Why You Are Not Losing Belly Fat Even With Diet & Exercise.
The Truth Might Just Surprise You.
Have you been working out, following a healthy diet but still cannot seem to lose weight or achieve your weight goals? Dealing with Weight Loss Resistance?
Have you been working out, but your belly fat seems not to go anywhere, no matter how many back-breaking sit-ups you do?
While weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise in a hormonally balanced human, most people struggling with belly fat have hormonal balance issues, especially estrogen & cortisol hormones.
Here are the commonest reasons why you are not losing weight & belly fat.
1. Your hormones are out of balance.
There are more than 15 different hormones that have an effect on weight gain, especially the stubborn belly fat. Most importantly in women, estrogen dominance is a big issue, much bigger than exercise. Here are some of them.
High cortisol levels – this contributes to the majority of cases of stubborn belly fat.
Low thyroid hormone levels – Causes weight gain, depression, bad mood, irregular periods, brittle nails, dry skin, and constipation.
High estrogen levels: Causes weight gain, bloating, irregular menstrual periods, low sex drive, headaches, mood swings, hair loss, low energy and worsening premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Lower than normal progesterone levels: Causes weight gain, low sex drive, Irregular menstrual periods, heavy & prolonged periods bleeding, breast tenderness, fibroids, gallbladder problems, and thyroid problems – see point 2 above.
Testosterone levels: In males, low testosterone causes fat gain, low muscle mass, and low sex drive. In females, low testosterone causes poor sex drive, difficulties getting an orgasm or sexual satisfaction and weakness.
High Testosterone in women causes baldness or hair thinning, missed monthly periods, apple-shaped body figure, body hair, cystic acne, enlarged clitoris, increased muscle voice and in extreme cases, voice deepening, Insulin resistance or diabetes, weight gain, and high blood pressure.
The above signs and symptoms do not need all to be there to suspect high testosterone levels (or high androgen).
Insulin resistance: Insulin resistance goes hand in hand with high cortisol hormone level. See point #1 above. Causes belly fat or what is called central obesity, high blood sugars, elevated A1C levels, Darkening and thickening of the neck and joints skin – a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans, high blood pressure and high bad cholesterol levels.
Low DHEA Hormone: Dhea hormone is a precursor to male and female hormones. It starts decreasing after age 30 and rapidly in women than in men. Low DHEA causes rapidly aging skin, depression, low energy levels, difficulty losing weight, mood swings & low sexual desire.
Low Growth Hormone levels: Causes waist weight gain (belly fat), depression, hair loss, dry skin, insulin resistance (see above), decreased sex desire, low exercise tolerance, decreased muscle mass and heart problems if left untreated.
Leptin hormone resistance: Leptin is often called ”the Master Weight Loss Hormone” or food starvation hormone. It is supposed to tell the brain that the body has enough fat, thus controlling appetite. High leptin levels are found in obese people and low leptin levels are found in skinny people. Leptin controls appetite. Some people become leptin resistant leading to increased appetite, belly fat gain, menstrual problems. Pay attention to the next hormone.
High Ghrelin levels: Ghrelin is produced by stomach lining when hungry and reduces as we eat. High ghrelin levels make you hungry. It takes about 20 minutes from when we start eating to the time ghrelin signal gets to the brain. This is the main reason why eating slowly is very important for weight loss. People who eat fast tend to overeat. High
2. You live a stressful life
This increases cortisol levels, hunger, and depression.
3. Skipping Meals, Especially Breakfast.
There are a lot of fad diets out there and non-scientific practices causing a lot of people to remain fat even with diet and exercise. The commonest is skipping breakfast and only doing apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey. Skipping breakfast can cause weight gain, it increases your chances of becoming diabetic by 20% and menstrual irregularities.
4. Wrong Exercises
Not all exercises lead to weight loss. Doing sit-ups DOES NOT cause you to lose belly fat. Fat loss, besides diet and hormonal balance, occurs when you focus on cardio exercises. Cardio exercises or High-Intensity Intermittent Training (HIIT) are the best ways of melting fat.
5. Digestive System Good Bacteria Levels:
There is a lot of scientific evidence that poor bacteria balance in our colon can cause weight gain, slow metabolism, and poor immunity. It is this research that has to lead to the emergence of colon cleanse, colon detox and replacement with probiotics.
6. Medications that Cause Weight Gain:
Some medications are known to cause weight gain and belly fat, especially steroids. Such medications include diabetes medications, blood pressure medications, some allergy medications, Some asthma medications including inhalers, Some skin ointments containing steroids.
7. Poor or no Supplementation:
If you are working out without supplementation, you may not lose weight easily or reach your optimum weight
Glutathione – Increases cellular metabolism, has anti-aging effect immunity protective properties.
Ubiquinol – Increases cellular metabolism, has age-defying properties and improves heart health. It also lowers cholesterol.
L-Carnitine, arginine, ornithine & L-Lysine – Increases muscle mass, increases fat loss, counters diabetes and increases sexual agility.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA): potent antioxidant, helps in fat loss and improves diabetes.
Glucomannan:& Psyllium Husks: Soluble & Insoluble fiber has shown promising results in weight loss, especially belly fat.
In fact, taking psyllium husks together with a herbal supplement called berberine twice a day for 30 days only can guarantee you up to 10 pounds weight loss, especially belly fat.
For women with PCOS & hormonal imbalance related infertility, taking psyllium husks with Inositol can increase chances of having a baby by 52%. That's huge!
8. Bad Habits:
Weight loss and belly fat loss has a lot to do with bad habits. Here are a few to work on:
Sleeping less than 6-8 hours a day – causes cortisol increase – thus belly fat.
Multitasking – Causes stress – high cortisol levels.
Eating dinner too late at night. Studies have shown that eating carbs 4 hours before bedtime can cause weight gain and increase chances of getting diabetes.
Eating too fast: See Ghrelin hormone discussed earlier. Causes overeating.
Inconsistent exercises: Not following a consistent exercise regimen can lead to weight gain and cortisol disruption.
Too much booze: Alcohol is very high in calories. Indulgence is dangerous.
Question for You?
Which of these tips do you think are affecting your progress in belly fat loss and which one are you going to implement?
Leave a comment below and I will personally respond with a personalized approach that can help you. Let me know by leaving a comment below. You may also win our weight loss prizes like diet guides and supplements.