5 Less Known Reasons why You are Not Losing Weight (Based on Science)

Weight loss foods in summer

In the quest for ‘how to lose weight’, you must have tried numerous weight loss , weight loss foods, crazy detox diets, weird fat loss massages and obesity-busting pills.

Why am I not losing weight?

Have you been asking this question to yourself over and again? or

Pondering upon queries like

  1. What could be the reasons for not losing weight?
  2. Why is weight not reducing after exercise and diet?
  3. Why am I not losing fat?
  4. Are there medical reasons for not losing weight?

Table Of Contents

Don’t worry, you have come to the right place. We’re here to explain to you why you’re still not losing weight despite your continuous efforts in eating less and working out more.

Check out these 5 Hidden Causes that are Keeping You Fat!

In the quest for ‘how to lose weight’, you must have tried numerous weight loss diets, weight loss foods, crazy detox diets, weird fat loss massages and obesity-busting pills.

But these 5 obesity causes is definitely going to be an eye-opener. So although you might have tried everything for weight loss, these 5 reasons keeping you fat!

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So, yes these are the answers to your question “Why am I not losing weight?”

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1. HORMONAL IMBALANCE AND OBESITY

obesity, weight loss
Hormonal imbalance is one of the most common causes of obesity

Must have been the last thing you would have thought that lead to weight loss.

You won’t believe that hormones manage body metabolism, weight balance, energy levels, emotions, and even moods.

Even weight loss! Several hormonal disorders can lead to diseases such as diabetes, thyroid, obesity, PCOS, high cholesterol, facial hair growth, irregular menstrual cycle, and gastritis.

Thyroid hormones and weight loss

When your thyroid glands are not working well, then your thyroid hormones are not being secreted fine.

This causes a reduction in your metabolic rate (the amount of energy always burnt for heart beating, thinking, breathing etc).

Not good news if you’re looking for weight loss.

 Read more about how thyroid hormones affect your weight.

PCOS and weight loss

Similarly, polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS as it is known is also a major cause of weight gain or obesity.

Women who have PCOS have high levels of male hormones and are insulin-resistant.

This hormonal cocktail could make them fat [2]. We present a detailed view of how PCOS affects weight.

Diabetes and weight loss

Diabetes typically results in insulin resistance which ultimately causes weight gain.

Obesity or being overweight is inter-related to diabetes; obesity causes diabetes and increased body mass index results in an increase in diabetes.

Weight loss is one of the primary intervention for diabetes management or even prevention [3].

How does hormonal imbalance happen? 

Hormonal imbalance sets in when you eat unhealthy food, maintain long gaps between two meals, indulge in binge eating, take a lot of sedatives and do not drink enough water or do not eat enough of nutrient-rich wholesome food.

Sounds familiar?

Although hormones are important to us, most of us tend to overlook them when considering weight loss.

Just as there are fat storing hormones, there are some fat-burning hormones too.

Fat-storing hormones and fat-burning hormones

Fat-storing hormones

are Insulin, stress hormones like cortisol, fight and flight hormone adrenaline, hunger hormone ghrelin among others

Fat-burning hormones

are leptin, glucagon, metabolism manager thyroid hormones, human growth hormones which help build muscle among others.

If you are aiming for weight loss, you need more of fat-burning hormones.

Their levels can be increased with a diet high in fibre, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, protein-rich foods such as lean meats, fish, pulses, legumes among others.

With a little conscious effort, your hormones can be brought in order and you can lose weight naturally!

This kind of weight loss doesn’t come back like the worst nightmare.

2. NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY AND OBESITY

Healthy Foods
Healthy Foods

Obesity and being overweight is multi-factorial for sure. But one of the many reasons is a nutrient deficiency.

Most of us consume a diet that is deficient in many vitamins and minerals.

And others who aim for weight loss, lose out on these micronutrients in the diet because of calorie counting.

They simply evaluate food based on their calorie content, forgetting about the nutrients in them.

Read on to know how obesity could be caused by a faulty diet.

Vitamin D and its association with weight loss

Did you know that deficiency of vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin can lead to obesity and diabetes?

Yes, vitamins and minerals can be crucial reasons for weight loss. Researchers have found that our body has a switch to control the weight.

The minute it reaches a set mark, it tries to maintain it at that weight. The entire problem starts when this set mark increases which happen during winters.

Excess body fat in winters keeps the body warm and is also a survival mechanism in case of food unavailability. Winters are also when vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is not available.

So when you are deficient in this vitamin, our body thinks it is winter and starts piling on fat [4]. Yes, that is why you struggle with weight loss during winters.

Winter months are characterized by increase in body fat to keep warm. Winters also result in the decrease of the sunshine vitamin D. So when you are deficient, body thinks it is winter and piles on weight!

B-complex vitamins, minerals, and weight loss

Similarly, digestion of food requires B-complex vitamins (biotin and thiamine); the mineral chromium is required for insulin response (yes, the hormone link in obesity again); antioxidant vitamins like vitamin E and vitamin C are required to complete the conversion of food to energy [5].

Now, do you see how only counting calories for weight loss is so SO WRONG! We suggest you read the article on how calorie counting for weight loss is a crime.

Also read: Test your nutrition knowledge about these common health foods! 

3. TOXINS AND OBESITY

toxin, toxins, weight loss, obesity
Smoking is one such lifestyle-based toxin leading to weight gain

What are toxins? Everything around us; be it the pollution, smoke, food colors, food additives, plastics etc are all toxins and one of the obesity causes.

So how can they determine weight loss or even weight gain? According to research, several contributory factors lead to the accumulation of body fat.

Researchers have found there is a direct link between these toxins and obesity.

When we are exposed to toxins in such large quantities that our bodies cannot handle, our self-protection mechanism towards such contamination forces us to take them over and save them in small fat pockets. Yes, you are storing toxins in fat cells [6].

Besides, toxins change the body’s hormonal levels. And hence can be one important reason for weight loss.

For this reason, physicians see the good effects of detoxification as the main factor that leads to substantial, effective and sustainable weight loss. Certain weight loss foods such as apple cider vinegar possess strong detox qualities.

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Therefore, detoxification should be seen as the first step in a weight loss program. Possible, therefore, has introduced the 10-day detox program and believe us when we say it, most of the clients experience weight loss and a phenomenal feel-good factor just in 10 days of eating superfoods.

Must read: Foods to eat for weight loss detox.

4. TOO LITTLE SLEEP / INSOMNIA AND OBESITY

insomnia, weight loss, weight loss foods
Insomnia is one of the biggest hurdles in weight loss

Sleep is not just for lazy people, sleep quality and sleep hours also affects your chances at weight loss.

If you do not sleep enough, it affects your hormones.

When you’re sleep deprived, there’s very little leptin (hormones which make you feel full) and high levels of ghrelin (hormones which make you hungry) in your system. This makes your body hungry leading to overeating and weight gain.

Information titbit: 5% of Indians suffer from sleep disorders and sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation also wears down one’s immunity to insulin, thus causing weight gain. A lowered resistance to insulin can also cause Type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly sleep and obesity are interrelated. Not only does less sleep lead to obesity but obesity leads to sleeping troubles such as sleep apnea, snoring which affect the quality of sleep [7].

Ironically, ENT Surgeon Dr. Shyam faced this issue himself. Read how he got over it with weight loss. So, catch a shut eye and lead a healthy life by just sleeping well.

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5. TOO MUCH STRESS AND OBESITY

Do you think you eat healthy foods?
Do you think you eat healthy foods?

From time immemorial, stress, obesity, and even weight loss have been related. Researchers found that stress triggers complex biochemical reactions inside the body.

Different hormones are released under stressful situations that lead to weight gain and obesity.  We also tend to eat more of comfort or foods rich in sugars or fat while under stress.

When you eat carbs, it increases your body’s serotonin level, which is the brain chemical that helps you feel better.

It has been found that the body also releases a hormone called cortisol when it is under stress.

This hormone not only leads to storage of body fat but also increases food cravings and encourages hunger pangs for fatty or sugary foods.

So we go back to our hormone point and stress taps into this mechanism for weight gain! You now know the answer for weight loss, lose the stress to lose the pounds [9].

Obesity is a Big Fat Problem Worldwide

So you thought obesity and weight loss is an issue only for that feed-happy neighbour aunty, your distant uncle known for being big all his life?

Although people have adopted various weight loss diets and weight loss foods, obesity still remains a demon affecting many.

weight loss, weight loss foods
Obesity seems to be everywhere because 1 in 6 adults suffer from it. Weight loss is advised to prevent obesity-related complications in the future.

According to World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2012 report, 1 in 6 adults are obese and nearly 2.8 million individuals die every year due to obesity or overweight [10].

Closer home in India, the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) has raked up some startling obesity rates.

The rate of obesity has nearly doubled in the past 10 years! And most of the cases of obesity lie in the urban areas or the glitzy cities [11].

Urban
Rural
State
Men(%)
Women(%)
Men(%)
Women(%)

Andhra Pradesh

44.4 45.6 28 27.6

Karnataka

28.6 31.8 17.1

16.6

Telangana

31.9 39.5 17.9

18.5

Tamil Nadu

30.6 39.2 25.6

25.4

Haryana

21 24.3 19.3

18.8

West Bengal

20.7 30.6 11.2

15

Maharashtra 14.5 16.8 23.7

30

Obesity, the Reason for almost 22 Diseases!

Don’t believe us? Let us count out the conditions for you. Obesity is one of the leading causes for :[12]

  1. Heart disease,
  2. Stroke,
  3. Diabetes,
  4. High blood pressure,
  5. Unhealthy cholesterol,
  6. Asthma,
  7. Sleep apnea,
  8. Gallstones,
  9. Kidney stones,
  10. Infertility, and
  11. Almost 11 types of cancers, including leukaemia, breast, and colon cancer
  12. Muscle and skeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis[13]

All these conditions, in turn, reduce the quality of life, cause substantial disability, and premature death in certain cases.

Thankfully, weight loss is one of the solutions to tackle obesity and keep all the related conditions at bay.

Still the question “Why am I not losing weight” is in the air?

Have a look at this video to rewind all the above points in a brief way.

Hence, it is time to look beyond the obvious reasons for weight gain, instead, work around these hidden reasons for weight loss and you will get an answer to the million dollar question, how to lose weight and keep it off?

Time to chart your own successful weight loss story. Let us know in your comments below.

Talk to our expert Possible Nutritionist for more information and guidance. The first consultation is on us. Click here to avail.

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