Are You Trying, and Failing, To Lose Weight?

By Alan S. Weiss, MD

Annapolis Integrative Medicine

. http://www.annapolisintegrativemedicine.com/

More Weight Control, Nutrition & Exercise Articles

Are You Trying, and Failing, To Lose Weight?

Many people struggle with weight issues. But what is important to know is that it is not your fault, it is not a sign of moral failing or weakness. Ultimately it is simply a matter of inherited biochemistry, lifestyle and living in the modern world where what is available to us when it comes to food is a novel experiment for humanity. An excellent resource that explains this is “Nature Wants you to be Fat” by Richard Johnson MD that I encourage many of my patients to read, and be freed of blaming themselves for their predicament.

Per recently published data, the U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4%, the first time the national rate has passed the 40% mark. The national adult obesity rate has increased by 26% since 2008.

In my view, for each person there is a safe way to lose weight and to keep it off. In order to do so there are a few issues that must be addressed

First, are there underlying medical issues which make it difficult to lose weight? Examples of this are undiagnosed sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, anemia, and other nutritional deficiencies. Without a thorough evaluation to reveal these issues attempts to lose weight are almost guaranteed to fail. As well menopause and other hormonal issues in men and women can interfere with metabolism. Also many common medications such as antidepressants and proton pump inhibitors (acid reducers) can make it hard to lose weight.

Are you exercising? Typically, exercise is 20-30% of the equation when it comes to weight loss. Remember, muscle burns calories much more than fat. For every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body uses around 50 extra calories a day. If you have lost muscle mass from not exercising or from medical reasons (like chronic steroid use) it may take very few calories to maintain your body weight. This is why some people claim, truthfully, that they hardly eat, but can’t lose weight.

Once these issues are looked at, for the vast majority of people with weight issues, weight gain is a function of excess calories, simple carbohydrates and insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone in our body that converts sugars into fat (triglycerides), and drives that fat into fat cells and blocks the exit of fat from fat cells. Countless patients with a lifetime of weight struggles, or new issues as they age, who get these issues addressed find that weight loss becomes much easier.

Be aware of and reduce the carbohydrates and sugars in your diet. As well intermittent fasting can augment this process by reducing the period of time when people eat during the day. And then finally using supplements and medications to reduce insulin resistance will help. This includes a new class of medications called Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, can make a remarkable difference in getting weight off. Medications that recieved much publicity such as Ozempic and Mounjaro can address the underlying biochemistry and “food noise”—the obsession with food that haunts many people. Also the complex biochemistry of hunger and feeling full that are mostly a function of our brain chemisty can be adressed with these medications

So the critical hing to know is that there are answers to getting the weight off. Even if this has been a long-term struggle, you should not give up and find a doctor who can help you.