7 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight…and What You Can Do About It

February 23, 2024

Does it feel like you are fighting a losing battle when it comes to weight loss? Do you find yourself saying “I can’t lose weight no matter what I do!” Everyone knows that to maintain a healthy body weight, it is important to exercise, eat right and get a good night’s sleep.  However, what if you are already doing these things, but it is still impossible to shed those extra pounds?

You probably didn’t have to try so hard to lose weight when you were younger. As women and men age, they notice that it gets more difficult to lose weight.  A major reason for this, that is often overlooked, is hormonal decline.

Top 5 Clues that Hormonal Decline Could be the Cause of Your Weight Gain

What do hormones have to do with weight gain?  Everything when your hormone levels are low and out of balance.  Here are some clues that hormonal decline is the cause of your weight gain:

1. You eat very healthy all the time, but are still gaining weight.
2. You exercise regularly, but are still gaining weight.
3. You have many of the other symptoms of hypothyroidism.
4. You have symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
5. You are taking a synthetic, T4 thyroid preparation to treat your hypothyroidism.

As you age, your hormone levels can decline and fall out of balance. This negatively affects your metabolism, and when your metabolism slows down, it is difficult to maintain an ideal body weight.  Besides weight gain, there are other symptoms that you may experience such as difficulty getting a good night’s sleep, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, depression, irritable moods, hair loss, menstrual irregularities, hot flashes, and muscle and joint pain.

7 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight

1. Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a common cause of weight gain because it regulates your metabolism and energy production. With low thyroid function, your metabolism slows down, and you don’t generate as much heat or use as many calories. Excess fluid retention can often be attributed to the poor circulation caused by low thyroid function, as well.

Research shows that obesity was higher in overt hypothyroidism than in subclinical hypothyroidism, meaning that more patients were overweight. Overall thyroid dysfunction was found more in obese individuals. (1) Research demonstrates a higher prevalence of hypothyroidism in overweight and obese people, thus suggesting that thyroid function should be evaluated in all obese patients.(2)

Research showed that those with the highest T3 levels had the greatest tendency for their weight-loss to level out and, had the least suppression of T4 levels. Some obese patients who do not readily lose weight on conventional low-calorie diets may have an impaired metabolic clearance rate of T3 and a degree of T3 resistance. (3)

2. Low Progesterone/Estrogen Dominance in Women

Progesterone deficiency leads to a condition called estrogen dominance which slows your metabolism and causes weight gain. Supplementing with bioidentical progesterone will balance the estrogen, thereby eliminating the estrogen dominance. Progesterone promotes the assimilation of the thyroid hormone into your cells, increasing your metabolism, and relieving fluid retention.

Progesterone relieves fluid retention caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. Research demonstrates that female obesity is linked to a progesterone deficiency.(4) A higher body weight was associated with a lower progesterone level, even in ovulatory women. (5)

3. Low Testosterone in Men

Research shows that long-term testosterone therapy in men with a testosterone deficiency produces significant weight loss, a smaller waistline, and improvement in body composition. This is attributed to increased energy utilization, and increased motivation and vigor resulting in improved cardio-metabolic function and enhanced physical activity. (6)

4. Chemicals and Toxins in the Body

Chemicals and toxins can throw your hormones out of balance, leading to weight gain. They disrupt the hormones that regulate your metabolism. Toxins are everywhere in our food and environment and it is impossible to avoid them, so it is important to detoxify your body in order to stay healthy and maintain an ideal body weight. Convincing evidence suggests that diet and activity level are not the only factors in obesity – chemical “obesogens” (dietary, pharmaceutical, and industrial compounds that may alter metabolic processes) may alter human metabolism and predispose some people to gain weight. (7)

5. Candida

Candida, or yeast overgrowth, can cause bloating and weight gain. Yeast feeds on sugar and can overgrow in the large intestine, displacing the normal healthy bacteria of the gut. It is important to avoid sugar and do a Candida-free diet to eliminate the yeast.

6. Unhealthy Eating and Inactive Lifestyle

It’s well known that fast food is not healthy for you and will easily add those extra pounds to your waistline. Fast food is high in fat, sugar and calories, as well as chemical preservatives. Regular physical activity will help you maintain your ideal body weight by burning off calories for energy.

Set a goal to exercise several times a week. Great cardio workouts include walking, jogging, cycling, aerobics, basketball, tennis, dancing, and swimming. Research shows that risk factors for obesity are sedentary lifestyles, a high intake of energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices. (8)

7. Pharmaceutical Drugs

Many pharmaceutical drugs, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, beta blockers (for blood pressure), diabetes medications and seizure medications can cause weight gain as a side effect. Research shows that many patients suffering from mental disorders gain a significant amount of weight when exposed to psychotropic medications. (9)

Dr. Hotze discusses the connection between weight gain and hormones:

The Natural Solution

So what can you do about it? Restore your hormones to normal levels with bioidentical hormones. Eat a healthy Candida-free, or yeast-free eating program, detox regularly, get out and exercise, and sound sleep at night is helpful, too.

We Can Help

Are you ready to get your health back on track and lose those extra pounds?  At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we will guide you on the path of health and wellness naturally. Take our symptom checker to find out if hormone decline and imbalance could be the cause of your weight gain. Give us a call at 281-698-8698 for a complimentary consultation! Don’t wait – it’s time to get your life back!

Related Content
How Thyroid Affects Weight Loss
Yeast-Free Eating Program for Weight Loss

Research
1. Hypothyroidism and Obesity. Cause or Effect?

2. High Prevalence of Previously Unknown Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Obese Patients Referred to a Sleep Clinic for Sleep Disordered Breathing

3. Treatment of Obesity with Triiodothyronine and a Very-Low-Calorie Liquid Formula Diet

4. Pulsatile Luteinizing Hormone Amplitude and Progesterone Metabolite Excretion are Reduced in Obese Women

5. Predictors of Ovarian Steroid Secretion in Reproductive-Age Women

6. Testosterone and Weight Loss: The Evidence

7. Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity

8. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Excess Weight Gain and Obesity

9. Weight-Gain in Psychiatric Treatment: Risks, Implications, and Strategies for Prevention and Management

Categories: Blog, Blog English, obesity, Weight Loss, Women(s) Health

Tags: can't lose weight, causes of weight gain, Hormonal decline, how to lose weight, Hypothyroidism, summer weight loss, weight gain, Weight Loss, weight loss secret

Contact Us

Categories