Personal Growth

The Real Reason You Can’t Lose Weight

May 23

Written By

Bec Miller

The real reason you can’t lose weight (that has nothing to do with food)

You might be nailing your calorie deficit and eating all the “right” things, but if you’re not seeing a change on the scales, you may need to look beyond just your diet to get your weight loss back on track. There are so many other factors that come into play when you’re trying to lose weight – and your gut health is a major contributor.

If the bacteria in your gut (known as your microbiome) aren’t in balance or are missing certain species, your efforts to lose weight may be coming to a standstill. No matter how hard you try, the numbers on the scale won’t change until you’ve addressed your gut health.

This is something I personally experienced during my 20s. I suffered from chronic gut issues, including terrible bloating, and I was unable to control my weight even though I was counting my calories to a tee. Plus, I was studying nutrition, so I knew what to eat! It took a functional medicine doctor to point out that I had an out of whack microbiome, and when I began to address this, my life changed for the better.

Your gut bacteria affect your weight in multiple ways. They can affect how satiated you feel (which reduces your urge to snack) and they influence how energy and fat are stored in the body. Studies have shown that certain species of bacteria can help your body produce hormones that tell your body when it’s hungry or full. 

The more diverse your gut bacteria, and the more fibre you consume to feed these healthy bacteria, the more weight-loss benefits you’ll notice. According to one study, eating prebiotics (compounds that are fermented by gut bacteria) can increase your levels of gut fermentation, reduce hunger and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

You can improve your gut health by loading up on fibre (think lots of fruit and vegetables), probiotic-rich foods (like kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kombucha, prebiotics (whole grains, Jerusalem artichoke and chicory root), and reduce or exclude processed foods that are high in fat or sugar. Aim to eat a diet that is rich in wholefoods, with at least five serves of vegetables a day (remember to eat the rainbow!).

Of course, your gut health isn’t the only thing that could be working against you. You might also want to consider the below.

BK11BK11

You have an undiagnosed food sensitivity

It’s not just your gut health that can have an impact on your ability to lose weight. You may also be intolerant or sensitive to the food you’re consuming (the most common being gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, whey, nuts and corn). If you notice you suffer from gastric complaints such as wind or bloating, it could be a sign you have an intolerance, so it’s worth chatting to a GP about testing.

 

You’re too stressed

Chronic and ongoing stress can really throw a spanner in your weight-loss goals. If you’re constantly on the go and never make time to relax and unwind, your cortisol levels are likely through the roof, which cause your body to hang on to fat. Chat to your doctor if you’re feeling especially on edge, and aim to incorporate more mindful and calming activities into your day, such as deep breathing, regular exercise, meditation or working with a therapist. Supplements such as magnesium and adaptogenic herbs can also be helpful, which you can chat to a naturopath about.  

 

You’re not sleeping enough

Clocking less than six hours of sleep a night? Your waistline is not going to like it. In fact, the more fatigued and tired you are, the hungrier you’ll feel and the more likely you’ll be tempted to snack or binge on foods high in sugar, carbs and fat.

No matter how much exercise you do, or how well you eat most of the time, not sleeping will make it very hard to lose weight. To help you score some decent shut-eye, ensure you stop working two hours before you try to sleep, have the same bedtime each night, never drink coffee after lunch and create a calming bedroom environment with lavender essential oil and relaxing music. 

 

You have a thyroid issue

An underactive thyroid can make it easy to gain weight and harder to lose. If you feel tired, have cold hands and feet or often suffer from constipation and bloating, you may have a slow metabolism. Most GPs don’t test in-depth enough to diagnose this – it happened to me! Find a great functional or integrative medicine doctor, or specifically ask your GP to test all T3, T4, thyroid antibodies, TSH and reverse T3 levels.

As you can see, there are a plethora of factors that can influence your body’s ability to sore and lose fat. If you are serious about shifting weight, you must focus on your gut health just as much as you focus on creating a calorie deficit. You must also identify any underlying health issues and ensure that you’re looking after your body in the best way possible. A stressed, tired, rundown body isn’t going to respond effectively, so be sure to prioritise your self-care. This is exactly what I help women do through my programs.

BK11BK11

Bec Miller is a qualified nutritionist, founder of Health with Bec and specialises in weight loss and gut health. She is the host of the Body Bites with Bec podcast and works with women to help them achieve long-term, sustainable results. For years, Bec struggled with weight fluctuations, a slow thyroid and chronic digestive issues. As a healthy young woman who visited multiple GPs and specialists whilst studying nutrition, it drove her crazy to say the least. 

It took around four years of her own research (and finally finding the right functional medicine doctor) to discover that she had a multitude of food intolerances, an imbalanced microbiome and a slow thyroid. Only then was she able to heal herself and find a way of eating that kept the foodie side of her happy, her bloating at bay (this was life changing), her energy sustained and her weight stable easily. Find out more here, or follow her on Instagram here.

BK11BK11

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MAY ENJOY

7 STEPS TO DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE

10 QUICK WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR ENERGY

HOW WE TREAT OURSELVES IS OFTEN REFLECTIVE OF HOW WE TREAT OTHERS

lose weight

Share this Post

power tube

The Ultimate At-Home Strength Workout To Do With A Power Tube Strength training tops of list of training styles when it comes to your health and wellbeing. It not only helps to speed up your metabolism, and reduce body fat, but it is essential for the health of your bones and joints, especially as you […]

The Ultimate At-Home Strength Workout To Do With A Power Tube

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal Imbalance in Men: How to Know if Your Body is Experiencing Hormonal Issues Both men and women frequently struggle with hormonal imbalances. When your body has problems that hormones can cause, it can be challenging to identify them. Endocrine system activity produces hormones, which are potent chemical messengers. Growth, metabolism, and sexual development are […]

Hormonal Imbalance in Men: How to Know if Your Body is Experiencing Hormonal Issues

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
lash extensions

The Ultimate Guide to Techniques for At-Home Eyelash Extensions Are you tired of the endless cycle of booking appointments, spending hours in the salon chair, and shelling out significant sums of money for professional eyelash extensions? You’re not alone.  We understand the frustration of juggling daily responsibilities and the desire to maintain that stunning, salon-quality […]

From Start to Finish: The Ultimate Guide to Techniques for At-Home Eyelash Extensions

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
stop negative thinking

3 Simple Words to Stop Negative Thinking How do you break out of the spiral of negative thinking and be able to focus on something else…something more productive? Sometimes, this phrase is all you need. As we know negative thinking can all so easily lead to repetitive thought patterns known as negative thought spirals. A […]

3 Simple Words to Stop Negative Thinking in its Tracks!

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
6 Types of Friendships

The 6 Types of Friendships that can be Bad for your Health! Emotional manipulation, guilt-tripping or constant criticism are key signs to look out for when working out if a relationship is toxic. Unhealthy relationships can also cycle through destructive patterns. One common scenario is where there is no giving back or no gratitude from […]

6 Types of Friendships That Are Bad for Emotional Health

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
flu in the office

How Do you avoid getting the Flu in the Office? Flu season always seems to come with a vengeance. If you work in an office setting, chances are good that colleagues have started sneezing, coughing and spreading germs around. It’s understandable if you started worrying about catching the flu yourself; however, there are several simple […]

The Ultimate Guide to Protecting Yourself from the Flu in the Office

Emotional+Wellbeing

read more
lose weight

The real reason you can’t lose weight (that has nothing to do with food) You might be nailing your calorie deficit and eating all the “right” things, but if you’re not seeing a change on the scales, you may need to look beyond just your diet to get your weight loss back on track. There […]

The Real Reason You Can’t Lose Weight

Personal Growth

read more
the pill

5 Things To Be Aware of When Switching The Pill Although birth control, especially the contraceptive pill, has given women the ability to take ownership of their health and fertility, there’s no denying it can also come with a side serve of unwanted side effects. Think headaches, nausea and breast tenderness. Thankfully, women have options […]

5 Things To Be Aware of When Switching The Pill

Personal Growth

read more
personal development

Pursuing Personal Development & Growth To Improve Your Life What is personal growth? If you have heard this term being bandied around but aren’t sure what it means or you need to pay attention to it, personal growth is essential for improving your behaviours and habits and allowing yourself to develop as a person. Personal […]

Pursuing Personal Development & Growth To Improve Your Life

Personal Growth

read more
Alan Watts Quotes

10 OF OUR FAVOURITE QUOTES FROM ALAN WATTS If you arent familiar with Alan Watts then you are in for a real treat. Lets start by watching this short video – which captures some of the thought provoking questions Alan Watts offers through his teachings  Alan Watts died more than 40 years ago, but […]

10 OF OUR FAVOURITE QUOTES FROM ALAN WATTS

Personal Growth

read more
Essentials of a fulfilling life

What are the Unexpected Essentials for a fulfilling life?  Do you know what the ‘essentials’ are in life so that you can live a fulfilling lifestyle?  Firstly let’s agree that fulfilment and happiness are subjective.  They are a state of mind—on how we feel about ourselves and our life. In this sense, anything we do […]

The 18 Unexpected Essentials for a fulfilling life

Personal Growth

read more
Ultimate Reading list

This is our Ultimate Reading list  – for those who are deeply interested in Self Development and on-going growth in their life. These books are real game changers! We often get asked what are some of the best books we have read in various categories based on many the hours of reading and research we […]

The Ultimate Reading List for those who love Self Development

Personal Growth

read more

I'm Rebecca Sparks - Founder of The Daily Guru. I'm also a Self Development Coach,
a Speaker and a Podcaster. 

What drives me most in life is a fascination & curiosity with how we can make the most of our short time here on this planet.  How do we make our lives feel meaningful? How can we make life feel fulfilling?  And how can we turn these elements into a lifestyle? 

My mission is to help women explore these topics and to design a life that taps into all of their essentials.

more about me

Hey there!

oh la la!

"It's like DG is reading my mind! Every time I get an email from them, its exactly what I needed to hear."
- Jennifer West

Join the gang!

We've built a HUGE library of Growth & Wellbeing Resources for women just like you.  And we save all the best bits for our PenPals
 (AKA the Newsletter crew!)

So save yourself from unbearable FOMO and sign up below 

SIGN UP

FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Get Our Free Guide to Kicking Ass on Social

Taiyaki occupy farm-to-table swag fashion axe four loko. Church-key palo santo selvage helvetica iceland tumblr.

GET THAT DOWNLOAD

Email

Name

"Margi's guide was kick-ass indeed and quite literally changed how I show up on social." - Jen Olmstead

oh la la!

Home
About
CONTACT
ARTICLES

THE DAILY GURU

follow along 
on Instagram:

SEND ME A NOTE >

GET ON THE LIST >

@TheDailyGUru >

© MArgarita Coaching 2020  |  Design by Tonic  |  Photos by social squares & Unsplash

podcast