Why Can't I Lose Weight?

If you have ever tried to lose weight and failed, have you ever wondered why? What exactly is going on that makes your discipline and willpower wither like a fallen leaf in autumn? 

Let us get the basics out of the way. You lose weight when you are in an energy deficit. An energy deficit occurs when you eat fewer calories than you need on a daily basis for a sustained period.

Doing so will compel your body to "use" stored energy. What you and I look at ruefully in the morning and say, "If only I could lose this love handle," also known as excess weight. 

So then, shouldn't it be fairly straight forward to eat less than you need? 

Imagine that, as a woman, you need 1800 calories a day, as prescribed by the FDA. You now start eating 1000 calories because you want to be in deficit. Weight loss occurs, and you are delighted. 

But quickly, either the weight loss stagnates or, worse, the weight starts to come back. You ask why. 

It's actually simple. Slowly, your body begins to dial back and increase the calories you are eating. You like to believe you are in deficit, when in reality you are not. 

When you lose weight while in deficit, your body compensates by increasing your hunger quotient. It is very subtle. Eight peanuts are approximately 50 calories. It is small enough for you to not notice. 

Millions of people all over the world tell themselves the same thing: "I hardly eat anything, and yet I can't lose weight." 

There are people who present compelling evidence that the energy deficit model is not so simplistic. I agree.

But as I learned with difficulty, before you try to solve for the complex, solve for the simple things.

Check to see if your appetite and what you eat have slowly crept up without you realising it. More likely than not, that is the reason your weight loss has stagnated or reversed. 

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