Many of you are looking for more motivation. At PEERtrainer we believe that there is nothing more motivating than finding the strategies that will help you break through the levels of frustration that often result from traditional approaches to losing weight and getting fit.
One of the BEST THINGS that you can do to bust through frustration and start to build momentum is to learn about weight loss resistance.
Numerous conditions create weight loss resistance. Some might be obvious. For instance, too much caffeine could raise your stress hormone cortisol (which you’ll hear about often in this article) and stall fat burning.
For others, you might not make the connection. Did you know that birth control pills, for example, could create insulin resistance by knocking hormones like insulin out of whack?
Hormones are what signal your body to break down or build muscle, blast or crash metabolism, and yes, store or burn fat. And oftentimes they play a key role in weight loss resistance.
In other words, you might be militantly watching calories, taking the right supplements, and exercising like crazy. But if your hormones are sending the wrong message, weight loss resistance could be the disappointing result.
What Defines Weight Loss Resistance?
Nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin, author of the upcoming The Virgin Diet, coined the term “weight loss resistance” many years ago to describe people who, despite their best efforts, weren’t losing weight. Virgin defines weight loss resistance as “failure to lose fat (not weight) even if you’re following a healthy diet and exercise program.”
This can even happen to people who are eating “all the vegetables in the world” and who are especially frustrated.
Losing fat and not weight is worth emphasizing, because even though the scales are stalling or even going up, you could be burning fat and gaining muscle. Likewise, you could be losing four pounds a week, but most of it comes from muscle. Unless you have a scale that measures both lean muscle and fat, you won’t know.
The most obvious condition with weight loss resistance, of course, is stubborn fat that clings around your middle and won’t go away no matter how vigilantly you diet and exercise.
Other conditions of weight loss resistance include:
Gas, bloating, cramping, and other digestive problems, especially after a meal
Less than one bowel movement a day
Anxiety and/or stress
Unstable or low energy throughout your day
Craving foods, especially high-carbohydrate foods
Difficulty building and/or maintaining muscle
Numerous conditions create weight loss resistance. Some might be obvious. For instance, too much caffeine could raise your stress hormone cortisol (which you’ll hear about often in this article) and stall fat burning.
For others, you might not make the connection. Did you know that birth control pills, for example, could create insulin resistance by knocking hormones like insulin out of whack?
Hormones are what signal your body to break down or build muscle, blast or crash metabolism, and yes, store or burn fat. And oftentimes they play a key role in weight loss resistance.
In other words, you might be militantly watching calories, taking the right supplements, and exercising like crazy. But if your hormones are sending the wrong message, weight loss resistance could be the disappointing result.
Among the many culprits of weight loss resistance, these seven are among the most researched and prevalent.
