Why you may not be losing weight?

Here’s what you may be doing wrong

8th November, 2019

Have you tried everything to lose weight—from starvation to hard core exercises and every other fad diet out there—in vain! No need to fret, you’re surely doing something very wrong.

Here’s the 3t-rule you need to be aware of first…

• Trap the condition
• Treat the condition
• Track the condition

What does that mean? First, check if you are suffering from health issues that. among other things, make weight loss difficult.

• THYROID TRAP: Your hormones play a lot of tricks on your body. The TSH hormone, in particular, regulates the energy metabolism in our body.  Fluctuations in these levels have a direct effect on how your body metabolises food and how quickly you can lose weight. Although the normal TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) range is between 0.35-5.5 MICRO IU/ml, do not overlook these levels just because they are not outside the given range. If your TSH levels are more than 3.5, you must get the opinion of your medical practitioner. B12 and iron levels are also indicative of hypothyroidism.

• PROLACTIN PRESSURE: Young women, especially, should get checked regularly as high prolactin levels could be the reason one for weight gain and/or plateau. Although the normal range for non-pregnant women is below 25mg/ml, any level higher than 20 are a hindrance for losing weight smoothly. Reduce the intake of gluten (Do not completely avoid it) present primarily in wheat and its products. This helps bringing the prolactin level down naturally. Choose rice, jowar and bajra. If your levels are more than 100, you must consult a gynaecologist/endocrinologist.
• INSULIN RESISTANCE: The most overlooked of conditions, even though these levels could be an indicator of diabetes in the near future, this condition—where your body’s cells fail to respond to the hormone-insulin (body cells become resistant), often constricts weight-loss. Serum insulin fasting levels greater than 10 make your weight loss process a difficult one. Symptoms of insulin resistance include hunger pangs, sweet craving, abdominal weight-gain, pigmentation on the skin (Acanthosis Nigricans). Additionally, girls with PCOS usually develop symptoms of insulin resistance. If you have a family history of diabetes or PCOS, or/and experiencing the above symptoms, you must visit a nutritionist and an endocrinologist to help detect and cure the condition.

• Weight training can sometimes be a hindrance. This is because the muscle mass goes up when you do weights, which increases the body’s demand for food, and if u give in to that extra hunger, you will gain weight. We recommend weight training specifically for people who need to gain weight.
• New studies show how your gene mutation can be one of the reasons for your low metabolism and obesity. This can be easily overcome under the guidance of a nutritionist with the right exercise and diet plan and medical help from an endocrinologist.

• A balanced meal has all 4 components— Carbs + protein + fiber + fat. You can reduce your calories during dinner time by eliminating one component. For example, have just some protein with fibre and fat like cooked dal/ tofu/paneer/curd cooked vegetables. Or, remove protein and have only rice with vegetables or roti with vegetables/ soup/salad.

Do not opt for crash diets or a high-protein diet—these give you temporary results but trigger several other underlying health problems.