Why Can't I Lose Weight???

Tell me if you can relate? I struggled to lose weight for a long time. I dieted, counted calories, drank my water, got my steps in…I thought I was doing everything right so I just couldn’t understand why the weight wouldn’t budge!

I had no idea that some of what I was doing was actually causing me to store more fat…(argh!!)

I was so focused on the number of calories I was eating and burning (you know “calories in/calories out”) but I wasn’t paying any attention to how what I was eating and what I was doing was affecting my hormones - one in particular (we’ll get to that in a bit).

These are some of the telltale signs that what you’re doing may be counterproductive:

Belly fat just won’t budge:

It doesn’t matter how much time you spend on the treadmill or elliptical, that belly fat just won’t go away.

You’re always hungry:

You feel like you NEED to eat every couple hours.

Struggling with constant cravings (especially for sugar and carbs):

Those intense cravings make it really hard for you to “stay on track”.

Your energy sucks:

No matter how much sleep you got the night before you feel like it takes all your energy just to get through the day - sugar and caffeine become your best friend. This really affects your motivation too.

You have brain fog:

You have a hard time concentrating…you read the same paragraph 3 times and it still doesn’t sink in…you walk into a room and forget why you went in there in the first place…

You’re moody/irritable:

Even those little everyday things get on your last nerve and you can’t figure out why it bugs you so much.

Difficulty getting to or staying asleep:

You’re tired all day but then feel a bit wired and have a hard time getting to sleep at night. Or maybe you can actually get to sleep but you wake up at 1:30 and can’t get back to sleep.

I mentioned a bit ago that there was a hormone that we’re just not paying enough attention to and that hormone is insulin.

Insulin is a storage hormone that means when it's high your body is in storage mode - meaning you’re more likely to store more fat.

But this is a double-edged sword because when you’re in storage mode you can’t be in “burning” mode at the same time - meaning your body can’t easily burn the body fat you already have stored when it needs energy.

That’s why if you’re only paying attention to calories in vs calories out but ignoring what's going on with your insulin you can be left spinning your wheels.

So what causes insulin to be high - there can be several reasons:

High carb diet:

Eating too many refined carbs (bread, pasta, sugar, processed snacks), or even eating carbs that we generally consider “healthy”, like oatmeal, whole grains or sweet potatoes can have a big impact on your blood sugar. 

Why It Matters:

Blood sugar has the biggest impact on your insulin - when blood sugar is high insulin will be too. So eating a diet high in carbs can cause higher insulin levels. 

Chronic Stress 

Too much stress of any kind - physical or emotional: from financial worries, work, relationships, lack of sleep, over-exercising (especially excessive cardio), even stressing over the scale not moving.

Why It Matters:

Chronic stress raises cortisol. Cortisol increases the storage of belly fat. It also raises your blood sugar, leading to more insulin release. So if you’re constantly stressed it can keep you trapped in fat-storage mode.

Eating Too Often (Snacking & Grazing All Day)

You may have been told that eating every 2-3 hours keeps your “metabolism firing”...

Why It Matters:

Every time you eat, blood sugar rises and insulin gets released, so if you’re eating every couple hours you’re essentially eating all day long. Which means blood sugar and insulin will be elevated all day long too.Just when your blood sugar and insulin starts to come back down you eat again and they go right back up. So you’re constantly in a “fed state,” which means that your body never gets a chance to tap into your body fat stores.

Poor Sleep 

Lack of sleep, whether having difficulty sleeping because you feel tired and wired, or you can fall asleep but wake up often during the night , or you're just staying up late on your various devices.

Why It Matters:

Poor sleep wreaks havoc on your hormones - especially those that impact your hunger and cravings. It’s also a huge stressor on your body which means increased cortisol (as well as blood sugar and insulin - are you starting to see a pattern here?). It also lowers your fat burning hormones (growth hormone and leptin). Have you ever noticed that after a bad nights sleep you have more hunger and cravings - especially for sugar and carbs? That's not your imagination - that's your hormones.

Lack of Movement

Sitting too much - whether because you have a desk job, a long commute or you’re just not very active.

Why It Matters:

Being sedentary slows your metabolism. And often our carb intake doesn’t often match our activity level. If you’re sedentary your body doesn’t have a lot of need for that quick and easy energy that you get from carbs. Since your body isn’t using that energy it's more likely to be stored.

 Overtraining

Too much exercise - especially what's known as chronic cardio (those long bouts of steady state cardio - like that hour on the treadmill or elliptical) is another big stressor on your body which will result in increased cortisol, which again, leads to more fat storage. Instead focus on strength training - that will give you more bang for your buck - boosting your metabolism and helping you to shift into fat-burning mode.

If any of this sounds familiar there is good news - you can get unstuck and back into fat burning mode - you just have to focus on the right  things!

If that's you I created a short guide for you to help you get started. You can click here to download your FREE copy.