Most people know that the United States is currently experiencing an obesity pandemic, and the CDC reports that over three-quarters of the population is classified as overweight or obese. Many people try to lose weight on their own, but most are unable to lose the pounds necessary to lower their BMI within the category of a “healthy weight.”
Around 20% of adults in the United States are on a diet at any given time, and Americans spend over $70 billion annually on weight loss initiatives, including commercial plans for weight loss, supplements, special foods, etc. So, why is it so difficult to lose weight? You may not believe this, but your own body may be thwarting your weight loss efforts, or even worse, it may be causing weight gain.
Today, we are going to talk about your body’s natural survival mode and how it can fight your weight loss efforts.
{{cta_button}}
How Does Weight Loss Work?
Losing weight is not as simple as eating less and moving more; it is actually a very complex process that goes beyond that. It is true that weight loss happens when the body burns more calories than it consumes, which is known as creating a calorie deficit, but achieving and maintaining this deficit is not as easy as it sounds.
Your body is remarkable and has the ability to adapt to certain weight loss strategies, which can make reaching your goals much more challenging.
A Calorie Deficit Must Be Created
To create a calorie deficit, you must either consume fewer calories, burn more than you consume through physical activity, or both. This can be done by making changes to your diet, like reducing the size of your portions, eating foods that are nutritious but keep you feeling full longer, avoiding unhealthy food that offers no nutritional benefits, etc.
Increasing the amount of physical activity you get each day through structured exercise or just moving more throughout the day also helps the body use more energy and burn calories. Strength training is also important because it helps preserve muscle mass, which keeps metabolism running faster and more efficiently.
Underlying Conditions Can Affect Your Progress
Some people struggle to lose weight even when they are doing all the right things because they have underlying conditions that interfere with their ability to balance their calorie intake vs. calorie burn ratio. Hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, insulin resistance, etc., can all make it harder for your body to burn calories and process fat effectively.
Additionally, certain medications, unmanaged stress, and lack of sleep can also interfere with your metabolic processes and appetite regulation. When this is going on under the surface, even the best calorie-controlled diet and regular exercise may not be effective or promote weight loss.
{{cta_small}}
Your Own Body Can Work Against Your Weight Loss Efforts
In addition to the challenge of underlying conditions, your body can sabotage your weight loss efforts because it is designed to keep you from starving and will adapt your metabolism to keep you alive.
Your body does not understand that you do not have to hunt for your food and that you have a local grocery store that makes food easily accessible to you. If you understand what is going on with the adjustments your body is making, you can outsmart these efforts and reach your weight loss goals. Some of the things your body does automatically that can hinder your weight loss efforts include:
Your Body Will Slow Down Your Metabolism
When you reduce the number of calories you consume, your body tries to compensate for this shortage because it identifies it as a sign of trouble.
While you are eating fewer calories and exercising more to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, your body slows down the rate that it burns calories to conserve energy and will also begin to store fat so it has a reserve of energy for the future.
Extra Hunger Hormones Will Be Released
When you begin to lose weight, your body attempts to bring it back, and it uses hormones that control hunger and fullness to do this. All the fat cells in your body produce a hormone called leptin, which influences part of your brain that helps you maintain a stable body weight by regulating your appetite and feelings of fullness. Your stomach also releases a hormone called ghrelin, which tells your brain when it is time to eat.
When your body feels that you are not maintaining a stable weight, it increases your ghrelin levels, making you feel hungrier more often.
The release of these two hormones makes it even harder for you to lose weight because you always feel hungry, and it takes a lot more food to keep you feeling satisfied or full.
Your Brain Works Against You
Once you begin losing weight, it changes the way your brain handles hunger and self-control, causing your leptin levels to drop, so you feel less full and need to eat more to feel satisfied. Also, the part of your brain that usually helps you regulate how much food you eat is not as active, and it becomes easier to overeat without noticing.
Your Body’s DNA Is Pre-programmed
Your genetic makeup influences how your body will regulate your weight and how it will respond to weight loss strategies. There are hundreds of genes that influence hunger, metabolism, and even how your body stores fat. Some people may naturally have a harder time losing weight, despite living a healthy lifestyle where they eat less and stay active.
Your Body Is More Resistant To Repeat Weight Loss
If you have lost weight before and try to use the same strategies again, your body may not respond in the same way. This is because your metabolism has slowed down, and hormones that regulate hunger and fat storage have shifted to encourage weight regain. This is your body's way of protecting itself from what it perceives as starvation. Your body becomes focused on conserving energy and resisting further changes so that losing weight again can be more difficult and may require significant adjustments in diet, exercise, or using other strategies.
Your Body May Have a Preferred Weight
Some researchers believe that your body has a natural weight range it tries to stay within, known as a set point weight. They believe that your metabolism, hormones, and brain work together to keep you at this weight and adjust your hunger levels and rate of calorie burn as needed. This set point can be different for everyone and is influenced by genetics, age, past weight loss, and hormonal changes.
This makes weight loss even more challenging for these individuals because their set point increases if they carry excess weight for many years, but it rarely decreases. Their body continues to try to return to what it considers its “normal” weight.
You Have Unresolved Emotional Issues
Many people believe that losing weight will automatically make them happier, but emotional health is separate from physical appearance. If someone loses weight but is still very unhappy with other aspects of their life, they may experience frustration or disappointment and turn to food as a way to cope with these emotions, causing weight gain or making it harder to maintain their progress.
Working With A Weight Loss Expert Can Help You Overcome Tough Challenges
Overcoming underlying issues or outsmarting your body's attempts at preventing you from losing weight is possible when you get help from a professional like Dr. Steven Batash at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center in New York City.
Dr. Batash and his team of experts know what strategies and tools you need to use to lose weight despite what is going on with your body in the background. They offer weight loss medications, lifestyle and nutrition coaching, and procedures that are safe and effective to help you lose weight that do not require surgery, a hospital stay, or a long recovery time. A gastric balloon or the Suture Sculpt endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty procedure can make losing weight easier by reducing the size of your stomach and making you feel full with much smaller food portions.
Dr. Steven Batash is a board-certified gastroenterologist with over 30 years of experience who specializes in non-surgical weight loss solutions. He is focused on providing his patients with personalized care that fits their needs and circumstances and providing the highest level of support so they get the results they are looking for.
Whether you live close to our practice or in another state, we can help you achieve sustainable weight loss and improve your health and quality of life. If you are ready to get your weight under control and improve your health, the team at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center is dedicated to working with you every step of the way. Set up your in-person or virtual consultation today!
{{cta_button}}
