Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows that it’s not easy. You have tried everything but nothing seems to work. Of you must wonder why is it hard to lose weight? It’s easy to blame it on overeating and under-exercising but did you know if you have certain medical conditions, you may have an even tougher time than the average person? Weight loss may be a struggle for you if you have these conditions. Here are five health issues that make it harder to lose weight. If you have any of them, you’ll want to work closely with your doctor to stay healthy and achieve a healthy body weight.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is another name for an underactive thyroid gland. Since your thyroid gland sets your resting metabolic rate, how fast you burn energy at rest, it’s not surprising that an underactive thyroid makes it harder to lose weight. The thyroid, a small gland at the front of the neck, produces hormones that regulate your body’s metabolic rate.
When the thyroid is underactive, it makes less thyroid hormone, which slows down your metabolic rate. Your body burns calories at a slower rate, so you gain weight more easily. Doctors treat hypothyroidism with supplemental thyroid hormone. Talk to your physician. They may be able to adjust your thyroid replacement to help you better control your weight.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes makes your body less sensitive to insulin. In response, your pancreas sends more insulin into your bloodstream. Since insulin makes it easier for your body to store fat, it facilitates weight when you have a higher insulin level. Plus, your body stores more fat in places like your abdominal cavity and liver. This type of visceral fat increases inflammation, making it even harder to lose weight. To break the cycle, eliminate sugar and ultra-processed foods and exercise, preferably vigorously, at least 30 minutes daily. Try to move more throughout the day. How is your sleep? Make sure you’re sleeping soundly at night, sleeping enough, and managing stress. Doing these things will improve insulin sensitivity and make it easier to shed those extra pounds.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common health condition that affects women of childbearing age. Women with this disorder that causes cysts to form on the ovaries often have hair growth in places where it normally wouldn’t, like the face, chest, back, and stomach. Plus, PCOS often leads to weight gain and a rise in blood pressure and blood sugar. PCOS also makes it harder to lose weight because it’s linked with insulin resistance. When you’re insulin resistant, your body can’t use insulin properly, so your blood sugar levels stay higher than normal, and as a result, you have more difficulty losing weight.
Eating less and exercising more are good places to start if you’re trying to slim down. But if you have PCOS, you have to address other factors like insulin resistance. Over time, insulin resistance leads to an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. To lose weight, you need to reduce the degree of insulin resistance you have. One way to do that is through exercise, although doctors sometimes also prescribe medications that help improve insulin sensitivity, like metformin to help with weight control.
Depression
Almost one in five people will suffer from depression at some point in their lives and the incidence increases with age. Major depressive disorder is not something that can be easily overcome, and the effects of depression can be devastating and life-altering. In addition to the emotional pain, people who suffer from depression often experience a loss of energy and lack interest in normal daily activities. These symptoms can make it difficult to lose weight and to get the motivation to exercise, making it easy to pack on the pounds. Improving sadness and depression helps with weight loss, however, doctors also use anti-depressants and some anti-depressants make it harder to lose weight.
Medications
Having trouble losing weight? You might be surprised to learn that some medications prescribed for other health conditions can actually have the opposite effect: they can make it harder to lose weight or even cause weight gain. That’s because some medicines can have an effect on our metabolism–the process by which our body converts food into energy. Other medications increase appetite.
If you’re concerned about how your medications might be impacting your weight, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to help you find a different medication or adjust your dosage to prevent this side effect. A number of medications used to treat health conditions cause weight gain. The list of medications that contribute to weight gain is long. It includes medications used to treat seizures, mental health conditions, corticosteroids, and some diabetic medications. If you’re taking medications, talk to your physician about whether they could make it harder to lose weight.
The Bottom Line
These are the most common medical conditions that make it harder to lose weight. If you have any of these health problems, talk to your doctor about your treatments. They may be able to make adjustments to your medications that will help you shed those extra pounds.
References:
“Medical Causes of Obesity – WebMD.” .webmd.com/diet/obesity/medical-reasons-obesity.
“Depression, Anxiety Linked to Weight Gain.” 06 Oct. 2009, .webmd.com/depression/news/20091006/depression_anxiety_linked_weight_gain.
“Can Prescription Drugs Cause Weight Gain? – Drugs.com.” 08 Feb. 2020, .drugs.com/article/weight-gain.html.
“PCOS And Weight Gain: Understand The Connection.” 07 Sept. 2017, .sepalika.com/pcos/pcos-and-weight-gain-connection/.
“Polycystic ovary syndrome and weight management.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20187731/.