Are you trying to figure out what factors are halting your weight loss journey? What aspects of your life are making it hard to lose weight?
Different people go through different challenges while progressing through their weight loss journey. Despite the person-to-person variations, there are commonalities that have become apparent to me after thousands of conversations with patients seeking to improve their weight and metabolic health. I hope to shed light on the different factors—both internal and external—that may be making it challenging for you to make progress on your weight loss journey.
Here are some internal factors that are responsible for creating roadblocks on your weight loss journey:
Fear of Failure: You might have looked at certain meal plans and workout regimes, but were too afraid of failing and never put them in action. Or perhaps your goal weight just seems “near impossible to reach,” so you keep delaying your actions to “next month” or “next year”. The truth is that it really is hard to lose weight; another truth is that fear is a normal part of human behavior. We cannot avoid it. In order to overcome the fear of failure, however, one must be more fearful of not taking action and “just settling”.
Short-term Focus: You have to remember that weight loss will not happen overnight, just like the weight gain didn’t occur overnight. Healthy habits take time to develop and consistency is key when it comes to your health in the long run. It is important to stay focused on your long-term goals and not zoom in too closely on the in-between weight fluctuations as long as the overall progress is favorable.
Lack of Accountability: Even though it can be daunting sometimes, you have to track your efforts appropriately. You don’t have to feel ashamed or embarrassed if you didn’t follow through on all of your meal plans or exercising, but it’s important to be honest with yourself and adjust expectations. As we established earlier, it is hard to lose weight, but taking accountability is key for accomplishing your weight loss goals.
Lack of Adaptability: Sometimes there are other options that are better suited to give you the results you are seeking. This means that you have to be open to new technologies and treatment options. Be open to adapt to new methods of treatment (i.e. FDA approved medications, surgical options and techniques), and more importantly, have open discussions about them with your physician. Think of this analogy: while a horse is a beautiful and fast animal, it certainly won’t “outrun” a Corvette. In other words, it is important to envision your end goal and select a realistic tool that is likely to help you reach it.
Unrealistic Expectations: There are times when we tend to set certain idealistic expectations that either aren’t fulfilled in the expected time frame, or are unrealistic enough to discourage us from the track completely. It might be more beneficial to set mini weight loss goals in increments. Maybe, let's start with the first twenty pounds and once that’s reached, we will set a new goal to decrease twenty more. It’s important to set realistic expectations that also take into account your current life circumstances since it is hard to lose weight. These mini goals will actually help you stay on track, instead of diverting you from your path.
Not Investing in the Right Methods: Most often, we tend to pick weight loss options that are quick, easy, and inexpensive, instead of actually investing in our health and wellness. If you’re struggling with deciding the right option for you, you should discuss it with a medical weight loss professional that you trust to help direct you on the right path.
Lack of Sleep: Did you know that regular, high-quality sleep can help you in your weight loss goals? There are many physiological and behavioral reasons for this. Simply put, one might feel hungrier, more agitated, discouraged, and even more likely to choose unhealthy options (i.e. caffeinated drinks, sugary foods) when running low on sleep. Moreover, the physiology of sleep and how it affects our hormones plays a key role in our weight management. Therefore, consistent, high-quality sleep can help you in your weight loss journey. If there are medical reasons why you might not be getting enough sleep, be sure to discuss this with your physician.
Stubborn Habits: Unhealthy habits can also make it hard to lose weight, especially if those habits have been brewing for a very long time. For instance, some patients might say, “I am not a morning person, and therefore, I cannot exercise in the morning.” The truth is, you are not any particular type of person. You are a person with a goal and should aim to be relentless to reach your goal no matter what. If it means breaking old habits, so be it.
These are some of the many internal factors that can often sabotage your progress while on a weight loss journey. Once you identify these factors, that’s where you begin the work of eliminating them to help yourself get back on track.
What are Some External Factors Affecting Your Weight Loss Journey?
Now that we’ve explored the internal factors sabotaging your weight loss journey, let’s take a look at some external saboteurs of your progress:
Lack of a Supportive Environment: The people you surround yourself with have a dramatic impact on your life. If you find yourself surrounded by people that are not supportive of the idea of you improving your weight and health, then it will certainly become hard to lose weight. Sometimes friends and family may be responsible for sabotaging your progress without even knowing it, and other times it may even be intentional. For instance, some people have unsupportive partners. Others have families that expect them to devote themselves entirely to them—leaving them with no time to take care of their own health. While some others may have jealous friends that are envious of their progress. Beware of people embedding ideas in your mind that may or may not be true regarding certain treatment options. It is always best to discuss directly with a trusted and expert physician in the field.
Unsupportive Schedule: Sometimes employment and household commitments can also be a factor in making it hard to lose weight. Perhaps your employment doesn’t cater to a work-life balance, which means that you may not have enough time in your day to support your weight loss efforts. Try to include time for yourself (and your health) by shifting things around when possible.
Your Locality (i.e. for work, residence): Where you live and work can also sabotage your weight loss progress. For example, if you live or work near a fast food restaurant, then you may often be tempted by the close proximity. Perhaps, you can consider taking an alternate route to work to help keep yourself on track. You just have to be creative and change what you can.
No Medical Coverage: Having no way to support your weight loss goals financially can be one of the most destructive factors for your health. Perhaps your job doesn’t provide good medical insurance, or it doesn’t cover the expected cost of a treatment plan. It may seem financially hard to lose weight. Think about alternative employment options. If this is not possible or favorable, speak with your specialized healthcare team to see if there are certain programs or coupons that you could qualify for. At Michigan Weight Loss Institute, our staff members are equipped with resources to help you.
Lack of an Experienced Medical Professional: Just like with any other medical condition, you want to work with a professional that not only understands your condition, but is also equipped with resources to help steer you in the right direction. Make sure your prescriber has substantial expertise in anti-obesity medications and has handled a high volume of scripts. This is necessary to help guide you through weight loss plateaus and complications in the case that they do arise. If you are considering bariatric surgery, seek a high volume and reputable center.
Medications: There are certain medications that cause weight gain as a side effect, and others can increase your appetite without your knowledge. These medicines can ultimately stagnate, if not sabotage your weight loss progress. In fact, you might be putting in the work to lose weight without seeing any results, and this can be very discouraging. Consider a thorough medication review with your physician or pharmacist. Here at Michigan Weight Loss Institute, we are proud to have a pharmacist on-site and available for medication review by appointment.
Other Health Issues: Sometimes there are underlying health issues that may be contributing to your weight gain that make it hard to lose weight. This can include conditions like: insulin resistance and diabetes, hypothyroidism, cortisol related disorders, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), chronic stress, and depression, to name a few. I urge you to work with an experienced physician to help diagnose any underlying illnesses that would make it hard to lose weight if not well-controlled.
Conclusion
Every individual undergoes certain weight loss challenges at different stages of their weight loss journey. For some it may be hard to lose weight because of their own inhibitions, for others it could be some social factors affecting their progress, while some others may even be experiencing both internal and external saboteurs.
Above all, it’s detrimental that you talk to a medical weight loss professional that can help you work through these factors by creating individualized and customized treatment plans that are most suitable to your needs. These experienced medical professionals can help guide your weight loss journey in the right direction, and can help you feel like the best version of yourself.
Sources and Related Content:
“Why Weight Loss Maintenance is Difficult”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556591/
“Factors Affecting Weight & Health”
“Weight Control”
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