can’t lose weight? here are 4 reasons why.
You’ve probably done it all.
Stopped drinking soda, started eating more protein, eaten salads for lunch, and the list goes on and on and on…. but why is nothing changing?
Why — after all these years of trying the keto diet, of exercising twice a day, of intermittent fasting — can you still not lose weight?
Well, that is precisely why I am writing this article. Allow me to share some insider secrets with you…
Throughout the past several years, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients who had been struggling to lose weight for years, and despite doing all the things that society says are supposed to help you lose weight — like “eating clean”, “eating less”, “exercising more” — many of my clients were still not achieving the long term results they desired.
Unfortunately, the internet tends to promote "trends" and "fads" instead of good, solid nutrition science. While these trends might indeed achieve fast results, more often than not, it’s not very sustainable for the long term. Once you stop following that fad diet, you’ll find that your weight often rebounds dramatically, sometimes leaving you at a weight that is higher than where you were when you first started.
Understandably, this experience will likely leave you feeling like a complete and utter failure because you "let yourself go" or didn't have "enough willpower" to stick with it.
Sound familiar?
Hopefully that isn’t your story, but if it is, I want to assure you that there is still hope, and let me be crystal clear about something:
Anyone can lose weight.
Even if you’ve been struggling to lose weight for years, please know, that weight loss is extremely possible for you, and you can still eat all of your favorite foods, not have to stick to a ridiculous diet, and see long lasting results.
The question is then, HOW can one lose weight? Better yet, how can one lose weight without needing to comply to rigid rules or extreme restrictions, maintain your sanity AND achieve long lasting results?
Well, what I’m about to share with you might surprise you, because it’s not really the trendy nutrition advice you hear about on the internet. But these 4 simple habits are some of the most powerful habits you can start doing today that will improve your health & help you achieve a lower weight.
So without further ado, let’s dive on in, shall we?
FOUR HABITS THAT ARE KEEPING YOU STUCK AT YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.
1. YOU DON’T EAT BREAKFAST
Breakfast is probably the most under appreciated meal of the day. The most common reasons I’ve heard for not eating breakfast include: not feeling hungry, not having time, not being able to stomach food so early in the morning, or not knowing what to eat.
However, did you know that skipping breakfast might be holding you back from your weight loss goals? A study done in Brazil found that adults who skipped breakfast were more likely to have obesity and a higher BMI than the adults who ate breakfast.
This research study conducted in Spain found that adults who had their first meal after about 3 pm had higher BMIs, higher triglycerides, and when they started a weight loss regimen, lost weight at a slower rate than the adults who had their first meal before 3 pm.
Another study conducted on over 78,000 university students in Iran found that participants who ate breakfast at least 4 days per week had a 15% lower chance of being overweight and a 33% lower chance of obesity than those participants who ate breakfast less than one day a week.
DIETITIAN TIPS: If eating breakfast is something you struggle with, start with eating something light like a piece of toast with peanut butter or yogurt with berries. Include both protein and fiber in your meal, and if your mornings are rushed, choose something you can have on the go like a protein shake or a smoothie. The key here is to try to be as consistent as you can. Over time, your body will adjust to eating in the morning, and you’ll find that you will eventually start to feel that hunger in the mornings and look forward to eating breakfast.
2. YOU DON’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER
What we eat is important, but what we drink also matters.
Oftentimes, my clients tell me they don’t really drink that much water, usually because they don’t like the taste of plain water or they just forget. Others simply prefer to drink coffee, sodas, juices, lemonade, or energy drinks.
But did you know that the amount of water you drink may be affecting your weight loss goals? A study from 2019 found that adults who were not drinking enough water were more likely to have higher BMIs and obesity when compared to hydrated adults.
In another study conducted in 2023, researchers found that adults who drank about a cup of warm water after every meal were able to lose more weight and had a lower BMI than the adults who didn’t.
DIETITIAN TIPS: Aim for at least 8-10 cups of water daily (64-80 oz or about 2 L). Start by drinking a cup of water first thing in the morning, and then carry a water bottle with you to sip on throughout the day. If you really don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding mint leaves, lemon or orange slices, frozen berries, or cucumber slices to your water. You can also use dehydrated lemon powder, electrolyte powder, or flavored sparkling waters, choosing brands that have little to no added sugars.
3. YOU ONLY EAT WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY
You would think that this shouldn’t be a problem because if you’re not hungry, then why eat?
However, did you know that you can actually lose the ability to sense how hungry or full you feel?
This is often seen in individuals who have a history of dieting, disordered eating, mental health illnesses, or have tried to suppress or ignore their hunger cues. Over time, these behaviors can disrupt the communication that normally occurs between our gut and our brain and can lead to a decreased metabolism and a decreased sense of how hungry or full we feel.
Another problem that can arise is not being able to differentiate between hunger related to boredom, emotions, or actual physical necessity. Many people have learned to rely on food to cope with their feelings, instead of learning to use other non-food related coping mechanisms.
Both of these issues — a decreased ability to sense hunger and fullness and an inability to differentiate between emotional vs physical hunger — can lead to behaviors such as skipping meals, overeating, binge eating, and not getting the amount of calories your body actually needs.
But what does this have to do with weight loss? A study focusing on the effectiveness of “hunger training” on weight loss aimed to help participants improve their sense of hunger and fullness by utilizing blood glucose tests, a hunger scale, and identifying what type of hunger they had (e.g. emotional vs physical) prior to eating. They found that the participants who followed the hunger training protocol improved their reliance of hunger & fullness cues and had up to 27.9 lbs more weight loss than those participants who had not followed the hunger training protocol during the six month study period.
DIETITIAN TIPS: Sticking to a meal schedule and keeping a food journal can both be very powerful tools when it comes to weight loss and getting more in tune with your hunger cues. Eat within the first hour of waking, and then every 3-5 hours after that (about 3 meals and 1-2 snacks daily). Before each meal, take a few minutes to write down how hungry you feel on a scale from 1-10 (1 being “not hungry at all” and 10 being “extremely hungry”) and how you’re feeling emotionally (angry, sad, bored, anxious, calm, happy, neutral, etc.).
WHAT IF #1: If it’s time for a meal and you don’t feel hungry at all, I encourage you to still eat something. The more consistent you are with your meal schedule, the sooner you’ll reestablish that communication between your gut and your brain, that feeling of hunger will return, and the less likely you will skip meals or over eat later on in the day.
WHAT IF #2: On the other hand, if notice that you are feeling anxious, bored, or sad, take 5 minutes to go do a stress-relieving activity (e.g. journaling, drawing, taking a walk, stretching, dancing, watching a funny video) and then come back and reassess how you’re feeling. If you are feeling a little better emotionally and are still hungry, go ahead and eat something. However, if you notice that you are no longer that hungry, but maybe you were just craving a snack before your scheduled meal time, try to keep doing stress-relieving activities and wait to eat until your next meal. The key here is to establish non-food related coping mechanisms for times when you are feeling down, and not turn to food when you are just bored and are not actually hungry.
4. YOU STOPPED EATING CARBS
Some of today’s most popular weight loss diets all involve cutting back on carbohydrates.
And even if you haven’t necessarily followed these diets, you have probably heard more than once that if you want to lose weight, you have to stop eating carbs.
However, you will often hear those who are following a low carb diet report intense sugar cravings, excessive snacking, and no change to the number on the scale.
Confused, they will wonder what they’re doing wrong and why this popular way of eating is simply not giving them the results they are looking for.
Let me explain.
Severely restricting nutrients that our bodies need — such as carbohydrates — can lead to intense cravings for foods that contain those nutrients. One study found that participants who followed a low carbohydrate diet reported increased binge eating behaviors, food cravings, and increased feelings of guilt around food. Food cravings were found to be associated with higher BMIs and higher waist circumferences in a study conducted by Healthy Families and Healthy Forces.
Other studies have found that although a low carb diet may lead to more weight loss initially, the weight loss was not sustained after a year. The findings concluded that the initial weight that was lost was mostly fat-free mass (meaning the weight loss was from water weight or muscle mass — which we do not want).
DIETITIAN TIPS: Carbohydrates are our body’s and our brain’s main source of fuel, so it’s important to eat enough throughout the day. Include carbohydrates with every meal and choose high fiber carbohydrates — such as whole grains (oats, brown rice, barley, corn), products made from whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables — as much as possible. There is no need to cut out sweets or desserts, enjoy them in moderation as a part of a balanced diet.
Well, there you have it.
Four simple habits to get you back on track towards your weight loss goals. Hopefully, you feel empowered and have a clear next step of what to do to help you in your health journey.
Let me know what you think of these tips, and leave any questions or topics you would like me to go over in future posts!