Following a weight loss plan takes dedication, motivation and a strong desire to lose weight. But sometimes even when you are doing your best, you fall short in achieving your goals. Here are the top 5 reasons why you aren’t losing weight.
- Low iron – I have been helping patients lose weight since 2003 and one of the problems I see for patients who aren’t losing weight, despite following my hcg weight loss program, is that their iron levels are too low. I find that patient who have low iron levels are continuously hungry on the program and they either don’t lose weight, lose too little or they plateau quickly after just a few weeks on the program. I suggest you ask your doctor to test your ferritin levels. Ferritin is a measure of your stored iron. Clinically, I usually make sure that it is at least above 30Ug/L. Once iron levels are restored, patients start to see success in weight loss.
- Not getting enough Zzzzzzz’s – Sleep is a crucial component for restoring balance in our hormones. If you aren’t getting enough sleep then it will be very difficult for you to lose weight. In fact, I find patients struggle with their hunger when they aren’t getting at least 7 hours of good quality sleep per night. I also find that they lose only half of what is expected per week while on my hcg diet program. The same would be true for any diet or lifestyle modifications aimed for weight loss. Try and develop good sleep habits. Go to bed at the same time every night. Also, make sure the room is as dark as possible. And don’t look at your phone nor watch tv while lying in bed.
- You have too much stress – High stress levels can raise cortisol levels. High cortisol levels makes your crave sugar and can stimulate your body to store belly fat. I usually suggest for my patients to take a break from dieting when they have high amounts of stress. Or, I suggest them to try meditation exercises while dieting. Also, there is a supplement I sometimes prescribe called cortisol manager which is a combination of herbs and amino acids that help reduce excessive cortisol. I have seen this help most patients with moderate amounts of stress.
- Low thyroid – Before patients start my diet program I send them for blood testing. I have often found patients who are struggling with their weight to have an undiagnosed hypothyroidism. I test for a full thyroid panel which includes a TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. The standard test for determining thyroid function is a TSH. However, I have found many overweight patients to have a normal TSH and a low free T4 and low T3. These thyroid hormones are crucial for the metabolism. If they remain low, patients will very little or hardly any weight on the any diet program.
- Not consistent enough – Consistency is key for weight loss. You can’t be good from Monday to Friday and then cheat a bit on the weekend. It always takes a few days for your body to start burning fat again after breaking the diet. The most common culprit I see in clinical practice is the consumption of alcohol. I find that even a glass of wine can stop the weight loss for 2-3 days. It can reduce your weight loss from 4lbs a week to 2 lbs a week.
