Healthy Weight Loss Program was Unsuccessful?

If you’ve answered “yes” that your healthy weight loss program was unsuccessful; then don’t get discouraged. There may be underlying medical reasons why diets for some individuals just don’t work. Individuals that have never had a weight problem tend to believe that if one doesn’t eat too much and exercises that anyone can be a size 2.

While some people can just read a book and lose weight easily like the lady did in the video. However for those individuals that have attempted to watch what you eat only to continually gain weight realize that it entails a heck of a lot more than just eating right and exercising and reading. Nonetheless prior to revealing some reasons why one might be gaining weight; let’s take a look at 5 things you must be doing in order to lose weight.

Under normal circumstances everyone should be able to lose weight with the right balance of calorie intake and exercise. If you are eating a healthy diet and exercising then theoretically one should be maintaining a normal weight and or losing weight with a decrease of caloric intake. If this is not working for you then you should first detect if there are dietary flaws in your weight loss program. If an individual wants to lose weight then one must be adhering to the 5 steps below...

• Pay Attention and adhere to Portion Sizes – A deck of cards is a perfect visual tool when other measuring utensils are unable. The size of a deck of cards equates to a 3 ounce portion of meat or a ½ cup portion of carbohydrates. Portion sizes are important if you are eating just an extra 200 calories a day then that adds up to 1400 calories a week.
• Eat Breakfast every Morning – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you do not eat after fasting for more than 8 to 10 hours after your evening meal then the metabolism will begin to slow down dramatically in order to preserve itself. Break this fast by eating a wholesome breakfast in the morning rather than waiting and eating a huge lunch.
• Do Not Drink High Calorie Coffee Drinks - Here lies hidden calories that some individuals may not realize how these delicious drinks are adding calories. For example a grande mocha latte with nonfat milk and no whipped cream still contains about 290 calories; so choose what you put in your coffee wisely.
• Avoid Food Cravings that Can Result in a Calorie Creep - Just as eating breakfast is important so is consumption of the right types of foods. At breakfast one’s metabolism is in starvation mode, if the foods eaten at this time consist of only simple sugars or fast converting carbohydrates; then you will get a quick spike in your energy level. However, by lunch you will be starving and wanting to eat way more than you should; therefore breakfast should consist of high fiber and protein.
• Calories Burned during Workouts Correctly - Exercise with a reduced calorie diet should equal weight loss. Exercising six to seven days with workouts in the target heart rate zone for 30 to 45 minutes will cause one to lose weight.

Adhering to all of the above steps should put one on the road to weight loss success. However, if you are truly abiding by the rules outlined above and you still find that you healthy weight loss program was unsuccessful then let’s take it a step further. As stated earlier there are medical reasons that can cause you to gain weight and or not be able to lose weight.

Possible medical issues might be hindering your weight loss plan. Let’s first take a look at some medical reasons your healthy weight loss program was unsuccessful.  The first two of these medical reasons were revealed in the quiz segment of Dr. Oz’s show and was titled, “The Secret Reasons You Can’t Lose a Pound.”

Islets of Langerhans – are clusters of cells located in the pancreas that makes about 1 to 2 percent of the mass of the pancreas. These cells are divided into two types, beta cells and alpha cells that release hormones insulin in the blood stream that is needed to metabolize glucose and regulates blood sugar. When glucose levels in the bloodstream rise after eating the pancreatic beta cells secret insulin; problems with these beta cells can cause you to gain weight.

Zona Fasciculata – are constituent cells organized into bundles or fascicles that located in the middle part of the adrenal cortex that is directly under the zona glomerulosa. The zona fasciculate produces cortisol (glucocorticoids) which regulates the metabolism of glucose during times of stress. Cushing's syndrome is one condition that results when the adrenal glands (located on top of each kidney) produce an excess amount of a steroid hormone called cortisol. This leads to a build-up of fat in characteristic sites such as the face, upper back, and abdomen. And one of the symptoms to this hormonal disorder is weight gain.

Thyroid (Hypothyroidism) - This is a condition where the thyroid gland, located in the neck, produces too little thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone regulates our metabolism; so too little hormone slows the metabolism and often causes weight gain.  Your physician  should perform blood tests to check your hormone levels in order to rule out the thyroid as a possible reason for weight gain.

Adaptive Thermogenesis – deals with the regulation of the production of heat in response to environmental changes in temperature and diet which can result in a metabolic inefficiency and can be the cause of unsuccessful weight loss as well.  I have a friend that was told by a weight loss doctor that her adaptive thermogenesis was set so high that she could probably survive a long time on just water alone.  Needless to say, weight loss is always a struggle for her because she and her doctor is consistently looking for ways to “trick her body” to lose weight.  Too bad this problem went undiscovered for years while she consistently participated in yo-yo dieting and failure.   

Hormonal Havoc - can occur in anyone at any age. Usually one automatically thinks of menopause when one reads about hormonal havoc. However this can occur within young women as well. If you are a teenage girl or a young woman be sure to read about Polycstic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) which is a hormone imbalance that causes irregular periods, and can cause weight gain and/or trouble losing weight.

It has also been found that women begin to gain about a pound a year during perimenopause years and may find themselves with an extra 10 to 15 pounds while going through menopause. You can read about this hormonal havoc in the article titled Menopause and Weight Gain. And yes, low testosterone levels resulting from andropause (male menopause) can be a cause of weight gain around the abdomen in men.

As you can see there are numerous reasons of why a healthy weight loss program was unsuccessful for you. My research revealed that sleeping disorders, unusual amounts of stress, certain medications, and even stomach tumors can be culprits that are preventing one from losing weight. The intent of this hub is not to give an individual reasons or excuses NOT to continue to strive to lose weight.

The purpose of this hub is to provide hope and information to those that truly desire to lose weight but have been unsuccessful in their own attempts. Numerous people simply give up the fight and start eating more, which creates more bad feelings, and thoughts of one fighting a losing battle with weight. Then it becomes a vicious cycle of over eating because of depression and gaining more weight begins and vice versa.

Again if you can truly say that you have been following the 5 step rules above to lose weight for a reasonable amount of time and instead you continue to gain weight and or unable to lose weight then it might be time to consult a physician. In addition, I think it is important to do as Oprah and Dr. Oz always advises, and that is if you consult your regular doctor and he or she feels nothing is wrong with you. It will not hurt to seek a second and maybe even a third opinion.

It is unfortunate that some doctors are not as well informed as others and sometimes can miss problems that maybe existing in one’s body. But, persistence is the key to success. This is the conclusion of the hub Healthy Weight Loss was Unsuccessful and I sincerely hope that if you are struggling with losing weight that you will seek professional help to assist you in your quest. Don’t give up the fight to regain the healthy weight you would like to attain. As always feel free to leave comments below!

Disclaimer: This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Please see your doctor if you are having trouble losing weight for possible medical reasons.