11 Surprising Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight

I’ve heard pretty much everything. Most people who come to me who sincerely want to lose weight are in pain and truly believe they are doing “all of the right things.” There is so much research about the best way to achieve optimal wellness, yet for some reason, many in our generation continue to cling to the “calories in, calories out” mantra, which leads to deprivation, which is compounded by chronic cardio...and guess what? This approach has been proven ineffective. So instead let's learn about the real obstacles to lasting weight loss and find an approach that works.Here are the first six of 11 surprising reasons why you are not losing weight. I could go on, of course, but these are the top in terms of being highly researched and supported by academia and many in the wellness and fitness communities. Next week, I’ll share five more reasons, and they are even more surprising… 

1. Lack of sleep

We burn fat, recover from all that we ask from our bodies, and store memories during our sleep. It is a primal and essential bodily function. Experts say we need seven to seven and a half hours of uninterrupted and adequate sleep every night. Without it, your body craves carbs and sugar, isn’t building muscle, and your metabolism slows.Asian Woman Sleeping 

2. Too much stress

Stress causes weight gain, obesity, lack of quality sleep, decreased cognitive function, and other serious medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Increased stress induces a physiological roller coaster ride, forcing your body's systems into one job: reducing stress.Wellness Wheel Chart - Stress, Tolerance, Mindset, Language, Sleep, Physical Movement, Food, Accepting Your Body and Habits 

3. Too little time outside

Back to the stress…just getting a minute or two outside calms the brain and reduces stress. Reducing stress means your body can focus on burning fat. Being outside also means you are moving…also key to any weight loss and wellness program. 

4. Too much FOMO

Finding purpose is a main point of my concierge wellness program. Linking your values with your actions is an essential ingredient to making progress on your wellness and weight loss. A healthy lifestyle will reward you abundantly with increased energy, less body fat, and feeling better. Worrying about what others are doing leads to, well, stress (see above)! 

5. Keeping up with the Joneses

Thoughts about his/her weight, how his/her clothes fit, how easy his/her life take up valuable brain power that could be focused on higher contributions to your life like your wellness and your purpose. Every thought we have takes up valuable space in our brains. Our brains get stressed from constant worrying, wanton thoughts, and comparison syndrome. Reign it in, and feel better for it. 

6. Making up for last night's or yesterday’s mistakes

Your body doesn’t work that way. Eating or drinking foods that are not healthy without a plan leads to disastrous choices like over-exercising the next day, deprivation, and, worst of all, guilt. Guilt is awful and causes crazy stress on the brain. The body doesn’t burn the next day what you ate the day before.The body is an intricate, beautiful system of days/weeks/years of choices, not just last night's. Let the mistakes go, and start fresh. 

Adrien Cotton

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ADRIEN COTTON believes the greatest gift you can give to yourself is the gift of wellness.

After serving in high-leverage professional roles, including being one of the youngest Communications Directors in the US House of Representatives, Adrien pivoted her career focus to helping clients capture their strength in all areas of life. An accomplished speaker, entrepreneur, corporate wellness educator, menopause expert, and wellness coach, Adrien has proven success in designing and implementing innovative wellness programs. 

With a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, Adrien sharpened her professional skills by working with individuals from all walks of life. This unique background allows her to tailor her services for each and every client, with optimization and long-lasting success as the goal. Her effectiveness is rooted in a solid foundation of growth-oriented principles, a proven history of helping clients transform their lives, and a deep level of relatability gained from her personal wellness journey.

Since founding her wellness enterprise, Adrien leverages her fitness and wellness background to guide people from a state of giving up to a place of proactive self-care. Her work extends beyond nutrition and exercise, emphasizing lifestyle and high-impact areas of focus visually represented in her Wellness Wheel. Incorporating strategies in stress resilience, sleep, calendar management, mindfulness, and menopause, she’s helped transform hundreds of lives.

Adrien is living her mission to support clients in shifting their mindsets and helping them leverage small habits that yield lasting results.

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