Why Cant I Lose Weight

The question " Why cant I lose weight " can have either a psychological or physical cause. I am not a doctor, scientist, mental healthcare professional so cannot help if the cause is psychological. I can however provide some information to assist you if the cause is food/liquid intake or activity (or lack of).

Firstly we will look at where you are now. Then we will go through ways in which you can improve on your current situation.

CURRENT SITUATION
" Why cant I lose weight "

1) Genetics - genetic variation means that the common phrase " people come in all shapes and sizes" is true. There are things over which adults have no control over

• height
• bone structure (incl its weight)
• eye colour etc

Everyone will not be a model with the perfect size but they can strive to be the best that their genetics will allow. 

" Why cant I lose weight " should possibly be changed to lose fat. Muscle weighs more than fat so a person in good shape could actually weigh more than a larger fatter person. Anything which cannot be consciously tensed is likely to be fat.

2) Food & Drink - Be honest with yourself

• what
• how much
• when
• how often
• where
• why

do you really eat and drink.

The list following will provide some information on " Why cant I lose weight "

• All calories are not equal - the body processes and reacts to nourishment differently depending on the type of nutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate) and the degree of processing involved in making it available for purchase.
• Eating slowly allows time for the body to assess how much has been taken in and to signal that the amount is sufficient (this is approx 20 mins). A fast pace with insufficient chewing means excessive amounts could be eaten and all the nutrients are not extracted from what is. 
• Taking in food / drink late in the evening can prevent the body releasing human growth hormone (Hgh) during sleep. This hormone assists in fat burning.
• The more frequently carbohydrate based food (e.g. comfort food and food manufactured to be really tasty - fast food, deserts etc) is eaten the more often the hormone Insulin is released which contributes to a higher resting level of the hormone. Although there are opinions which believe this can be used to achieve objectives like muscle growth, poor insulin management can mean it acts like a fat storing hormone. 
• Dining out places great temptations in front of people. Discpline is required when faced with bread for starters, rich sauces and fries, pasta etc for main courses. Delicious looking deserts then really attack one's plans. Studies have shown that more food is eaten if a person sits watching TV rather than at a table talking to other family members.
• Are you eating because you are really hungry or are you looking for some form of comfort food. Poor insulin management can make a person feel hungry when their body has adequate calories, nutrients etc for its current needs.

3) Exercise - although the major factor in fat / weight loss is diet, exercise can play an important supporting role. Do you exercise and if so what type and how much. Prolonged treadmill workouts or jogging can thwart fat loss efforts through the release of stress hormones like cortisol. These can cause muscle wastage (e.g. long distance runners, even 800 / 1500 metre competitors) and muscle and joint injuries. Compare the bodies of those people (male and female) with 100 - 400 metre athletes.

STRATEGIES TO RESOLVE
" Why cant I lose weight "

1) Mental - Thinking about why you really want to lose fat / weight is important.

• Health
• Sport
• Quality of life
• Enjoy your family for longer

It gives a goal, something you can focus on if your willpower slips. Concentrate on feeling how you will feel when you achieve your objective.

2) Food / Drink - As a minimum greatly reduce (ideally all, at least in the beginning) the amount of sugary and starchy carbohydrate foods, soda type drinks and alcohol. Initially you may experience problems due to habit or your body's dependence but perservere. Give it a chance to learn to provide and respond to the right hormone signals. As you see signs of success the feedback should reinforce these choices. 

Eat plenty of vegetables (some raw). Although these are carbohydrates they contain lots of fiber and vitamins etc. When you are approaching your target experiment (if you need to) with increasing carbohydrates. You will know if this is unwise by the effect it has on your body.

Include healthy fats like

• Omega 3 - obtained ideally from fish oils and cod liver oil. This is beneficial for the body in many ways other than fat loss.
• Monosaturated Fats - olive oil is perhaps the best known.
• Coconut Oil - this is a saturated fat with many benefits e.g. energy, anti-viral

Strive to have protein at every meal (meat, poultry, eggs, fish). Animals provide complete protein profile but vegetarians / vegans can combine foods to obtain the same. If finances or availability limit the amount possible, supplements like Branched Chain Amino Acids or Whey / Casein protein can help.

Intermittent Fasting is gaining in popularity as a means lose fat / weight. It has several forms but they all act to improve insulin management with additional benefits in other hormone levels and cell repair.

Examples are (more details will follow)

• 2 Days fasting out of 7 (approx 500 - 800 calories are consumed on fast days)
• Randomly missing 1 or 2 meals each week
• Each 24 hours is split between a 16 hour fast and 8 hour eating window.

Fat burning is given a turbo charge in the fasting period. These are not starvation diets as calories foregone in the fasting windows can be more than made up for in the eating windows.

3) Exercise - activities can be ranked as to the amount of calories burned whilst exercising and afterwards

• pure aerobic  - sustained activities like jogging, treadmill, dance class etc - high whilst exercising but lower subsequently.
• anaerobic - short, intense (for you) activities like sprinting or resistance training - low during the activity but prolonged burning of calories afterwards.

From the point of return on investment of time, effort and cost anerobic exercise appears to be superior. Sprinting workouts are done in burst of activity followed by sufficient rest for you to be able to complete the next sprint. A Resistance training workout routine is most effective when done using compound exercises. These involve several joints and many muscles. If done properly and with compressed rest intervals they signal the body to

• burn many calories
• release fat burning and lean tissue generating hormones

CONCLUSION TO
" Why cant I lose weight "

Hopefully these suggestions will provide solutions to " Why Cant I Lose Weight " 

Many things become much easier when they become a habit. The correct exercise and food choices done unconsciously make fat / weight loss much easier. In addition it frees the mind from the drudgery of calorie counting and hours of exercise so that a person can think about other tasks. 

Many of the effects of diet and exercise on the body are driven by hormones. Most of the effect produced by these hormones is due to extreme signals rather than a steady drip.  This applies both positively and negatively. This is why large carbohydrate laden meals can make the body a fat storing machine and an intermittent short term fast can help to reset the body to burn fat. It also plays a role in why short, intensive (for your current fitness level) exercise (sprinting, resistance training etc) produces the aesthetically pleasing athletic body rather than possessed by a medium/long distance runner.

The lean tissue stimulated by eating and exercising as suggested above also increases a person's resting metabolic rate. Day after day this can have a dramatically marked effect on fat burning.

With persistence and application of this information you should be able to cease asking

" Why cant I lose weight "

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Site under construction - apologies for any gaps or apparent inconsistencies. In time as more information is added the whole site should "hang together".

Initially the focus will be on general information which should assist with achieving results regardless of the approach you take in working out.

Later I will provide more detailed information.