Losing weight often sounds easy in theory: stick to a diet and exercise, and you’ll burn fat quickly. However, many soon see that this process isn’t easy; 33% of Americans are “usually trying to lose weight,” highlighting how this is a consistent struggle for most people with weight loss goals.
The problem is we often don’t realize that weight doesn’t just involve the amount of physical activity we do and what we consume. Most of it concerns how our body works and processes things. Your biological variables, like age, sex, weight, and more, affect how you process food and exercise. Genetics and family health history could also increase your risk of various health issues affecting your weight.
This doesn’t mean you should give up on eating healthy or exercising—those impact your weight and overall health—but knowing about these aspects of weight loss and gain can help you make suitable adjustments for better results. Here’s how you can manage these uncontrollable factors to aid in shedding pounds:
Be aware of your hormones
Your hormones significantly hinder your weight loss, as discussed by Dr. Joshua Thaler, an endocrinologist at the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute. Leptin and ghrelin contribute a lot to hunger and appetite; higher levels of the former help prevent weight gain. Some people are highly resistant to it, making it harder to stave off the excess pounds. Ghrelin, on the other hand, stimulates your appetite and increases how much you eat. Cortisol is also an important hormone that provides energy to your body in stressful situations, but too much of it in your system can increase your appetite for unhealthy foods.
There’s no quick fix for hormone imbalances and diseases, and it’s not advisable to suppress them completely, but adjusting lifestyle can help manage them. Eating more fiber and protein and avoiding processed foods can prevent hormones from sabotaging your weight loss. Exercising and choosing the right workouts can also aid in reducing fat burn. Consult professionals who can help you understand your hormonal issues so you can figure out how to target them appropriately.
Consider medical weight loss
Science has advanced enough to support people with obesity in shedding pounds. Medical weight loss considers factors outside one’s control, including hormones, genetics, and other root causes. If you’re struggling to lose weight no matter how much dieting and exercising you do, it may be time to consult a professional for help prescribing these medications. They can prescribe medications such as Orlistat, Liraglutide, or Semaglutide for chronic weight management. Qsymia weight loss medications are also effective, as a person can lose around 10% to 11% of their total body weight a year after taking the maximum dose daily.
Remember that while medications do help significantly, they aren’t one-and-done solutions. As we discussed in an article written in January, many people could sustain weight loss after discontinuing weight loss medications because they stuck to strategies like healthier eating habits, regular physical activity, and seeking support. Good health behaviors make burning fat more efficient, so do sustain these for better results.
Take a look at social factors
Other than your biology, socioeconomic status, environment, and racial or ethnic differences can influence your weight. An Advances in Nutrition found that some settings—mainly those in poor and minority neighborhoods—only have access to dollar stores that sell less nutritious food products that are cheaper and easier to cook or eat. Certain racial or ethnic groups are also more likely to have issues with things like a higher percentage of body fat and metabolic syndrome than others. Race and status also influence how you receive healthcare and whether biases shape your diagnoses or treatments for weight loss.
These social factors are much more challenging and may even require a societal shift for things to change. However, awareness goes a long way, and knowing about these issues can help you find ways to lose weight if you’re at a disadvantage. Awareness can help you address social ills that make it harder for people to eat healthily or exercise. You can also advocate for yourself and others to get better healthcare for weight loss, free from shame and bias.