The beginning of the year has seen many people start to lose weight. If weight loss stalls after the start, there could be many reasons. Marika Haag, a fitness entrepreneur and coach, opens up about possible reasons why weight loss may be stalling.
Weight loss is generally simple: when consumption exceeds energy intake, weight is lost. The recommended weight loss rate is usually 0.5-1 kg/week, which means an energy deficit of about 500 kilocalories per day.
The first thing that happens is that excess fluids leave the body and the use of fats for energy slowly starts to increase. The recommended diet for weight loss is a low-carbohydrate diet, which naturally excludes sweets, buns and other high-fat foods, preferably including other wheat products such as pasta. Bread, rice and potatoes should be kept to a minimum. On the other hand, the recommended list includes lots of other vegetables, both raw and cooked, and good quality protein and fat.
If the weight loss stalls after the start, it could be due to many things other than calorie intake and consumption. For example, the body may be suffering from a variety of metabolic disorders (e.g. austerity fat), stress or other deficiencies in minerals and vitamins.
Taking up exercise usually improves metabolic function by improving energy production in cells. If a weight loser adds a lot of exercise, it is important not to under-calorieise. The body must have enough building blocks to maintain and increase muscle mass as well. Muscle mass also uses more energy than fat tissue.
If the reason for the weight loss is, for example, a tired and fatigued state of mind that needs to be changed, it is a good idea to check your vitamin and mineral levels in the laboratory. It is also worth checking ferritin levels, or storage iron, in such a situation. When ferritin is low, movement can be sluggish and the whole state of being vaguely tired. Recovery may be slow and weight may not fall off. Indeed, iron is a vital substance in the body, in the bloodstream as haemoglobin and in muscle cells as myoglobin. There are also claims that weight loss in a person with low iron stores is not possible until the ferritin situation is corrected.
The impact of stress on weight loss has also been much discussed. If stress maintains high cortisol levels, it can make it difficult to fall asleep, reduce sleep quality or wake up earlier. High cortisol also affects blood glucose levels by inhibiting the action of insulin in cells. No matter how much you exercise, you can build up extra around your waist. It's also worth noting that exercising too hard raises cortisol levels, and if sleep and recovery are poor, there is a risk of over-exercising. In this case, the problem needs to be tackled from the other end, i.e. by reducing the amount of exercise and increasing the amount of rest.
Possible reasons for stagnating weight loss:
- Energy supply is too high in relation to consumption
- Metabolic disorders
- Low levels of ferritin or other vitamins or minerals
- Stress
Coach's advice for weight loss:
1. Identify stress and its causes. Consider ways to reduce it. Do gentle yoga and mindfulness exercises to help you recover.
2. Try different forms of exercise and find the ones that suit you, listening to your body.
3. Don't feed stress and cortisol with sugar, focus on taking care of your body and mind with a quality, healthy diet.
4. Take supplements such as iron and B vitamins to help.
If you need help to lose weight, contact a personal trainer in your centre. You can book an appointment with your centre's customer service or check out the personal training services on our website.
With LadyLine you train exactly as you are! We respect your body and wish you health and well-being. We want to encourage a healthy lifestyle, including indulgent eating and indulgence. We want to provide an accepting, safe environment for our clients to exercise and feel good, always on a healthy footing - now and in the future.
