GENETICS

Much like genetics play a role in obesity by affecting appetite control and fat storage, genes can also predispose you to respond to calorie restriction in a manner that makes it so you lose weight slower than others.

ANTHROPOMETRY

Factors like your height, weight, body composition, and body size can affect your basal metabolic rate, or how fast you burn calories.¹For instance, someone with a good amount of muscle who’s tall or heavy has the potential to lose weight faster than someone who’s lighter or has to call themselves a “short king” to make themselves feel good about their diminutive stature.

METABOLIC ADAPTATION

When you lose weight, the metabolism slows down as part of the body’s survival mechanism to remain at homeostasis. This is known as metabolic adaptation and there’s evidence to suggest that a previous history of weight loss attempts can build up a metabolic debt that impedes the rate of subsequent weight loss attempts.

THYROID DISORDERS

The thyroid is a gland in the neck that makes hormones with various functions, one of which is influencing the metabolism. When the thyroid is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, it can have the resulting effect of slowing down the metabolism and making it more difficult to lose weight.

MEDICATIONS

Certain prescriptions, like beta-blockers and some antidepressants and antipsychotics, can interfere with the weight loss process by slowing the metabolic rate. Other drugs, like corticosteroids, can increase the production of hormones that promote fat storage.

MACRONUTRIENT INTAKE

Protein has a high thermic effect, meaning that it increases the metabolic rate because of the amount of energy needed to digest and process it. So if you’re not consuming enough protein, that can slow weight loss down because your body isn’t burning additional calories at rest. A high-carb intake may also contribute to weight loss resistance whereas substituting carbs with healthy fats may make the metabolism more efficient, especially in the short term.

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS

While it’s true that the quality of what you eat isn’t as important as the quantity, eating a diet primarily of ultra-processed foods may lead to slow weight loss because they take less energy to digest than whole or minimally processed foods with more protein and fiber.²e.g. sweet and savory packaged snacks, candy, ice cream, sugary drinks, breakfast cereals, industrial bread, jarred sauces, yogurt with added fruit, canned and instant soups, frozen pizza and ready-to-heat meals, and processed meats, sausages, nuggets, and other reconstituted meat products. The excess salt, sugar, and unhealthy fat content may also impede weight loss by altering the body’s response to insulin, a hormone that regulates the metabolism.

ALCOHOL

Regular and excessive use of alcohol can impair the production of hormones like testosterone, thus disrupting the body’s ability to burn fat. Alcohol abuse can also cause sleep disturbances and contribute to sleep-related disorders like insomnia, which can lead to the weight loss hindering effects of sleep deprivation.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Poor sleep quality and insufficient amount of sleep produces a cascade of hormonal changes that can cause the body to be protective of fat and reduce the metabolic rate, all of which can lessen the speed of weight loss.

CIRCADIAN MISALIGNMENT

A schedule that involves sleeping, waking, and eating at irregular hours can result in a mismatch between the body’s internal clock and external environment. That social jetlag can hinder weight loss in a number of ways, one of which includes changes to energy expenditure and glucose tolerance.

STRESS

Persistent stress can result in chronically elevated cortisol levels that make it difficult to lose weight, as the hormone makes the body more prone to hoard fat and burn fewer calories.