Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

Losing weight is hard. Some people try to lose weight their whole lives only to lose and gain the same ten pounds over and over again. I myself have struggled with my weight at various times in my life. Growing up overweight, out of shape, lost and confused is a big part of why I am so passionate about helping others lose weight. Shoot, just in the last few years I put on weight and had to lose it yet again. Sometimes, effort just isn’t enough to cause results that you can see.

Therefore in this article, I’ll try to help answer the question “Why can’t I lose weight?” There are six key factors that we’ve included that tend to prevent weight loss, and we’ve included tips on how you can reverse the things keeping you from losing weight.

Why Can’t I Lose Weight

There are many reasons why it might be hard for you to lose weight… notice I said, it might be hard for you to lose weight… NOT impossible. That is one of the first things I personally had to overcome was the self-doubting beliefs that I was not meant to lose weight… I thought I was supposed to be fat… I thought I was special or my body just couldn’t lose weight, which is not the case. 

So yes, you might be struggling to lose weight, but it is not impossible. We just have to uncover the true reason you are not earning the weight loss results you want, and then make adjustments. Perhaps your eating habits aren’t the best, you aren’t friends with sleep, or you avoid breakfast like the plague.  Sound familiar?

Here’s a guide with six reasons you might be struggling to lose weight.

Reason #1 – Because You Skipped Breakfast

The saying that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” has been pounded into our heads since we were kids for several reasons. One reason is that the food you eat can help kick-start your body and metabolism. Another reason why breakfast is so important is that a healthy breakfast means you’re less hungry come lunch time. For most, lunchtime is an easy time to pick up a couple hundred unwanted calories. Think of how many times you went to grab fast food on your lunch break because you were starving. That would happen a lot less if you ate a great breakfast.

Reason #2 – Because You’re Stressed Out

If you’re stressed out, and frankly who isn’t these days, it can lead to unfavorably high levels of cortisol. Cortisol and stress get a bit of a bad rap. We actually need small amounts of stress in our life. The problem is that due to the society we live in, we are constantly under stress. This constant stress is what has the adverse effects and makes it challenging to lose weight due to elevated cortisol levels. 

High levels of cortisol (your stress hormone) lead to increased belly fat storage as well as makes it very challenging to burn body fat. Not only does stress lead to more fat storage but it will also increase cravings for fat, salt, and sugar. Making it harder to stick to your nutrition plan.

Find what you consider relaxing and implement it into your daily routine. Perhaps you enjoy watching an episode of TV, or maybe you like a quick walk around the neighborhood. Allotting yourself some time for self-care and relaxation can really benefit your mental and physical health.

Reason #3 – Because You Don’t Sleep Enough

You sleep to recharge your body. If you don’t get enough sleep you feel… sleepy. So far I’ve said nothing that isn’t already obvious right? But remember that when you’re tired, your body is much more likely to crave high-calorie foods. That’s because your body wants to convert those calories into energy so it’ll feel less sleepy. The problem is most people do not need extra calories. Also not getting the proper amount of rest can really mess with your metabolism.

Sleep is an important aspect of your life and optimal amounts are needed to allow your body to work effectively. Whether it’s decreasing how many calories are burned by your body, increases in hormones that cause you to eat more food or less healthy foods in general, the impact of crappy sleep rears its ugly head in many directions. Even 30 minutes less of sleep can result in an increased risk of weight gain. You can learn more in this blog written by Dr. Chad Kerksick.

Reason #4 – Because You Eat Too Much

This seems obvious and should be the #1 point here, but the truth is that many people just eat too much. Not only that but most people don’t eat nearly as healthily as they think they do. Shoot, I know I have fallen in this category. I would eat peanut butter throughout the day thinking it was a good protein source. Never taking into account that it has over twice as much fat as protein, the protein isn’t a complete protein source, and that it was very high in calories… but hey, I’m sure we all have some examples of mistakes we have made. 

For example, sure you might have a salad every day for lunch but how many calories are in the salad’s toppings? How about in the dressing? How about in the croutons, avocado, and other items? Chances are good that salad is just as unhealthy as a burger as far as the calories are concerned. It’s great you’re getting fiber and protein but you may also need to cut back on the calories. It’s simply very unlikely that you’ll out-exercise a high-calorie diet. This is where tracking your food for a week can be a great first step to figuring out why you can’t lose weight.

Portion control is important when it comes to weight loss. You may be eating too much of the wrong foods, and the nutrition labels aren’t much help. Society tells us to eat more than we need which results in excess or unnecessary weight, as well as feeling stuffed or perpetually hungry.

Consider calorie counting, or following a macro based plan, as the plan to help you lose weight. Learning just how much your normal meals “cost” in terms of nutrition and calories can teach a valuable lesson in what’s healthy and what’s not. Understanding proper serving sizes for YOU and some rough ideas of nutritional values can help you stay on track and have more consistent weight loss.

Reason #5 – Because Your Genetics Make It Difficult

I know before I said I thought this was me, and there is some truth to that. Not all people have the same body type. Some people collect fat around their bellies. Some people collect fat everywhere. Some people gain the same muscle mass in months that takes other people years. So yes, your genetics might make it more challenging to lose weight but once again… not impossible. Don’t use this as the reason you aren’t where you want to be. Instead, use it as knowledge to help you make necessary adjustments to your lifestyle to earn the results you want. 

Reason #6 – You’re Missing On The Details

You might be eating right and exercising and yet you’re still not seeing results that you want. That could come from a host of reasons. Some might be that you are not fulfilling your micronutrient demands for the day. Just like hitting your calories and macros are important, getting in the appropriate amount of micronutrients is just as important. A study of over 3 million Americans found that less than 1% of American’s meet their micronutrient demands for the day through whole foods. That’s where Micro Factor comes in to be your baseline supplement to your body operating more effectively by fulfilling your daily essential nutrients.

You might also have some underlying gut issues of poor digestion. See eating healthy is great… but if you can’t effectively break it down and absorb it, it’s not nearly as beneficial… which could lead to you struggling to lose weight. Adding in Opti-Greens 50 can help improve your digestion and overall gut health among many other things. So your body can partition nutrients properly for a healthy metabolism, energy productions, hormonal production, and day to day operations.

Can Supplements Help Me Lose Weight?

But past that, there are supplements that can help optimize your metabolism, cut your calorie intake, and help preserve lean muscle tissue. 1st Phorms diet supplements, meal replacement shakes, and protein supplements do all of this and more. These supplements will not fix poor, unhealthy habits but they will help optimize the good things you’re doing for your body. You can’t just take a supplement and expect to lose weight, you have to be doing the work with your nutrition and training to effectively lose weight. Once you feel ready to make some changes in your routine, a supplement can help promote weight loss. If you’re not ready to change and aren’t going to change some habits, don’t waste your money on supplements as they are not magic. YOU have to do the work.

If you’re interested in learning more about what 1st Phorm can do to help you lose more weight, come and check out our supplements. We’re proud of our products, yes, but we also know that our team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and NASM Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist can help you lose weight! Oh, and we’ll help you for free! 

Try 1st Phorm today!

If you need any help with this, please feel free to give us a call at 1 800 409 9732 or sending us an email.

*This post was written by Will Grumke. He is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist, NASM Certified Weight Loss Specialist, NASM Certified Behavioral Change Specialist, and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.