Why am I not losing weight?

There is a huge amount of conflicting advice and quick fix solutions out there to address our concerns about our weight and health. Unfortunately, not all weight loss solutions work for everyone, and some popular methods can even cause damage to the metabolism. A damaged metabolism will make it harder to lose weight in the long term.

Reasons you may be struggling to lose weight:

1. Eating too little

Crash or low-calorie diets can actually have the opposite to the desired effect. During such events, the human body will often go into a temporary state of hibernation.

You can measure your own individual energy requirements using a Resting Metabolic Rate diagnosis. This information will allow you to adapt your energy intake and expenditure in order to achieve your goals while improving your health.

Reduction in calorie intake can also signal your body to consume stored energy. Your muscle mass is a large storage site of energy and the body may use this instead when faced with energy deficit (starvation or extreme/over exercise training).

In this case, you will be losing the very tissue that makes your body more metabolically active, resulting in decreased metabolism. Weight loss by food restriction is therefore best managed when combined with an exercise programme that focuses on gains in muscle mass.

2. Insulin resistance

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the glucose levels of the blood, and plays a large role in regulating the body’s metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

When insulin does not work as effectively as it should, this can result in insulin resistance. This makes the muscle, liver and fat cells unable to take glucose from the blood for energy. In response, the body releases more insulin to help shift the sugar and fat into these energy storage sites.

In this situation, the body believes we need to store more energy (fat) and prevent energy release. The result is fat cells keep hold of the energy and you will struggle to lose weight.

If you do have high insulin resistance, it is important to see a specialist, as it increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Signs of a damaged metabolism:

 If you are struggling to lose weight, look out for the following signs that may suggest why:

1. Feeling cold

Research tells us that food restriction alone is not effective in reducing that hard to shift fat in the long term. Key to successful weight loss is understanding your metabolism, and not estimated values from potentially random data.

If you often feel cold this could be a key sign that your metabolism has slowed down dramatically. Research has shown that reduced body temperature can slow metabolism by 130 calories per day. This may be linked with a reduction in body temperature and reduced blood circulation.

2. Eczema or psoriasis – poor skin

 Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can lead to distress and pain. Research has shown that there is a relationship between eczema and poor insulin sensitivity.

Insulin resistance is seen in those at risk of metabolic syndrome. This is a condition that contributes to poor metabolism, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

What to do if you can’t seem to lose weight?

The first course of action is to book an insulin resistance test at our central London clinic before you can seek to reverse this issue to help achieve long-lasting weight loss and health.

Our weight loss clinic, based at 25 Harley Street, will delve into your metabolism using fat imaging, blood profiling and individualised metabolic measurement to establish a concrete understanding of your health to allow you to achieve your goals.

There are many measures you can take to prevent the development of insulin resistance. These include exercising, eating a balanced diet, stopping smoking, sleeping well, and consuming omega-3 fatty acids.

You can prevent doing damage to your metabolism while trying to lose weight by working out your resting metabolic rate. You can also make sure you eat enough so that your body does not start taking energy from your muscle mass.

To book an appointment, call us on 0207 079 2100 or email us at [email protected]