Why Can’t I Lose Weight? : The Question and The Answer(s)
We hear this question very often, followed by “why can’t I keep the weight off?”Questions are easy, answers are a bit more difficult. In the end, weight loss is not a complicated issue.
Now because as the author we don’t know you personally, we can’t answer personally, but what we can do is give you some of the most common answers. The corresponding page has some answers.
The very direct and simplistic answer is that you can’t lose weight because you are taking in more calories than you are burning or excreting in waste. What you don’t use one way or the other becomes stored as fat. That simple.
Now you might say, “Joe” (that’s me, the author), “you don’t understand. I hardly eat ANYthing! So again, “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”
Well, maybe you don’t, but do you know the caloric value of what you are eating? You know just a simple one trip meal to a fast food place, or even a well provisioned salad bar can load you up with calories! You have not eaten very much in terms of volume of food, and in fact, you may even feel hungry at the end of the day. But it’s the calories that count, not the volume of food.
So we have to look at the other end. That’s use. Maybe you are one of the rare people with a metabolic disorder. Possibly a thyroid problem. But this can be diagnosed. If you are having problems losing weight, you should take your “Why Can’t I Lose Weight” question to your family doctor. Do NOT try and make this assumption and purchase or start a weight loss program that messes with your metabolism chemically.
You can, however, alter the metabolism by doing something to use calories! Hint: Playing XBox isn’t the answer, although Wii sometimes will help. Now be aware of this: certain exercise programs actually build muscle which is more dense than fat, and you can gain weight.
In the end, if it’s an exercise situation , we find the best answer to the “Why Can’t I Lose Weight” question is simply walking.