The 7 Things That Cause Weight Loss Resistance

Numerous conditions create weight loss resistance. Some might be obvious. For instance, too much caffeine could raise your stress hormone cortisol (which you’ll hear about often in this article) and stall fat burning.

For others, you might not make the connection. Did you know that birth control pills, for example, could create insulin resistance by knocking hormones like insulin out of whack? Hormones are what signal your body to break down or build muscle, blast or crash metabolism, and yes, store or burn fat. And oftentimes they play a key role in weight loss resistance. If you want to boost your health and nutrition, take a look at the many supplements available at Exhale Wellness.

In other words, you might be militantly watching calories, taking the right supplements, and exercising like crazy. But if your hormones are sending the wrong message, weight loss resistance could be the disappointing result.

Among the many culprits of weight loss resistance, these seven are among the most researched and prevalent.

#1: Adrenal Fatigue

Stress makes you weight loss resistant on several fronts, and numerous studies confirm its affect on fat gain.

For instance, one study in the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at 1,355 men and women over nine years.

Researchers found that both genders had higher body mass index (BMI) levels if they worked super-stressful jobs as well as had other demands that increased stress. (BMI scores can determine whether you are overweight or obese.) “Interventions to address psychosocial stress may limit weight gain among overweight and obese men and women,” they concluded.

On a more practical level, stress makes you head straight for the Krispy Kremes or whatever your favorite comfort food might be. After all, you’re not exactly gravitating to quinoa and Brussels sprouts after your boss lets you have it for not meeting third-quarter quota.

Your adrenals respond to stress by secreting cortisol. This hormone gets a bad rap, but cortisol can actually be beneficial in certain situations. For instance, if you’re working out, cortisol helps redistribute fat from your fat cells to your muscle cells, which need that energy to work (that’s one reason cortisol increases during exercise).

But responding to chronic stress by continually secreting cortisol eventually wears your adrenals out. Adrenal burnout manifests as sleeping poorly, insulin resistance, decreased thyroid function, and lowered nutrient status. All of these symptoms contribute to weight loss resistance.

Strategies to address adrenal fatigue: Learn to manage stress levels through yoga, deep breathing, or simply staying in the present. Your adrenals store more vitamin C than any other organ, and stress depletes this crucial vitamin. Eat vitamin C-rich foods and take a supplement.