Leptin & Weight Loss Many overweight people have built up resistance to a hormone called leptin. Fat cells in your body make leptin, and leptin tells your body when you have enough stores of fat, decreasing your appetite.
Genetics clearly is a factor in how easily someone loses weight. Also, gender differences play a role. When men lose weight they tend to lose abdominal fat first, whereas women have a more difficult time losing abdominal fat. However, there are additional, more controllable contributors.
Everyone is different. For some people, weight loss may take longer due to medical conditions, overall health, and mental health. If an individual has concerns about their weight loss, they can speak with a healthcare professional for guidance.
It is estimated that your metabolism slows down 5% every decade after you turn 40. This can occur because of the loss of muscle (or sarcopenia) which plays a crucial part in maintaining your metabolism. Consequently, as you age you may not be able to maintain the same dietary behaviors without gaining weight.
The finding of the study suggests that people in middle age certainly gain weight and it is harder for them to lose it, but slow metabolism is not the real reason behind it. It was revealed that from the 20s to the 50s the energy expenditure is the most stable.
So, if you're eating 1,200 calories and not losing weight, it could be that your body is really struggling to function on so little fuel and your metabolism is not functioning well enough to respond to a deficit in the way you'd like.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
Eating too little
Too often I come across clients who want to lose weight and find out that they are actually eating too little, affecting their body's metabolism so much that their body adjusts to surviving on very small amounts of fuel.
Muscle is denser than fat.
While one pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle, muscle occupies about 18 percent less space. In addition, muscle burns calories while fat stores them. So, if your weight isn't decreasing but your clothes are starting to fit more loosely, you may be building muscle.
When you space out your meals too much, your metabolism slows down and isn't able to burn off all the calories you eat in your next meal. Those extra calories may wind up as extra weight. And you may overeat because you're too hungry. Try eating smaller portions, and eat more often.
The diet doesn't have enough calories
Eating too little — say, 1,000 calories a day — can prevent you from losing weight, too. "When you don't eat enough, your body is starving and it's not going to lose any extra weight" because it needs those energy stores to keep you alive, Fakhoury said.
To drop a dress (or pant) size typically requires losing between 5 to 7 kilos. It will also result in losing more than seven centimetres from your waist.
You're eating less, but could make healthier choices
This is where a calorie deficit alone isn't a magic formula. Reducing your calories to 1,500 a day but eating processed foods instead of healthy fats, protein and fruit and veg won't give you long-term results. You could also be limiting how healthy you feel overall.
This phenomenon is called “starvation mode,” and while your body isn't actually starving, it will naturally hold onto whatever calories it receives in an effort to help you maintain your energy balance.
If you're struggling to hit your calories, it could be because your target is too low. 1,700-1,800 calories could be a good weight loss target for some, but as a very active person with decent muscle mass, that may be too low for you to stick to.
However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. Eating too few calories can endanger your health by depriving you of needed nutrients.
The 1200-calorie diet is geared toward women. Men's bodies require a higher caloric intake. This means that a typical woman can eat between 1200 and 1500 calories a day to lose weight. A typical male body needs about 1500 to 1800 calories daily to lose weight.
People may try this diet to control their food intake and lose weight. Some research suggests that the average female can limit their daily caloric intake to 1,500 calories or less to drop 1 pound per week. The average male may consume up to 2,000 calories a day to lose the same amount of weight.
Epidemiologists have observed that the average person typically puts on 1 to 2 pounds a year from early adulthood through middle age. The CDC's numbers show that much of the increase is concentrated in the 20s, for men and women.
Muscle is denser than fat, and as it is more compact within your body, as you gain muscle mass, you end up looking thinner, no matter your physical weight. So, if you've been doing a lot of strength training lately, it's likely this is the reason that you're looking fantastic but not dropping those numbers.
Why does metabolic rate slow down for women? Over time, studies have shown that metabolic rate (how fast we burn calories) starts to slow down by 2 to 3 percent each decade, beginning in our 20s. It becomes more noticeable between ages 40 and 60.