Weight Management: Why Weight Loss Feels so out of Reach
Did you know that 40% of adults in the U.S. are obese and another 32% are overweight? Obesity is a disorder of the weight-regulating pathways of the body that drives over 70 other illnesses including asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver, gallbladder disease, cancer, arthritis, and reproductive abnormalities. Americans know that obesity is a problem; half of our adult population has attempted to lose weight in the last year. Though, many don’t succeed in the long term. Why is weight loss so difficult to achieve and maintain? I can tell you.
Aging: As we age, two things make weight maintenance and weight loss difficult. First, lean body mass (muscle) decreases, which lowers your resting metabolism. Second, the average Mid-life person spends less time in moderate-high intensity levels of exercise. This means fewer calories are burned while at rest and while active, creating an excess of calories at the end of each day.
Addiction: Companies create foods that strategically combine sugar, fat, salt, and artificial sweeteners that trigger the reward centers of our brain, releasing feel-good hormones like dopamine. This leads to very real issues with food addiction.
Homeostasis: Your body knows a certain fat mass set point and tries to maintain it, just as it works to maintain other metabolics like your body temperature. As you work to lose weight, your body will increase your hunger or decrease your metabolism to keep your “set point.” This is called metabolic adaptation. One way this hunger mechanism is altered is by decreasing the hormone leptin. The shrinking of fat cells decreases leptin production, which sets off alarms through the body to fight further weight loss.
Leptin resistance: Research demonstrates that a high-carb and high-fat diet creates injury to the hypothalamus in the brain and develops a resistance to leptin. This presents us with the issue of decreasing leptin levels as mentioned above, as well as the body not listening to the leptin that is present. Leptin tells the body how much fat is stored. So, as resistance develops, the brain can’t tell how much fat is stored and how much was eaten. The person then feels hungrier, has more cravings, and the increased food intake continues – allowing for even further leptin resistance. Studies are ongoing to find ways to treat leptin resistance.
For more information on weight loss and healthy weight management, schedule a Meet & Greet with me! We can discuss potential weight loss plans and aids.