toxic Burden
We store toxins, especially persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in our fat cells. This can interfere with the cells function and metabolic activity making it more difficult to lose weight. If you are dealing with chronic health issues your body will prioritize dealing with those over detoxing and cellular repair.
3. Gut Health
Endotoxins which are released from bacteria in the gut can leak into the blood stream and also interfere with cellular function and metabolic activity. Our gut bacteria also affect our cravings, especially when it comes to sugar and refined carbohydrates. For more on gut health check out Gut Health 101.
4. Unhealed Trauma/Stuck Emotions
If you are someone who tends to be an emotional eater then it’s likely there is some unresolved emotional trauma that needs to be addressed. Sexual trauma in particular can be a barrier to weight loss because it’s often providing unconscious safety for that person. According to German New Medicine, there are also biological conflicts which cause our kidney collecting tubules to retain water.
5. Undereating
I see a lot of clients who are eating a very low-calorie diet which puts your body into starvation mode. Over time, this communicates with your body that it needs to adjust your resting metabolic rate to learn to live off less energy which can create long term issues with weight loss. Sometimes actually eating more food helps your body feel safe to release stored energy.
6. Stress
Stress increases cortisol production which signals to your body to decrease lipolysis (burning fat). Chronic stress, over exercising, and extreme dieting all increase cortisol production. If you feel “tired, but wired” and/or need caffeine to get you through the day then this is a sign you need to address your Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis.
7. Hormone Imbalances
This is a big one. Leptin, Insulin, Thyroid, and Sex hormones can all impact weight and metabolism. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that signals to the brain that you are satiated (full) therefore, regulating hunger. The more body fat you have, the more leptin you produce. Leptin resistance occurs when the brain stops responding to leptin signaling causing the potential to overeat because you aren’t getting the sensation of feeling full. Leptin resistance also causes the body to go into starvation mode which means it is trying to conserve energy, not release it. The circadian rhythm plays an essential role in balancing these hormones.
If you are experiencing weight loss resistance or suspect any of these factors may be impacting you, then I recommend working with a functional or holistic practitioner to get to the root cause and address the underlying imbalance.