Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Over-eating of healthy food: In your bid to eat healthy you tend to forget that besides being nutritious they also contain calories. These calories are not empty calories, so you need to keep a watch on how much you eat, even if it is nuts, multi-grain products, olive oil and dark chocolate.

Skipping breakfast: Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. People who never skip breakfast in fact tend to lose weight than those who skip breakfast. A healthy breakfast helps in boosting metabolism, but it should be rich in protein and fiber.

Sleep deprivation: Compromising on sleep to work out or other activities will not help in losing weight. A good night's sleep gives energy to perform exercise routines. Sleep deprivation can cause loss in appetite as well and lower metabolism.

Not eating enough: When you complain that I can't lose weight, check if you are eating properly. Not eating enough can ruin the metabolism of the body, because the body is starving, you tend to over eat. It is not good to starve yourself when you aim to lose weight and eating less than required can cause you to eat more snacks. As a reference, female can need 2000 kcal (10,500 kJ) and male need 2500 kcal (8,400 kJ) per day to maintain a healthy body. When losing weight, you can plan to lose 0.5 to 1kg (1 lb-2 Ib) each week, which is assumed to be healthy.

Thyroid problems: The thyroid gland needs to be functioning properly to ensure that the body metabolism is proper. An undiagnosed, underlying thyroid problem can cause hindrance in weight loss. Some doctors overlook the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels which are essential to determine if it is problem in weight loss program. The norm TSH level is between 0.5 and 4.0 mIU/L.

Increased stress: Why can't I lose weight? If you keep wondering such a question, you may check that if you are under a lot of stress. Research has found that women under stress can gain up to 11 pounds in a year. Stress causes the serotonin level to go down which increasing cravings for sweets. It also causes the cortisol levels to increase which results in muscle breakdown. Cortisol also affects digestion, by lowering stomach acids.

Improper cardio workouts: Cardio exercises are required in the regime to increase metabolism and have healthy heart, but if you do not do any other exercise or overdo the cardio, it can be a problem. Very long sessions of cardio exercises cause break down of lean muscle mass and makes the body store fat for endurance. It increases the appetite and you tend to over eat or get into unhealthy snacking.

No changes in exercise pattern: If you have been following the same exercise pattern for a long time, the body gets used to it and reaches a plateau. There is no weight loss and your body gets stuck. The pattern needs to be changed like other things in life, so that the body will start to burn fat again. A combination of weight training, cardio, Pilates and yoga should be followed. One of the best types of training for weight loss is interval training.

Rest and recovery: Recovery and rest time weigh as much as body training. It is important to rotate the type of exercises you do or the body parts you target in a day. With cardio and light exercises or more types of exercise, different muscle groups are trained.

Also remember that the body burns fat during the recovery period. A well-rested body can be prepared for the workout the next day. The body should be respected and it's important to listen to the signals it gives out.

Medicine that makes you gain weight: There are some medicines which have side effect of making you gain weight. Some of the medicines which can cause this side effect are anti-depressants, steroids and even birth control pills – although it's rare. The side effect can be seen within a few weeks after starting the medicine. Talk to your doctor if you observe weight gain, and your doctor can give alternatives. If you are taking birth control pills, you can ask for a change to pills containing less hormones can reduce your weight gain.

Yet, relieving your medical conditions is in your first place, and you cannot stop any medicines without the doctor's permission.

Imbalance of hormones in the body: Hormones are essential for proper functioning of the body on a daily basis. In case of hormonal imbalance, it can cause symptoms like premenstrual syndrome, night sweats, mood swings, and tenderness in the breasts, irregular menstruation and fatigue. Doctors can ask you to get the hormone levels checked, especially progesterone and estrogen. Depending on the result, the treatment will be prescribed.

Drinking alcohol: Women who drink alcohol on a regular basis, even moderately, tend to have trouble in losing weight. This is because there is an overdose of calories from all the alcohol. One glass of wine (5 ounces) contains 120 calories and cocktails can contain over 300 to 400 calories. If you want to lose weight, you should quit drinking alcohol.