Lose weight

You could also be insulin resistant, a condition where your body produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively. With insulin resistance, glucose builds up in your blood stream instead of your cells absorbing it, leading to type 2 diabetes. You could also have what’s known as metabolic syndrome, which is a condition, like insulin resistance, where your body’s more likely to store calories as fat rather than burn them off, leading to your struggle with weight loss despite the fact you think you’re doing the right things.

Lifestyle

Certain lifestyle habits can negatively impact on weight loss. Not getting enough sleepmakes it hard to lose weight because your body produces hormones to regulate eating and sleeping. If you’re sleep-deprived, your appetite’s affected and insufficient sleep has been associated with over-eating and weight gain. Exercise is an important part of dieting but, if you work out too much, it promotes appetite and hunger, so too much can hinder weight loss for some because they always want to eat! On the other side of the coin, if you’re very sedentary this will have a negative effect on burning calories and losing weight, as your body stores energy from the food you eat. Not drinking enough watercan prevent weight loss too. Water suppresses the appetite and if you’re dehydrated, the kidneys come under strain, so your body relies on your liver for additional support. This causes fat to be stored rather than burned off.

Diet

You could be misjudging your meal sizes, not counting calories properly, which results in eating more than you think and not losing weight. If you fail to track your eating habitsand pick at things like chocolate or crisps, it’s easy to believe that it doesn’t count when in fact it does! If your diet’s too strict, you may lose weight initially but you’ll probably overeat at some point in the future when denying yourself certain foods catches up with you. Equally, if your diet is too limiting, you’re denying yourself essential nutrition, which will impact on the way your body works, including your metabolism. Your body may go into starvation crisis, where losing weight is impossible and gaining weight’s easy as your body struggles to find a balance. If you believe all health claims on food labels, this could lead to you consuming more calories or believing you’ll lose weight when in fact the scientific facts say you won’t. Some food claims are valid and many products and supplements can help you lose weight, but do your research before investing blind faith in the labels. Losing weight‘s about keeping your body in harmony and balance.