Why You May Be Having Difficulty Losing Weight

By Dr. Judy Siegel
Nutrition Counseling Avon, CT

How many times have I heard this?  I see as clients the people who say this when I first meet them.  “I’ve tried Weight Watchers, other diets and, even though my friends lose, I don’t.  Is there something wrong with me?

 Maybe, your doctor didn’t study nutrition or overweight problems in medical school.  A thyroid problem may be his only thought.  He, or she, may check your thyroid profile to see if you are “running in a lower gear”.  But usually this is not the case.

If you are one of those who have trouble losing, and you need to do so, you may be insulin resistant.  This means you have to overproduce insulin in order to get glucose from carbohydrate containing foods into the cells where they can be used for energy.  Excess insulin can help to make you overfat, AND make it difficult to lose.  

To find out if this is a problem for you, think about your family history-is or was a family member diabetic?  Did you experience gestational diabetes? Are your parents or siblings overweight?  If there are some yes answers to those questions, ask you doctor to order a blood test called a fasting insulin level or serum insulin.  Ideally the result would be 7 to 9 ug/dl.  The top of the range is 17.  But if yours is 13 or over, ask about treatment. 

One of the treatments is a change in diet to reduce the carbohydrate intake.  Try eliminating the starches—cereal, bread, pasta, rice, potato, pretzels, crackers.  Keep all the fruits and vegetables.  After two weeks, do you feel better?  Has your weight gone down?  This may be all you need to lose the necessary weight.

Exercise, aerobic, weight-bearing exercise like walking or jogging can reduce the insulin level.  The treadmill or elliptical machines are good inside. The bike and swimming don’t work as well.  It isn’t just the calories you burn-the exercise works on the insulin level.  You require less.

 Suppose those strategies don’t work very well-you lose only ½ a pound after two weeks?  If your insulin level was over 15 ug/dl, ask your doctor if he/she will consider treatment with metformin (Glucophage).  2000 mg is the standard dose, ramped up slowly adding 500 mg each week or two.  This may make a profound difference in your ability to lose weight and, by the way, help you to prevent or delay Type II diabetes.

Sometimes, it really isn’t your fault!

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Tagged with: diet changes • exercise • insulin levels • lose weight • nutrition counseling ct • Weight Loss • weight loss diet

Filed under: Nutrition Tips

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