3 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight, Even If You’re Doing Everything Right
“I really want to lose weight, will you write me a meal plan and workout schedule?”
“I’ve been sticking to a 1200 calorie diet and exercising every day, should I drop it to 1000 calories?”
As a student in Nutrition and Dietetics, these are questions I am constantly bombarded with. Despite being really annoying, they absolutely break my heart. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that 49.1% of men and 56.4% of women attempted to lose weight in the past 12 months. Can you imagine living your entire life consumed with the thoughts of needing to be smaller? Or maybe this is your current experience?
I have spent about 7 years studying nutrition and exercise science and in this time I have learned why 95% of diet attempts fail. While this article will be full of reasons diet attempts fail and how to resolve those issues, I want to make one thing very clear. You do not need to lose weight to be loved, worthy, successful, or beautiful/handsome. However, choosing to prioritize your health by making sustainable changes can and will do wonders for your physical and mental health.
Resource: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
1. You are Focused on the Outcome not the Process
Having the goal to feel stronger, lower your body fat percentage, or dare I say it, lose weight, are not inherently bad. But there is no plan to achieve them and they are typically very ineffective goals. When you only set an outcome goal it is easy to become obsessed with the end goal and impatient when it hasn’t happened after a month or two. You’re going to hate me for saying this, but sometimes the outcome we want is simply not going to happen either.
Instead of investing every ounce of your being into forcing this outcome to happen, focus on creating process goals and let the outcome happen on its own. Goals like weight loss, improved strength, finishing a marathon, etc. take time!
Let’s say your goal is running a marathon but you’ve never run a day in your life. Start by walk/running for 20–30 minutes, 4 times a week, for 1 month. When you feel comfortable there, start a new goal the next month, maybe running 2 miles 3 times a week, and walking for 30 minutes 2 times a week. Then add more the next month until you are running your first 5k. Then just keep on going until you’ve reached your marathon goal! This process could take 6 months or 6 years depending on where you start. If your goal is something that will take a long time to accomplish, focusing on the process and succeeding in all those steps leading up to the big goal will keep you motivated and moving forward!
Resource: (2020) Goal-Setting. Eastern Washington University.
2. You are Fighting your Biology
As humans, we are all beautifully complex and different from one another. Have you ever wondered why your friend can eat fast food every day but remains slim while another friend is extremely health conscious but holds onto more weight? The reason we all sit at different weights mostly comes down to our genetics and something referred to as the “set-point” theory. Before you get discouraged, our genetic makeup is not the end all be all, and there are still so many choices we can make to better our health.
The “Set-Point” theory proposes that your body is capable of maintaining weight at a stable level for long periods of time. Simply, this theory suggests that you can cut your energy intake in half or double it and your body will find a way to maintain your current weight for as long as it can. Our bodies have certain mechanisms in place that make losing weight and keeping it off so difficult, most people are unable to achieve it.
However, you can change your set point. If you make a lifestyle change consisting of sustainable diet and exercise habits, and you practice these habits for a long period of time, your set point can be lowered. On the flip side, if you “fall off the wagon” and make poor choices, your set point can be raised.
3. You Have Underlying Health Issues That Haven’t Been Addressed
There are so many factors related to weight loss and weight gain it can be difficult to figure out whats going on. There are several conditions and disorders that make it extremely difficult to lose weight and possibly even cause weight gain. Some of these include;
- Hypothyroidism
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Insomnia
- Depression and Anxiety
- Low Testosterone
If you are leading a healthy sustainable life but see no changes after a long period of time, it may be beneficial to seek help from a medical professional. Do your research and make sure you’re seeking help from the right health care professional. For example, many women go to a gynecologist for help with balancing their hormones but, a gynecologist IS NOT an expert on hormones. An endocrinologist who specialized in hormones is the doctor you need!
From personal experience, going to the wrong doctor for a hormonal imbalance only got me prescribed a medication that caused weight gain, my horrendous acne to return, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemies.
Did You Know Weight Does Not Determine Health?
Despite what diet culture, media, and some doctors may think, your weight has little to do with your health outcomes. As a soon to be dietitian, weight alone doesn’t tell me much about your overall health. Your habits and daily health practices do. You can be in an “overweight” BMI but if you don’t smoke, eat 5–7 servings of fruits and veggies, limit fried foods, refined sugars, and soda, exercise regularly at a moderate intensity, and make your mental health a priority, you are probably one of the healthier Americans out there.
It is possible to have a higher “set-point” but healthy habits and not experience the health detriments typically associated with excess weight. Often times, individuals who do not practice healthy habits find themselves with excess weight and a hoard of diseases that came along with their poor health choices. Somewhere along the way, health care providers and researchers started to label obesity as the reason for all these health detriments (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, et.), and not poor lifestyle choices.
It is time we change the conversation from obesity causes XYZ, and start saying poor lifestyle habits cause XYZ.
So Now What?
Now that you have all this fun information, where can you go from here? The first step to changing your lifestyle and possibly experiencing some degree of weight loss, is to set your attainable process goal.
Step 1: Set Your Process Goal
Keeping the big picture in mind, but not obsessing over it, what are the steps you will take this month to achieve your goal? Write down that process goal and commit to it. When you’ve reached it, make a new goal and keep working toward that big picture.
Making goals for our health should be similar to how we set financial goals. You would not set the goal of putting $100 of each paycheck into savings with the intention that it will turn into 1 million by the end of the month. But you can expect that after consistently putting in that $100 for an extended period of time it will eventually become 1 million.
Step 2: Take Action & Get Help If Needed
Once you’ve got your goals, consider if you need to be working with a professional. Having a healthcare professional on your side can be beneficial to your journey if you choose the right person. Please, for your own good, do not go to personal trainer, fit friend, influencer, person with a nutritionist certificate or honestly even a doctor for nutrition help. Find a Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) that specializes in what you need. Personally, I specialize in sport and exercise nutrition so, I would not be the perfect fit for someone just had a baby and needs help with postpartum nutrition. While I have a basic knowledge about everything nutrition related and could help, there is someone out there who is highly specialized in that population and would be a better fit.
(Thank you for coming to my ted talk about finding the appropriate healthcare provider for your needs)
Step 3: Block Out The Haters
Understand that your weight does not determine your health, no matter what doctors and media feed you. Continue making those healthy lifestyle choices and you will be rewarded with a long and healthy life with limited health detriments.
I know it is so much easier said than done, but developing a healthy relationship with food and your body is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. Finding freedom to be genuinely yourself no matter your size will allow you to attract all the best people and opportunities.
When it comes to life, especially making new and uncomfortable changes, the best golden nugget I can leave you is a quote from my favorite health and wellness guru;
“Act confident and no one will question you” — Sarahs Day
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