Why am I not losing weight? 6 sneaky reasons sabotaging your weight loss goals

“I feel like I don’t really eat much, so why am I not losing weight?” Sound familiar? If you’ve been feeling this way, let’s talk about some sneaky reasons why we sometimes don’t lose weight as expected—even when it feels like we’re doing all the right things.

Why can’t I lose weight?

Keep in mind that everybody—and every body—is different. If you’re eating well and exercising regularly, you might be surprised or frustrated if you don’t see the results you expect. But what works for someone else might not work for you, so try not to compare yourself to others.

If you’re having trouble losing weight, a good place to start is your primary care physician’s office. They can help you pinpoint why you’re not reaching your weight loss goals and figure out the right next steps, which may include meeting with other specialists, like a dietitian, for more personalized support and nutrition advice.

6 possible reasons why you can’t lose weight

There is a long list of potential reasons why people hit a weight loss plateau, which is why it’s important to talk to your doctor about your individual concerns. But here are a few of the most common reasons I see with my patients who come to me asking, “Why can’t I lose weight?”

1. Tienes resistencia a la insulina

It’s possible that you have a condition called insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the cells in your body stop responding to insulin, causing high levels of sugar in your blood (also called high blood sugar).

Si su cuerpo desarrolla resistencia a la insulina, ese azúcar adicional en la sangre se almacenará como grasa en lugar de una fuente de energía llamada glucógeno. Esto hace que sea más difícil para nosotros perder peso a pesar de tener buenos hábitos alimenticios.

La mejor manera de combatir la resistencia a la insulina es haciendo ejercicio y, en general, llevando un estilo de vida activo. Sin embargo, a veces los medicamentos pueden ayudar inicialmente, así que consulte a su médico para una evaluación y opciones de tratamiento.

2. estas estresado

El estrés puede producir niveles excesivos de una hormona llamada cortisol. El cortisol cambia tu metabolismo para almacenar grasa. También aumenta el apetito y puede causar antojos de alimentos dulces, grasos y salados. Tratar de perder peso mientras anhelas constantemente esos alimentos del “día trampa” es prácticamente pelear una batalla perdida.

So, stress management and caring for your mental health are important in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Try these simple steps to start taking better care of your mental health.

3. Estás bebiendo bebidas endulzadas artificialmente

What kind of beverages are you drinking? Sugar-free and “zero-calorie” drinks have artificial sweeteners, which significantly increase ghrelin levels. What’s ghrelin and why is that a problem? Ghrelin is a “hunger hormone” that stimulates your appetite, meaning it can cause increased food intake and fat storage.

Puede preguntar, ¿qué tal el agua con gas que no tiene edulcorantes artificiales? Desafortunadamente, la carbonatación en el líquido también hace lo mismo: aumenta la grelina.

El agua pura es lo mejor para beber (en general y especialmente para bajar de peso). Pero algunos de nosotros simplemente no podemos soportar el sabor del agua pura, y lo entiendo. En lugar de usar gotas saborizantes sin azúcar, intente infundir agua con frutas frescas y hierbas como:

• Moras, naranja y hojas de menta
• Arándanos, limón y romero
• Fresas frescas, limón y albahaca

There are many more combinations you can try to make your water more interesting. Get creative and make it fun!

4. No estás comiendo bocadillos de manera inteligente

Los refrigerios entre comidas pueden acumularse. Si bien los bocadillos a veces son necesarios y pueden ser útiles para evitar que tenga demasiada hambre entre comidas, trate de comer bocadillos de manera inteligente.

Aquí hay algunos consejos para comer bocadillos:

• No comas bocadillos a ciegas. Busque la información nutricional de sus bocadillos, para que sepa lo que está comiendo.
• Evita los productos que contengan edulcorantes artificiales.
• Coma frutas y verduras frescas siempre que sea posible. Si no eres un gran fanático de las frutas y verduras, puedes acompañarlas con algo sabroso como hummus o un puñado de nueces.

5. Tu rutina de ejercicios necesita un cambio

If you feel like you’re exercising regularly but not seeing results, you might not be doing the right kind of exercise. For example, doing too much cardio without any strength training will make it difficult for you to gain muscles, and muscles help increase metabolism.

Another potential reason to consider is that you’re doing the same workouts over and over. If you’re always doing the same routines, your body gets used to it and will hit a plateau. We need to push our bodies out of their comfort zone and get a little uncomfortable.

How? Try adding in some high-intensity interval training to mix things up. Change up your routines, increase repetitions or the number of sets in your workout. These small changes can have big results. You can also try “exercise snacking,” or sneaking in small amounts of exercise throughout your day.

Si necesita ayuda para determinar qué tipo de plan de ejercicios es mejor para usted, considere reunirse con un entrenador personal.

6. You’re not getting quality sleep

We all know sleep is important for overall health, but did you know that adequate, quality sleep is crucial for weight loss?

Regularity in your sleep schedule can help reduce your body's stress levels and lower cortisol, allowing you to unwind and to recover at night. Sleep also helps regulate our hunger and satiety hormones.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and try to maintain a consistent routine by going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try these healthy sleep habits or ask your primary care doctor for help.

Doing everything right but still can’t lose weight?

It can be frustrating when you feel like you’re doing everything you should be doing—eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep—and you’re still not where you want to be. If that’s you, take a deep breath and give yourself some grace today. Remember that these healthy habits are still doing wonderful things for your body, even if you’re not seeing the weight loss results you want.

Talk to your primary care physician about your weight loss goals and how you can work together to achieve them. Don’t have a primary care physician? Find a doctor near you today.