COLUMN: Not losing weight? Here are nineteen reasons why, writes Laurann O'Reilly

Weight for many is so easy to gain but so hard to lose. Despite going on every diet under the sun, we can often end up puzzled as to why we see no movement on the dreaded scales.

Here, nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly, runs us through her top reasons as to why you may not be losing the weight.

1) Age Related Muscle Loss: The more muscle we have, the more energy our body burns. Naturally, as we age our body goes through a natural age-related muscle loss, losing between 3 to 8% per decade after age 30. However, is it possible through diet and the right exercise to work on maintaining your muscle mass or preventing muscle loss as you age.

2) Reduction In Growth Hormone: The production of growth hormone also slows as we get older. As one of the functions of growth hormone is to build and maintain muscle mass, this can again impact how much energy you burn and affect weight loss.

3) Gender: As men have a naturally higher muscle mass and metabolic rate than women it can often be easier for them (not always though), to lose or maintain their weight.

4) Gender & Age Combined: If we combine both age and gender in the mix, we can begin to further understand why we may be jumping hurdles to reach our weight loss goals.

Women (Menopause): Menopause, which tends to happen between ages 45 and 55, results in the body no longer producing the hormone oestrogen. Sometimes additional weight, particularly around the tummy region may accompany this huge biological change. However, through the right diet and exercise regime it’s possible to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Men (Decline in Testosterone): Men as they age, may experience a gradual drop in testosterone from the age of 40 onwards. As testosterone plays an important role in fat distribution, muscle strength and mass, this natural reduction can sometimes make it more difficult for men to lose weight.

5) Genetics: Whilst some may be sceptical about the connection between one’s genes and body weight. Unfortunately for some it is the case, as many studies (including two of which I was involved in the research of) have proven the link between genes and a predisposition to obesity. Fortunately, through the right diet and exercise regime this can be prevented and treated. So, for some we can say that “genetics loads the gun and lifestyle pulls the trigger”.

6) Eating Too Much Food: This makes sense when we think of it in terms of ‘energy balance’. Basically, if we consume more energy than we use, we end up gaining weight. Whilst if we consume less energy than we use we end up losing weight. This is why it’s not only important to eat the right foods but in the right quantities too. Tip: Remember it’s possible to have too much of a good thing too, so keep your portion sizes in mind.

7) Not Eating Enough Food: The other mistake people make is not eating enough food! In order to survive we need a certain amount of energy just to carry out our basic body functions, such as breathing and digesting our foods. For this reason, it’s so important to eat enough food to meet your minimum energy requirement and to maintain health. Remember we need energy to burn energy. Tip: If you would like to know what your energy requirement is, please feel free to contact me using the information listed below.

8) Eating The Wrong Foods: Many may eat very little all day and then fill up on convenience foods, which may be high in fat and sugar. This is so common when we’re busy, on the go or when we get that dreaded sugar low/afternoon slump. Tip: I always recommend having your snacks prepared in advance to avoid temptation, these could include 28g or ¼ measuring cup of nuts, fresh whole or chopped fruit, hard boiled eggs, rice/corn/oat cakes or natural yogurt with fresh fruit

9) Liquid Calories: It can be sometimes hard to visualise fluid or liquids as being high in energy/calories with the highest culprits being alcohol followed by full sugar fizzy drinks and fruit juices. Tip: For those who may not like the taste of plain water, why not try fruit infused water such as orange and mint water. Alternatively, I recommend MiWadi sweetened with Stevia

10) Consuming Hidden Sugars: As much as we try to eat well, many foods can be deceiving with hidden sugars. These can be foods such as yogurts and cereal bars. Tip: When reading your food labels, to establish how much sugar is in a food 1) Go to where it says ‘carbohydrates’ and then ‘of which sugars’ and then 2) Divide by five to work out how many teaspoons of sugar.

11) Lack of Time To Prep Healthy Meals: This is a real problem for many with hectic lives, again this is where your meal planning comes into play. For those who are attempting to lose or maintain their weight, remember that meal planning is key, as it really does help us to avoid the temptation of convenience and take away foods.
Tip: Download my Free Meal Planning Guide here https://nutritionbylaurann.ie/ your-meal-planning-guide/

12) Crash Dieting: This is so common particularly for those who are attempting to lose weight fast, but unfortunately as soon as you go back to regular eating the weight tends to pile back on again. I always say ‘slow and steady’ with a healthy weight loss being approximately 2lbs per week.
Tip: If you need some guidance on how to achieve this, please contact using the details listed at the bottom of this page.

13) Gaining Muscle: So, you’ve been eating and working out hard, yet you don’t seem to be losing weight. Remember you may have made progress, but the weight of new muscle may result in the scales reading not moving or you even appearing to have gained weight.

14) Nutrition Deficiency: Whilst we try to eat as much of a balanced diet as possible, for those who have a limited diet, who struggle to eat a variety of different foods or who have a food intolerance (see below), a deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals may prevent us from losing weight. For example, the B Vitamins play an important role in the body’s ability to make energy from our food and we need to be able to make energy to burn energy.

15) Food Intolerances: Many of us may have the best diet, however if we have any food intolerances, this can impair us from absorbing our nutrients properly and prevent us from performing our best.As well as this we may experience gas and tummy bloating (along with other symptoms) which may appear as excess weight.

Tip: If you feel you may have a food intolerance, please feel free to contact me using the information listed at the bottom of the page and I can assist you with this.

16) Stress: This can have a huge impact on the body, with us going into our fight or flight response. Unfortunately, with that comes an increase in the hormone cortisol which results in a reduction in our metabolism, leads us to craving foods high in fat and sugar and results in weight gain around the tummy region (also known as visceral fat).
Tip: If you are experiencing high levels of stress, it’s so important to find the best stress reduction strategies to suit you. These could include music, art, reading, exercise, meditation, going for a nice massage, calling a friend, arranging a session of talk therapy such as counselling or energy healing for example kinesiology or reiki. Everyone is different so find what works for you.

17) Low Exercise Levels: In order to lose weight efficiently it’s so important to accompany your healthy balanced diet with exercise to see real results. Remember exercise not only makes us feel good, reducing those stress levels but it also helps us burn energy and gain muscle, all of which complement healthy weight loss and weight management. Tip: Aim for a minimum of 20-30 minutes of exercise per day, with more if you are able.

18) Eating Late At Night: Many are guilty of eating very little during the day and then eating late in the evening and into the night, often craving treats and sugar (having not met our energy requirement during the day). However, our body is meant to go into a state of starvation when we sleep, that’s why breakfast is called ‘break-fast’. Remember, we’re meant to be repairing not digesting. Tip: Try to avoid having complex meals (like big dinners) within 3-4 hours before bedtime. If you get a little peckish at night, a little simple snack such as a natural yogurt with some berries is totally fine.

19) Not Getting Enough Sleep: I always say ‘food is your fuel and sleep is your battery’ so it’s important to get enough sleep to repair and recharge. Whilst sleep is also important for regulating your weight loss hormones. Tip: Aim for a minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep per night.