Doing Everything Right & Still Not Losing Weight?
Eating well, exercising regularly and still not losing any weight? Or maybe you’ve managed to shed some fat but it quickly creeps back up again? For some, weight loss may be the most difficult part of life and with good reason.
As our ancestors have evolved through periods of famine, so have our bodies. After periods of caloric restriction, the primordial response of our primary control centres, the hypothalamus and hindbrain, is to regulate energy balance. To preserve energy in case of famine, these control centres increase appetite and decrease energy expenditure. However, with the abundance of food we now enjoy, famine never comes and weight piles on.
Multiple other factors may be contributing to your inability to lose weight including;
Prolonged periods of severe calorie restriction
Stress, depression & mental health issues
A history of eating disorders & yo-yo dieting
Dysregulated hormones, underlying health conditions & medications
Diet quality
Fat cells, more formerly known as adipocytes, shrink and expand as weight is lost and gained. However, fat cells never truly disappear, making future weight gain more likely. This is hypothesised to be due to the mechanical strain and stress these cells undergo during weight fluctuations, resulting in increased storage of fat to relieve the stress.
Statistics show individuals who have managed to lose weight are likely to regain more than 50 per cent of the weight after two years and more than 80 per cent after five years.
Not only that, if you were overweight or obese as a child, you’re 6.4 to 12.6 per cent more likely to be carrying extra weight in adulthood.
Prolonged periods of severe calorie restriction or yo-yo dieting may negatively alter the endocrine system, sending hormones out of balance. Changes in hunger and satiety hormones, leptin and ghrelin, may be a significant factor of weight regain. After following an 8-week calorie-restricted diet, leptin levels were found to be higher in individuals who regained more than 10% of their weight loss after 32 weeks. The researchers concluded that higher levels of leptin and lower levels of ghrelin may be a predictor of weight gain.
Diet quality may also have a significant impact on weight status. After assessing the diet quality of 211 individuals, it was found that lower rates of obesity were associated with nutrient-dense diets, particularly high in plant-based foods and low in high-fat, animal-based and processed foods.
To discover the root of your weight gain or inability to keep weight off, it’s important to consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner. A naturopath will explore multiple body systems as well as your personal health history to gain a deeper understanding of your condition to tailor a treatment plan with your needs in mind.
If you’re struggling with fat loss and would like some help, make an appointment. Together, we can explore the factors contributing to your weight and create a treatment plan tailored specifically to you.
Related Reading
References
Allman‐Farinelli, M., King, L., & Bauman, A. (2007). Overweight and obesity from childhood to adulthood: a follow‐up of participants in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Medical Journal Of Australia, 187(5), 314-315. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01253.x
Anderson, J. W., Konz, E. C., Frederich, R. C., & Wood, C. L. (2001). Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 74(5), 579–584. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/74.5.579
Cheung, L., Chan, R., Ko, G., Lau, E., Chow, F., & Kong, A. (2018). Diet quality is inversely associated with obesity in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition journal, 17(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018-0374-6
Crujeiras, A. B., Goyenechea, E., Abete, I., Lage, M., Carreira, M. C., Martínez, J. A., & Casanueva, F. F. (2010). Weight regain after a diet-induced loss is predicted by higher baseline leptin and lower ghrelin plasma levels. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 95(11), 5037–5044. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2009-2566
MacLean, P. S., Higgins, J. A., Giles, E. D., Sherk, V. D., & Jackman, M. R. (2015). The role for adipose tissue in weight regain after weight loss. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 16 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12255
