Successfully managing your weight can have immeasurable benefits, including better long-term health and a lower risk of chronic diseases.
Our post “7 Signs That You’re Losing Weight” discusses some immediate rewards.
You feel lighter, your old clothes fit again, and you feel more fulfilled knowing you’re eating healthier and moving your body more frequently.
And when you feel fulfilled with your health, you feel more confident to take on other areas of your life, like your career, passions, and relationships with loved ones.
But you can do everything right but only see minimal changes to the scale, if any.
This doesn’t mean your efforts are falling short. When it comes to stubborn weight, biological factors might be at play. Here are some natural reasons why you’re not losing weight and what you can do about it.
Natural reasons preventing weight loss
When you’re trying to lose weight but cannot, genetics and medical conditions may be deterring your progress.
A study published in Nature Communications explains that heredity can significantly affect how likely you are to put on excess weight, with researchers having identified around one hundred obesity susceptibility genes.
Your genes can also impact a biochemical pathway that significantly influences your body’s energy balance, regulates your appetite, and controls the production of growth hormones.
This causes you to look for quick energy sources like sugar and carbohydrates, leading you to feel hungrier more often.
Beyond this, SciTech Daily discusses underlying medical conditions affecting weight loss in diverse ways.
For instance, kidney diseases can cause a loss of appetite but may promote the retention of fluid and waste in your body, which then get stored in your tissue.
On the other hand, people with polycystic ovarian syndrome may see more weight around their middle section due to an excess production of androgen.
Many other diseases can interfere with weight management, including heart problems, depression, and leptin resistance, among others.
How you can facilitate weight loss
Being unable to lose weight can impact your long-term health, happiness, and sense of fulfillment.
Thankfully, there are many FDA-approved weight loss medications on the market that can even out the playing field for you.
These medications are ideal for those with a BMI greater than 30 or those with a BMI greater than 27 and are living with a medical problem aggravated by obesity.
Some of the most common medications you’ll find are Saxenda and Wegovy.
Depending on your preference and access to the medications, your doctor may prescribe you either, so you should learn where Saxenda vs Wegovy differ and what they have in common.
Both medicines are GLP-1 agonists, impacting the hormones that signal fullness and digestion. This makes you feel fuller and think less about food, reducing cravings and calories consumed.
Both are approved for obesity, too, but studies show that Wegovy may lead to greater weight loss and may be preferable as a weekly injection.
Saxenda, a daily injection, may still be prescribed by your doctor as it has greater availability in pharmacies, making it more accessible to you.
While these medications go a long way toward helping you, they still need to be supplemented with a healthy lifestyle.
So keep up the habits you’ve cultivated and try to improve the areas where you fall short.
Medical News Today recommends healthy habits, like cutting out more processed foods, reducing added sugar, and eating more fruits and vegetables.
You should also increase cardio and resistance training and maintain a good sleep cycle.
These can help support your metabolism for consistent weight management.
Our bodies are complex and multi-faceted, and each one is beautiful in its own right.
But stubborn weight can impact all aspects of your life, including your health, relationships, and confidence.
With medical assistance and a healthy lifestyle, you can love your body better and give it the attention it deserves.