How to Beat Them
Weight Loss Hazards
Some weight loss roadblocks can’t be beaten with veggies and running. A medical professional can help you overcome sneaky roadblocks keeping you from losing weight.
Dr. Justin Hoffman, ND, NMD 
You’re watching what you eat. You’re skipping the splurges. You’re going to the gym. But, you’re still not losing weight. Does this sound familiar?
The solution isn’t extensive fasting and backbreaking workouts. Those crazy extremes might give you results momentarily. Unfortunately, they typically lead to extreme regression. You could end up putting on weight rather than losing it, as has been the case for many of the Biggest Loser participants!
If you’ve resolved to lose weight, that’s great! Just don’t make it any harder than it has to be. Your body could be facing some serious roadblocks that no amount of veggies or time on the treadmill can correct.
5 Common Weight Loss Road Blocks
1. You’re Not Sleeping Enough
When you're not getting enough sleep, it's easier to reach for comfort foods and derail your weight loss goals.
Sleep is one of the most important daily activities for your overall health. Being sleep-deprived can affect your daily performance, your mood, and your body’s ability to lose weight.
Just how much does sleep deprivation affect your ability to lose weight? The Annals of Internal Medicine found individuals who cut back on sleep lost half the fat of those who received a full night’s rest.
Lack of sleep can also increase your food cravings. The Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University found acute sleep loss enhances the brain’s underlying drive to consume food, regardless of hunger levels.
What May Help: Go to Bed 15 Minutes Earlier
Getting more sleep isn’t easy. A practical way to start is to go to bed 15 minutes earlier per week until you find you feel refreshed and alert the next day. Going to bed an hour earlier cold-turkey will be frustrating. Make sure to take small steps that your body can adjust to.
2. Your Metabolism Isn’t Functioning at its Optimal Level
Even with a healthy diet, if your metabolism isn't firing on all cylinders it can be easy to pack on excess weight.
Your metabolism is the process of breaking down food into energy. When functioning correctly, your metabolism allows you to burn all the fuel (aka food) you put into your body.
Unfortunately, a variety of factors can cause your metabolism not to function efficiently. One of the most common causes is a hormone imbalance. Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. When they are out of whack, they send the wrong message. These miscommunications can keep your body from healing, negatively impact your mood, and cause you to hold onto unwanted body fat.
What May Help: Check for a Hormone Imbalance
You can help your metabolism by sleeping more, quitting smoking, cutting back on alcohol, and exercising regularly. Unfortunately, sometimes these steps aren’t enough and you need the help of a medical professional. Our doctors at Premier Integrative take a holistic approach to your health.
Rather than focus on just losing weight, we help identify what’s causing that weight to stay on. Often this can be directly attributed to a hormone imbalance. With bioidentical hormone treatments, we can help you rebalance your hormones and optimize your metabolism.
3. You’re Sad
Don’t think your mood can affect your ability to lose weight? Think again. In the 2010 study, “Overweight, obesity, and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies,” depression was directly linked to developing obesity.
Depression can contribute to weight gain because it can cause you to:
- Lose interest in daily activities
- Indulge in comfort food
- Overeat
Everyone has days where they feel down, that’s natural. If you do, tell your family or a close friend – connect and find an outing or activity that brings you joy. When you’re not feeling sad, make a list of things you can do that you enjoy so you have a list of activities to try when you are under the weather.
What May Help: Talk to a Medical Professional & Check for Vitamin D Deficiency
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is often the bravest thing you can do. A trained counselor or therapist can help you develop the tools and/or find the appropriate medication to support your emotional well-being.
There has also recently been increasing evidence that links vitamin D with depression. By optimizing your vitamin D levels, you may be able to improve your mood and achieve your weight loss goals. IV Drip therapy can help you quickly deliver key vitamins and nutrients into your bloodstream, so your body can see the benefits are fast as possible.
4. You Don’t Have Enough Energy to Workout
When you're lacking key vitamins and nutrients, it can be difficult to have the energy you need to do the things you want to do.
While working out isn’t the only key to losing weight, it can certainly help the process along. Unfortunately, if you’re too tired to get yourself moving, fitting in a workout might not seem like an option.
One of the primary culprits of depleted energy is a vitamin deficiency. These deficiencies can:
- Put your immune system at risk
- Cause you to wake up without feeling rested after a full night’s sleep
- Reduce recovery times
- Affect your mood
- Make your body hold onto excess weight
What May Help: Identify & Correct Vitamin Deficiencies
A recent study spearheaded by the University of Milan’s Dr. Luisella Vigna found that providing vitamin D supplements to overweight individuals resulted in weight loss. Furthermore, the University of Maryland Medical Center closely linked B12 deficiencies to fatigue, shortness of breath, and nervousness. Correcting these deficiencies can help you increase your energy and maximize your workout.
Before you change any supplements you are currently taking, check with your provider or contact our naturopathic medical doctors to make sure you’re safely getting what you need to be your best.
5. You Think You’re Eating Healthy, But You're Not
Just because a dish is called a salad, doesn't mean it has all the key vitamins, nutrients, and protein your body needs to lose weight. Take stock of how you're fueling your body and how it makes you feel to start customizing your diet to your goals.
Nutrition plans aren’t one size fits all. Everyone’s body is different. You may think you’re eating a healthy, well-balanced diet filled with whole grains and veggies. Unfortunately, your metabolic makeup might mean your body needs more protein or fruits. It could be that you’ve cut too much fat out of your diet or not enough.
What May Help: Partnering with a Medically Supervised Weight Loss Doctor
If you’re not seeing the results you want, it might be that your meal plan isn’t tailored to your needs. Choose My Plate is a great place to start, but it’s not uncommon for online tools like this to not be enough. Working with a doctor who offers Medically Supervised Weight Loss can help you customize a meal plan to fit your goals and needs.
Just remember, there’s never a silver bullet to losing weight. You may need to tweak and alter your diet and lifestyle multiple times to achieve your goals.
