Have you asked yourself why you’re not able to lose weight despite your best efforts? It could be a “silent” health condition you might be unaware of. Find out whether this is the real cause you can’t lose weight and what to do about it.
You’re eating right but you’re still unable to lose weight. You exercise regularly, but the scale is not budging! You’re wondering in confusion, disappointment, and frustration, what else may be wrong?
As a weight loss coach I’ve seen plenty of folks struggling like this. Doing their best on their weight loss plan, but still failing to see results. And asking WHY they’re not able to lose weight with diet and exercise.
Is this what’s happening to you too?
Asking yourself, how much weight per week should I lose with diet and exercise?
And wondering whether you’re weight loss resistant, since you don’t see significant results?
Don’t pull your hair out! Below I’ll show you how much weight per week is healthy to lose while on a weight loss plan.
If you’re not losing this amount of weight, I’ll then guide you through the process of finding out the real cause of your weight loss resistance and what to do about it.
You’ll see the most common health issues known to stall weight loss and learn specific strategies to deal with each.
Let’s dive in…
Before anything else, let’s see…
What is Weight Loss Resistance…
…how much weight loss per week is realistic AND healthy, and what it means to be weight loss resistant.
Let’s start with the last point.
You may be weight loss resistant if you can’t drop at least 1% of your body weight per week – despite your focused efforts to drop those extra pounds.
For example, depending on your weight:
- 220 lbs / 100 kg: 2.2 lbs / 1 kg
- 200 lbs / 90.7 kg: 2 lbs / 0.97 kg
- 180 lbs / 81.6 kg: 1.8 lbs / 0.82 kg
- 160 lbs / 72.5 kg: 1.6 lbs / 0.72 kg
- 140 lbs / 63.5 kg: 1.4 lbs / 0.63 kg
- 120 lbs / 54.4 kg: what are you doing here?? 😉
So although you follow a proven fat loss plan, your results are… well, slim.
True, weight loss isn’t linear. Some weeks you lose more, some weeks less – especially before your period. You can even plateau for a couple of weeks.
But being unable to lose weight at a rate of at least 1% of your body mass per week – more than two weeks in a row – while following a weight loss plan, is typically defined as being weight loss resistant.
So what’s going on here?
Well, this may be a new idea to you, but certain “silent” health issues are…
…Notoriously Responsible for Making You Unable to Lose Weight
Why “silent”, you ask?
That’s because there aren’t any obvious signs like high fever, a constant pain or a broken leg. Rather, there’s a constellation of – seemingly unrelated – symptoms that appear gradually, with which you almost learn to live – unless the condition worsens and you find it through a medical test.
But let’s get back to what can you do if – despite your persistence – you’re unable to lose weight at a significant rate?
Especially if you suspect that some health condition you’re not even aware of may be the cause?
The best is to consult a functional medicine practitioner.
Functional medicine doctors are specialized in looking for the underlying cause of a symptom rather than merely treating it. They are best equipped to identify the real reason of your inability to lose weight. After a series of tests, they will customize a unique therapy plan.
That’s not doable for you at the moment?
Or, just want to get an idea about which specific health issues are typically hindering the weight loss efforts of millions of people who struggle with unstoppable food cravings, constant fatigue, hormonal weight gain, and many more?
Then, read the guide I’ve created for you below to help you navigate the…
Health Issues Making You Unable to Lose Weight…
…along with HOW they trigger your fat loss resistance.
Also, in the articles linked to from this page you’ll find specifically targeted solutions designed to help you deal with each of these issues – on your own.
Because the good news is that you CAN correct these health issues and end your weight loss resistance once and for all.
As you look at the list below, keep in mind this. The very same reason you’ve gained those extra pounds in the first place are probably now the cause you aren’t able to drop this unwanted weight.
And, especially one of the causes you can’t lose belly fat. In fact, abdominal fat is an important clue that one (or more) of these health issues is at play.
So let’s get started with this list of…
7 Health Conditions Known to Cause the Inability to Lose Weight:
- Chronic (long-term) stress
- Low thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- Candida overgrowth (yeast)
- Fatty liver – a condition that makes this fat-burning organ sluggish, dramatically impacting any weight loss efforts.
- Out of whack hormones (because while calories matter, hormones matter more):
- Insulin resistance, a hormonal imbalance preceding diabetes, that makes you constantly hungry and tired. It’s insulin resistance that makes abdominal fat loss especially difficult.
- Leptin resistance, a hormonal imbalance sensed by your brain as “starvation”. As a result, your body’s fat-burning switch is off, while you’re getting hungrier and hungrier.
- PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) – women’s hormonal imbalance during child-bearing years. PCOS is notorious for causing weight gain and inability to lose weight along with: infertility, irregular period or heavy bleeding, frequent headaches, depression, acne, excess growth of body hair growth while the scalp hair gets thinner and falls out, and more.
- High body toxicity – a.k.a long-term toxic overload from common contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, food additives… Did you know there are 595 chemicals listed as causing serious health effects? High toxicity impairs the liver, kidneys, nervous system (including the brain), causing not only an exacerbated fat loss resistance, but also allergies, digestive problems, brain fog, constant fatigue, skin problems, body aches & pains and many more.
- Specific nutritional deficiencies that alter your gut and brain chemistry causing unstable blood sugar and hormonal havoc.
Since they’re “silent”, more often than not, these health issues are not apparent by themselves.
However, if you are not able to lose weight at a significant rate despite your efforts, there’s a high probability that you are faced with one (or more) of these health issues.
Let’s take a closer look at each and at some of the best solutions to offset them.
Are you…
Unable to lose weight and fighting belly fat? Likely cause: chronic stress
How so?
Well, there’s a direct relation between chronic stress and weight loss resistance.
Long-term stress makes your body store fat instead of burning it for energy. In fact, our brain, immune system and metabolism are all dramatically affected by the effects of long-term stress.
Did you know that your inability to lose weight – especially in the abdominal area – is one of the most common symptoms of high cortisol.
This is the stress hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels and signals your body to either burn, or store fat.
It’s true.
So if you can’t lose weight, what can you do to put an end to your chronic stress?
The first step is reducing your cortisol levels.
One of the most effective methods is working out – here’s how exercise reduces stress.
And here are other effective stress relief methods and fun ways to relieve stress…
…even a stress-reducer game.
Not able to lose weight and always tired? Likely cause: low thyroid
You should know that hypothyroidism and weight gain go always hand in hand. After all, sudden – even unexplained – weight gain is the biggest, most visible (and perhaps the most frustrating) of all low thyroid symptoms.
Hypothyroidism dramatically lowers your metabolic rate.
In fact, losing weight with hypothyroidism can be next to impossible – unless you manage to increase your thyroid function – hence your metabolism.
How?
The first step is to follow the best diet for hypothyroidism.
Can’t lose weight and craving sweets all the time? Likely cause: candida overgrowth
You may be surprised to learn that when you can’t lose weight it may be just one of the most common symptoms of Candidiasis, or Candida overgrowth. Or, simply yeast.
In fact, sudden weight gain, inability to lose weight, maddening sweets cravings, mood swings, are just a few of over 30 symptoms of Candida overgrowth.
In fact, Candida albicans is a type of fungus naturally present in our intestinal tract. When kept in check, it is not a problem.
But when this fungus spreads out of control it upsets the natural balance of a healthy gut flora. As a result, the symptoms become extremely troubling.
That’s why you’ll want first to find out the specific foods that cause Candida.
Then, you’ll learn how to control the causes of Candida overgrowth.
For your convenience, here are the basic Candida diet guidelines and…
…a full set of sample menus for a Candida free diet.
CONCLUSION
We covered a lot of ground in this guide going over what weight loss resistance is, how to know whether you’re weight loss resistant and a list of “silent” health issues known to put the brakes on your efforts.
To get a full walk-through on how each of these issues could make you unable to lose weight, PLUS specific strategies to deal with it so you can finally end your weight loss resistance, follow the links in each section above.
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