6 Reasons You Aren’t Reaching Your Weight Loss Goals

Losing weight is far more complicated than it seems. Although people will tell you to follow the golden rule of burning more calories than you consume, if it were that simple, we’d all be our desired weight. But there are a lot of other factors to consider such as genetics, how much sleep you’re getting, and how much muscle you have. The good news is, by focusing on the little things and demonstrating some discipline, you can reach your weight loss goals. Here are 6 reasons why you might be struggling with this.

1. Your Gut Isn’t Happy

The more scientists learn about our microbiome (that would be the bacteria in our guts), the more they are discovering how essential it is in maintaining a healthy weight. It turns out, having a diverse set of probiotics and prebiotics in our stomachs can prevent weight gain and decrease the likelihood of having a body mass index that exceeds the recommended levels.

The Solution: Although you’ve probably heard a lot about the importance of consuming probiotics (such as the kind found in yogurt and kombucha), don’t forget about prebiotics, the kind you’ll find in fruits and vegetables. Mix things up by eating broccoli one day and then a tomato salad the next. Your gut will thank you!

2. You Didn’t Win the Genetics Lottery

This is one of those things that a lot of people have a difficult time accepting: due to your genes, it might not be possible to achieve the body type that you want. For instance, studies on twins have found that body weight is 70% determined by genetics. Furthermore, while you might have a certain weight range that you’d like to be at, your body begs to differ. There is a set-point in which your body is essentially content. So if you’re eating right and getting a reasonable amount of exercise, there comes a point when your brain steps in and decides you’re losing too much weight and it will find ways to push it back up.

The Solution: If you’ve lost weight, want to continue doing so, and don’t want to gain it back, the keys are to continue consuming fewer calories and pace yourself. Beth Israel Medical Center recommends not shedding more than 10% of your body weight over a 6 month period. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, you shouldn’t lose more than 20 pounds in six months.

3. You’re Aging and Losing Muscle

It is a reality that once we reach our 40s, we see a decrease in muscle pass of between 3 and 8 percent every decade. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, this can become a serious problem. In addition, natural changes in fat tissues associated with aging can also lead to weight gain.

The Solution: Although we can’t turn back Father Time, we are in full control over our health habits. This means eating foods that are full of fiber and nutrients, avoiding highly processed foods, and incorporating resistance training into our exercise routines.

4. Your Taking Certain Medications

If you’re treating diabetes, depression, blood pressure, epilepsy, or are taking antipsychotic medications, this often has a way of screwing with your metabolism, can make you feel hungrier, increases water retention, or makes you feel fatigued, which in turn means you’re less active.

The Solution: If you’re finding yourself gaining weight as a result of medication or treatments, don’t stop taking them. Instead, talk to your doctor and see if there are solutions such as changing medications or adjusting the dose. If none of this is possible, meet with a registered dietitian to work on a healthy diet plan.

5. Your Portion Sizes are Great Than You Realize

When you look at the portion sizes on packaging, you’ll notice that they can be pretty random. Although there has been a movement to modify what constitutes a serving size to more realistic levels (for instance, identifying two-thirds of a cup of ice cream as one serving versus a half-cup), it bears no relation to your appetite or what your body truly needs.

The Solution: Planning out your daily meals is important. In fact, apps such as Lose It makes the process easier by tracking your calories, goals and progress. Determine how many calories you’re consuming and make appropriate adjustments. If necessary, work with a registered dietitian to develop a meal plan that is easy to follow.

6. You Skip Meals, Then End Up Binging

Skipping meals might seem like a logical way to cut back on calories, but this strategy will ultimately come back to bite you. Or at least result in you biting into more cookies and pizza. If you don’t eat enough, your body will set off alarms telling you to do something about it. So you end up eating an entire bag of Doritos right before bed.

The Solution: Maintain a food schedule that your body can predict. For instance, if you eat throughout the day, your body will feel no need to hit the panic button. Even if your goal is to lose weight, you need to find nutritious foods to eat during meals and even snack time to keep you feeling full and satisfied. By the way, there’s nothing that says you should never eat cookies or ice cream again. Just plan for it rather than eat it spontaneously. And make it a reward to treat yourself for reaching a particular goal rather than a “because I have a craving for it” habit.