Why Is It So Difficult to Lose Weight?

Despite what you may see when you scroll through your social media feed, losing weight isn’t as easy as drinking a shake and following that fat-burning workout routine. Weight loss is hard, but probably not for the reasons you might think.

Yes, to lose weight you need to make lifestyle changes and create healthy habits. But even the most dedicated gym goer and salad eater may find it hard to move the number on their bathroom scale. 

Why is it so difficult to lose weight? It’s not lack of willpower or desire. 

At Legacy Pain and Regenerative Medicine, we take a whole-health approach to care, even when it comes to weight loss. Our chiropractor, Dr. Trace Alexander, knows eating less and moving more may not be enough to help you reach your weight goals.

Here, we want to explain why it’s so difficult to lose weight and what you can do about it. 

Formula for weight loss

Most health organizations agree that in order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. Calories that come from the food you eat serve as a source of energy and nutrition. When you consume more calories than your body needs, it converts those calories into fat, storing it for later use.

To access those stored calories in your extra body fat, you need to create a calorie deficit by eating less, moving more, or both. You can lose up to one pound a week creating a daily 500-calorie deficit, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

Why losing weight is difficult

Though calories count when it comes to losing weight, it’s not always so cut and dry. When you lose weight, your body changes and your metabolic rate decreases. After a few weeks, your rate of weight loss may slow down or stop altogether. 

In order to keep losing, you need to cut more calories. This might be the breaking point for many dieters.

But it’s not just calories that make losing weight so difficult. There are other factors that influence your weight, such as:

• Genetics
• Medical history
• Medications
• Age
• Sleep
• Stress
• Culture

Even if you do everything right, these other factors may be why the pounds aren’t coming off as easily as you’d like. 

The personalized approach

Most commercial weight-loss programs only focus on calories. We take a more personalized approach because we understand the many factors that affect your weight and know that no single approach works for everyone.

When you come in for a weight-loss consultation, we conduct a comprehensive history and physical. We ask detailed questions about your lifestyle, including your diet and exercise habits, work routine, and stresses.

Dr. Alexander also runs lab work to look for any medical conditions that may contribute to your weight struggles.

Once we fully understand your overall health, we create your personalized weight-loss plan. Though we emphasize diet and exercise, your program also focuses on the factors that make weight loss hard for you. 

Your plan may include nutritional supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic care, or hormone replacement therapy. These treatments and therapies may boost your metabolism, reduce your stress, and improve your sleep. 

We also provide support and guidance to help you get over any weight-loss plateaus and work with you to create healthy habits that make it easier for you to lose weight and keep it off.

For a personalized approach to weight loss that takes your health and lifestyle into consideration, call the office most convenient to you — in Plano or Addison, Texas — or click the “book online” button to get started.