The top 10 reasons you can’t lose weight

Here’s a little dieting humor to start your day with a chuckle:

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One woman to another: “I don’t know if this is good or bad but I just finished a new 14-day diet in 2 hours and 14 minutes.”

I just finished the garlic diet.  I lost 6 friends.

I wish losing weight was as easy as losing my keys, my phone or my patience!

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In all seriousness, fighting the battle of the bulge is an ongoing concern for millions of people.

When you consider that two out of three of us are overweight or obese, that’s a whole lot of potential dieters out there trying to trim their love handles.

But it seems to be the norm that the average person struggles in their weight loss efforts!  The familiar scenario is that you lose the first five or 10 pretty easily, then things start to S L O W down, and eventually you plateau. 

Then after that you’d practically need to take a chisel to your body to get any more pounds off!

So you get discouraged, go back to your old way of eating, and put it all back on again (and then some).

If I’ve just described you, then today is your lucky day because I’ve got some very important information for you.

If you can’t seem to lose weight, trust me, there are likely some very good reasons why that is so.  And when you know what those reasons are, then you can do something about them and get on the road to real success.

Let’s take a look at…

The top 10 reasons you can’t lose weight

Reason #1: You’re on a diet

Yes, you read that right. 

If there’s one thing history has proven time and again it’s that dieting doesn’t work!

Whether you choose to either drastically reduce portions, use special “plans” that require you to eat their foods, eat an inordinate amount of one specific food (like grapefruit), count calories until the cows come home or drink weight loss shakes, trust me, any weight you do lose will come right back on again once you stop dieting and revert back to your old habits.

The fix: Your “diet” has to instead be a lifestyle of properly nourishing your body with wholesome real foods and even enjoying small treats now and then (more on that below). 

Reason #2: You regularly don’t get enough sleep

Regularly lacking sleep leads to daytime fatigue, which makes it far more likely that you will be reaching for coffee and donuts or hearing the beckoning of the vending machine for a “pick me up.”

And while those pastries and vending machine chips and candy bars do provide a sugar rush which can open your eyeballs, it will be quickly followed-up with a sugar crash which will leave you reaching for more.

Oh, and I think you know what all this sugar will be doing to your backside too.

The fix: Make sure to get decent rest each night—the average person needs between seven and nine hours of sleep  Try going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning—that will encourage good sleep habits.

Reason #3: You drink soda

Nothing on the planet Earth will negate your weight loss efforts faster than soda.

And note that it matters not whether that soda is regular or diet.

Regular soda is loaded with high fructose corn syrup which creates more blubber than regular sugar and stresses your liver to boot.

Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners that trick your brain into thinking calories are soon to follow…and what your brains wants, it will get—in this case by making you hungry.

The fix: Don’t walk, RUN away from soda.  Drink water, club soda with a splash of lemon or lime juice, fresh vegetable juices and herbal teas. 

Reason #4: Your thyroid is pooped

If your thyroid is sluggish, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in you-know-where of taking weight off.  Your scale number will be forever frozen.

The fix: If it’s been awhile since your thyroid was checked, it may behoove you to see your doctor.  Just be sure he doesn’t only do a TSH test and call it a day—many a sluggish thyroid has been missed with a TSH test alone.

A FAR more accurate and sensitive test that assesses thyroid health is the "TRH challenge test" also known as the “TRH Stimulation test.”

If your doctor is unable or unwilling to do the TRH test, then at least insist that he run the following other tests (in addition to the TSH) to give a more complete picture: 

• Total T4 
• Total T3 
• Free T4 
• Free T3 
• T3 Uptake 
• Reverse T3
• Thyroid Antibodies  

Reason #5: Exercise is a dirty word for you

When it comes to taking off weight and keeping it off, regular exercise is not optional, my friend.  So if exercise is a dirty word to you, it’s time to change. 

The fix: Make exercise enjoyable so you’ll stick to it.  Get an exercise buddy—you’ll be far less likely to quit if you have someone else counting on you.  Pick an activity you like—even walking in your neighborhood or dancing around in your living room to your favorite CD counts as exercise!

There’s no need to join an expensive gym, either.  There are reasonably priced classes available, and a great assortment of home DVDs you can purchase. 

Reason #6: You’re stressed

Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol causes you to stress eat which in turn creates more of you to love. 

The fix: It’s essential to find ways to de-stress.  Take a walk, meditate, do yoga, try acupuncture, practice deep breathing, pray, take up a hobby, seek counseling…whatever helps, just do it.

And if it’s a job or personal relationship that’s causing you undue stress, it may be time to weigh your options and make some changes.

Reason #7: You’re on certain medications

Medications all have side effects, and one of the most common of those effects can be weight gain.

Steroids such as prednisone, older antidepressants such as Elavil and Tofranil, and antipsychotics like Zyprexa are generally the biggest promoters of weight gain.

Other common offenders include the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, the antiseizure medication Depakote, diabetes drugs like Diabeta and Diabinese, and the high blood pressure drugs Cardura and Inderal.

Plus heartburn drugs like Nexium and Prevacid may also cause drug-induced weight gain.

The fix: Talk to your doctor about alternatives.  In many cases there may be a less strong medication or a natural alternative that won’t pack the pounds on you.

Plus if you change your “eating lifestyle” to concentrate on healthier foods and get some regular exercise, chances are good that you may not need as much medication or eventually any at all!  (More on that below.)

Reason #8: You love your starchy carbs

Starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, bagels, cookies, chips and crackers turn to pure sugar upon digestion…and you know what that means.

Plus at the same time, starchy carbs don’t fill you up for long, so before you know it you’ll be hungry again and reaching for something else to eat.

The fix: Choose your carbs wisely, as in lots of vegetables and occasional whole grains.  You’ll see a difference in your appetite as well as your backside.

Reason #9: You eat fat-free or sugar-free foods

If you’re a fat-free fan, you are likely taking in boatloads of sugar because food companies usually replace the fat with sugar to make the food palatable.  That doesn’t sound like a good weight loss plan to me. 

Sugar-free is no better.  Sugar-free products typically contain artificial sweeteners…which are arguably FAR more detrimental to your health than the sugar that was taken out, plus they can actually increase your appetite like I mentioned above.

The fix: Stick to real (not packaged) foods.  Do the vast majority of your grocery shopping in the outer perimeter of the store where the real foods are.  If you want to occasionally indulge in a cookie or piece of cake (such as on a special occasion like a holiday) that’s OK—but go for the real (not fat-free or sugar-free) stuff.

Reason #10: You have poor digestion

The digestive process is what largely determines your ability to create energy, properly nourish your body and completely eliminate wastes.  So if yours is not going along so well, there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks that you can reach your goal weight and stay there.

The fix: Having efficient digestion is a matter of eating meals that are easier for your body to break down and having enough enzymes for the job.

Here’s the scoop on both of those:

Part 1- Making your meals easier to break down:

In the Great Taste No Pain system,

I'll show you what foods to eat and how to structure your meals so you can help your body accomplish more efficient digestion.  Not only will this help encourage a healthier body weight, but chances are excellent that you can enjoy more regular BMs and less gas and bloating too!

Plus you’ll get a collection of delicious recipes featuring nutritious real foods that will make you fall in love with your new healthier eating lifestyle.

And if gluten is a concern for you, there's also Great Taste No Gluten.

You'll learn the same food pairing principles as in Great Taste No Pain, plus get a collection of outstanding gluten free recipes and guides for staying gluten free no matter where you are.

Part 2- Having the enzymes for the job:

Many people who have experienced poor digestion on a regular basis may be dangerously low in digestive enzymes. 

You see, when your body has difficulty breaking down what you’ve eaten on a regular basis, it has to expend lots of enzymes to get the job done, and as a result, your enzyme-producing capability may eventually be reduced. 

  

So this perpetuates a cycle of poor digestion which will most assuredly thwart your weight loss efforts, as well as lead to GI problems of all kinds.

But many people have gotten the relief they needed by giving their bodies an enzyme boost with a supplement like Digestizol Max.

Digestizol Max helps your body break down all kinds of foods--proteins, fats, carbs and fiber--and helps conserve your body’s precious enzyme-making ability. 

Better digestion and nutrient absorption means a better nourished you that is far less likely to overeat and far more likely to attain your weight loss goals!

Time to get busy!

Now that you know some of the hidden factors behind your weight loss troubles, it’s time for you to get busy and drop those pounds once and for all!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

PS: Always be sure to let your doctor or healthcare provider know what supplements you are taking.