Contrary to popular belief, an inability to lose weight or keep it off is not always a sign of a character flaw. Instead, there may be trouble in your metabolic, immune, or neurological health. In this article, we’ll lay out nine possible reasons why you cannot lose weight. Do any of these sound like they could be any underlying issue in your life? Consider each one and contact our office so we can get you started on the road to recovery!
9 Possible Reasons for Weight that Won’t Go Away
1. You are a veteran lifelong dieter. Are you eating enough? The human body responds to famines by progressively lowering metabolism and increasing fat storage hormones. As a result, each low-calorie diet can make you a little bit fatter than the last one once you resume normal caloric intake. This explains why diets lack long-term success.
2. Your hunger hormones are out of whack. Minimize or eliminate processed carbohydrates (certain desserts, breads, pastas, white rice, etc.) and exercise regularly. This helps improve leptin sensitivity so your hunger cues and fat burning return to normal.
3. Your thyroid isn’t functioning well. One of the most common causes of weight gain and weight loss resistance is hypothyroidism, which causes low thyroid activity. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that attacks and damages the thyroid gland.
4. You are chronically inflamed. Chronic inflammation wreaks havoc on hormone function, metabolism, and gut health. This inflammation promotes fat storage and prevents fat burning.
5. You’ve had a brain injury or have compromised brain function. Brain injuries cause inflammation in the brain, which can disrupt metabolic, hormone, and immune function. This then promotes weight gain and inhibits fat burning.
6. You have a mold illness. Toxicity from mycotoxins, the byproducts of molds, can seriously impact metabolic, immune, and neurological health. This leads to unexplained weight gain and weight loss resistance.
7. You were born with an obese gut microbiome. Research into the gut microbiome has shown that our trillions of gut bacteria impact virtually every aspect of our health. Gut bacteria even impacts whether we are more likely to be thin or heavy.
8. You are a victim of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, or have PTSD. A recent study showed that most people were sexually abused as children or sexually assaulted right before their weight gain began. This can drive complex PTSD and the genesis of a food addiction to cope.
9. You have a brain-based disorder that promotes food addiction and an eating disorder. Skewed neurological function triggers the obsessive thought patterns that lay the foundation for addictive eating and eating disorders.
The body is a miraculous machine that operates in constant service to us. You can learn to live and eat in a way that honors good health and function—regardless of your size. Ask our office how we can help you take a holistic approach and find the underlying cause.
