9 Non Diet and Exercise Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight

When we look at weight loss, we always think about what we are eating and how much we are exercising, and while food and exercise are huge factors in our health, they are not the only ones. Let’s take a deeper look.

1. Inflammation – When our bodies are inflamed by either the foods we eat, environmental toxins, or our perception of stress our body protects itself by holding onto more weight.
2. Blood sugar and insulin levels – We know that there is a direct correlation between high blood sugar and high insulin levels and a larger number on the scale.
3. Gut imbalances – the gut microbiome plays a vital role in being able to digest and properly process all the foods we are eating. If our gut is imbalanced or our gut lining isn’t intact, it can lead to inflammation which leads to weight gain.
4. Hormonal imbalances – Hormones are one of the biggest triggers for weight gain and even weight loss. They Dictate how our bodies process food, stress, and exercise. When they are out of balance, so are we.
5. Carbohydrate intolerances – Some ethnic groups are more tolerant of carbs than others. African America and Pacific Islanders are two examples of ethnic groups that have been found to have difficulty digesting carbs.
6. Lack of sleep – When we don’t sleep, we throw our hormones out of wack, especially our hunger and satiation hormones. Our hunger hormones become elevated which means you have more food cravings, you’re more likely to eat sugary foods and unhealthy foods. It’s important to get your Z’s if you want to balance out your hormonal state and reduce food cravings.
7. Stress – We hear about stress all the time, but did you know that your nerves are attached to your fat cells? That means your stress speaks to your fat cells. When you are stressed, it sends a direct message to your fats cells to stay put. So that fat won’t budge no matter what you do. Nervous system resetting is one of the most powerful things you can do to help with weight loss.
8. Your social circle – Healthy habits and unhealthy habits are contagious. Your social circle is more influenceable than even your spouse. If you have unhealthy friends, your health is exponentially more at risk. When you have healthy friends, your health is usually better. We aren’t saying ditch your unhealthy friends, but what we are saying is be aware.
9. Environmental toxins – Pesticides, herbicides, BPAs, and phthalates, are all endocrine disruptors. The endocrine system is the system that governs your hormones. So, when you see or hear “endocrine disruptor,” that means “hormone disruptor.” Eating organic foods, swapping your cleaning products for non-toxic ones, and making sure your cosmetics are as clean as possible will make a big impact on your overall wellbeing.

Now that we’ve talked about reasons you might not have known about when it comes to losing weight, what’s next?

Follow along to next week where we will discuss how to find out which ones are affecting you and how to address them.

*Resource used for this blog: Dr. Hyman’s podcast “Why You Might Be Struggling to Lose Weight”.