4 Reasons You May Be Having Trouble Losing Weight

If you had your way, the pounds would just fall off. But, as they say, anything worth having in life is worth working for! Losing weight is a process that often requires patience. Without it you can easily become frustrated which can take you away from your healthy lifestyle changes, putting you back at square one. Ultimately, the hard work required to lose weight makes the reward all the sweeter when you do achieve successful results! If you’re having trouble losing weight, consider these potential reasons:

1. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is essential to regulating hormones that can affect both appetite and hunger! Studies have shown that a lack of quality sleep can lower your metabolism, making it harder to burn calories and making you feel hungry when you’re not. Sleep deprivation can affect levels of cortisol, which play a role in regulating appetite. Plus, when you don’t get enough sleep you’re likely to feel less motivated to work out the next day.

2. The Scale May Be Deceiving

Many people become discouraged when they don’t lose weight right away when exercising and eating healthier. The truth is you may be losing weight even if the scale doesn’t show it! Early on in the weight loss process, it’s not uncommon to lose fat but gain muscle. So while the scale may show a similar number, the truth is what you’re doing is working! Remember to be patient and keep with your healthy routine. If you want a more accurate gauge of whether or not your efforts have having effects, advanced devices like Body Composition Measures are much more telling. (If you're near Louisville, Kentucky, we have a Body Comp machine, and we offer this to our patients throughout their journey!)

3. Medical Conditions or Medication

Medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism, sleep apnea and PCOS, can cause weight gain and make it that much more difficult to lose weight. It’s important to get routine health check-ups and share any concerns you may have. Many medications, like beta-blockers, corticosteroids and insulin, can also make weight loss more difficult or even cause weight gain. Talk to your medical provider if you believe your prescriptions could be impacting your weight. If they are, there are several different strategies from cellular medicine to work with your medications in a way that supports your body to heal at the root cause, from the cellular level up. This, over time, can decrease your need for certain medications, or it can find how we can support your cells in conjunction with your medication, so that you can still achieve a healthy weight.

4. Stress

Being constantly stressed can cause elevated levels of cortisol, which in turn can increase your appetite and a build-up of fat in the abdominal region that can be difficult to lose. Stress often leads to emotional eating, which typically includes snacks or treats that are unhealthy and loaded with calories and sugar. When you aren’t feeling your best, it can be difficult to find the motivation or energy to exercise. If you are experiencing excessive stress or emotional eating, it's important to reflect on the internal and external causes of your stress. Are there things you can change in your routine or about your professional or personal life that could be altered in some way to bring more equanimity? Finding ways to encourage your ability to interocept - or notice your internal signals and sensations - can be particularly helpful in identifying sources of stress as well as noticing when you're full when eating because of stress or emotional dysregulation.

How MTC Can Help Your Weight Loss Journey

Medical Transformation Center is your partner in optimum health! We believe in treating patients as individuals, understanding that there’s not one solution for everyone. Here are a couple ways MTC can help you on your weight loss journey:

• TransformWeight: Sick of trying all the latest fads and diets without success or only to put the weight back on? Give TransformWeight, our 3-month weight loss program, a try! Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, this program addresses your particular body and needs by focusing on cellular medicine interventions, nutrition, lifestyle changes, movement and emotional health. Throughout the process you’ll be guided and supported by our team in a personalized manner to help you achieve sustainable results.

• Weight Loss Bundles: We offer 3 different weight loss bundles that involve minimally invasive, pain-free aesthetic support after weight loss. The Weight Loss Starter Bundle is for those looking to drop some pounds and achieve their fitness goals. The Weight Loss Booster Bundle is a premium package full of cutting-edge treatments and personalized guidance that accelerate your weight loss journey. The Post Weight Loss Bundle is designed for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and want to address the challenges that excess skin and contour irregularities present.

Are you ready to get started on your weight loss journey? Book a consult for our TransformWeight program today!