Do you pay very close attention to your diet, exercise regularly and, despite that, are not managing to lose some pounds? Or as you get a little older, do you see the rim of fat around your waist growing and slowly developing a pair of abs? That can be quite a battle mentally! Do you regularly feel like you're already gaining weight from a leaf of lettuce and often think "help, I'm not losing weight"? Read more about it in this blog.

Why look beyond BMI?

Years ago, people mainly looked at your BMI (Body Mass Index). This is your weight in pounds divided by your height x your height in meters. Today there is another calculation that is much more reliable when it comes to predicting health risks such as heart disease and diabetes. This is the waist-to-hip ratio; waist circumference divided by hip size. The waist circumference (narrowest part between the lower rib and the pelvis) is a good indicator because visceral fat is the determining (risk) factor for health.

So height and weight alone are not conclusive. In fact, it could be that you are small in stature, a healthy weight but with a large waist circumference or that you are a lot heavier with a narrower waist. The second example is more favorable because, despite a higher fat percentage, there is less visceral fat compared to the former.

If you fail to lose weight, it is interesting to find out the cause why you then gain more weight or why you fail to burn the fat. In many people, sugar burning in the cells works better than fat burning. Simply because this process is easier for your body and fat burning requires you to do more, such as reduce your carbohydrate intake and exercise more (sober).

Weight gain and a changing physique also occur in the process of aging. This is because as you age, your basal metabolism gradually decreases, that is, the number of calories you burn at rest is lower than before.

I am not losing weight, what can I do?

Do you regularly ask yourself "I'm trying so hard, but I'm not losing weight"? We discuss a number of possible causes below.

Hormonal change

One of the reasons why losing weight just doesn't work despite efforts is hormonal changes. For example, as a result of the menopause. During menopause, your body changes. For example, fat storage switches from less on the buttocks to more on the abdomen. Weight increases a few pounds and so does waist circumference.

Not only does fat distribution change, but visceral fat increases and lean mass decreases. This means that fat is stored around the organs in the abdominal cavity. The lean mass is your body weight minus the weight of fat. Your muscle mass also decreases and gives way to fat.

Want to read more about hormones and losing weight? You can do so here!

Motion

Furthermore, the more muscle you have, the more glucose and/or fat you can burn. If you are inactive in terms of exercise, you lose muscle mass because "If you don't use it, you lose it. 

The excess sugars and fast carbohydrates that you eat and do not burn are then stored as fat. This decreases your metabolism resulting in heavier weight and more fat mass. Taking a brisk walk daily and practicing a sport such as swimming, pilates or cycling weekly is therefore definitely recommended! 

Stress

Perhaps the most common cause that makes it difficult for you to lose weight is stress. This is because during times of stress, you produce the hormone cortisol, a release of energy as your body readies itself for a fight-or-flight response in the face of danger. It raises your blood sugar. That's totally fine for short periods of time but chronic stress causes problems. For example, constant cortisol production makes you crave sweet, salty and fatty foods. You probably know the feeling of craving fast carbohydrate-rich snacks during a stressful time.

During stress, your body immediately switches to glucose burning and fat burning goes down or stops altogether. Also, cortisol multiplies visceral fat, making your waistline wider. And this is enough reason for many people to become even more stressed.

You can read more about this in this blog.

Sleep

A good night's sleep is essential for burning fat. During the day, you eat fat, which is an anabolic state. This means there is a buildup of fat. During the night, when you are not eating, you are in a catabolic state. At that time, you actually break down carbohydrates, proteins and fatty acids. By the way, this only applies if you don't eat too late and/or too much

So you also need your sleep to avoid gaining weight. At night there are processes going on in your body that also need energy. For example, your thyroid and immune systems need energy to do their work.

Would you like to sleep better? In this blog, we share 4 fine meditation exercises to help you fall asleep better.

Conclusion

Briefly, then, we can conclude that if you experience a lot of stress, exercise little or sleep poorly, you will not burn fat.

Other causes may be related to a hormonal imbalance.

Do none of these causes apply to you? Our therapists would be happy to check with you through a consultation!