5 Medical Reasons For Not Losing Weight

If you’re struggling with weight loss despite medication and lifestyle changes, it’s worth considering why your weight is stagnating. Let’s explore 5 common medical factors which could be preventing weight loss and look at potential solutions.

Medications

Whilst medications are essential for a variety of health conditions, some do come with specific side effects i.e. weight gain.

Examples of drug classes which can impact weight:

• Antidepressants: There are several different classes of antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are amongst the most popular. However, SSRIs can affect metabolism and appetite leading to potential weight gain in some individuals.
• Steroids: Long-term corticosteroids for inflammation or autoimmune conditions can lead to weight gain because they can increase appetite and cause fluid retention.
• Diabetic drugs: Insulin and sulfonylureas (e.g. gliclazide) are more likely to cause weight gain. Especially when starting insulin, your glucose is used to produce energy and excess is stored as fat.

Potential solutions:

The extent of weight gain depends on many factors such as medicine duration, dose and formulation. For example, steroid weight gain is much less likely with short-term use to resolve acute conditions. Inhaled corticosteroids are also less likely to cause weight gain than long-term oral corticosteroids.

Information about a medicine’s side effect profile can be found on the Patient Information Leaflet within the packaging. If you feel your medications are causing you to gain weight, speak to a healthcare professional first before making medical decisions.

Stress

We all experience stress at some point, but chronic stress can impact your weight. Cortisol AKA the stress hormone, is responsible for your ‘flight or fight’ response. Consistently high cortisol levels encourage the storage and build-up of fat, especially around the stomach.

Though stress can be associated with weight loss, it has the opposite effect for some. Chronic stress has multiple negative effects. It can cause binge-eating junk food because you don’t feel like cooking. It affects your motivation to exercise which leads to swapping sports for the sofa. Stress can also severely disrupt your sleep. Deprived sleep is responsible for a variety of poor health outcomes, one of which is weight change.

Potential solutions:

Short-term stress can be resolved by addressing the root cause. What needs to change - your job, bereavement or relationships? Long-term stress is more challenging because it can be a combination of multiple factors.

Stress needs to be approached both mentally and physically. To improve mentally, practising mindfulness and meditation can help. Cortisol levels can be reduced with regular exercise, sunshine and sufficient sleep – increasing your ‘feel good’ factor.

Sleep

An optimal level of sleep is between 7 and 9 hours. A lack of it leads to many health conditions such as an increase in weight.

Deficient sleep causes an imbalance of two hormones which control hunger. Ghrelin is increased (hormone which increases appetite) whilst leptin is decreased (hormone which indicates feeling full). This means you want to eat more.

The type of food you want also changes. The sleep-deprived you crave high-calorie, fatty, sugary foods, resulting in additional calories. Poor sleep also slows down your metabolism, making it more difficult to burn excess calories.

Potential solutions:

3 tips for sleep hygiene:

• Having a routine: Try to sleep and wake up at similar times each day (even on weekends) so your body gets used to your sleep cycle.
• Relax and unwind before sleep: Avoid the ‘blue light’ from electronic screens at least an hour before bed as it affects sleep.
• Sleep environment: Your bed should be for sleeping only, not for lounging around procrastinating. Light and heat are also important i.e. use of blackout curtains and ensuring a well-ventilated room.

Poor Diet

We are often overly optimistic about our diets, thinking we eat a lot healthier than we actually are.

Common dietary issues:

• Hidden sugars and fats: A growing trend is marketing ‘healthy alternative’ foods which can have hidden sugars/fats which cause weight gain. Examples include sugar-free drinks that contain several sweeteners.
• Portion control: Eating larger portions than you realise rapidly adds calories; calorie counting may be beneficial as it gives an idea of how much you should consume.
• Nutrient deficiencies: With many processed foods cheaply manufactured, essential nutrients like fibre and mono/polyunsaturated fats are often neglected.

Potential solutions:

Look at your diet mostly and consider keeping a food journal or using apps to track what you’re eating. Remember to include snacks as they can result in a lot of extra calories. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods and ensure you’re getting both macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Depression and Mental Health

Mental health is essential for your overall well-being, and conditions like depression can affect your weight.

Depression results in a lack of interest and motivation. Your diet declines as fatty, sugary foods become the preferred choice. Your energy feels drained meaning you are demotivated to partake in any exercise. Despite a reluctance to get out of bed, depression can cause insomnia or ‘over-sleeping’, causing hormonal imbalance (especially those involved in metabolism and appetite). A combination of these symptoms results in weight gain.

Potential solutions:

Depression should be formally diagnosed by a healthcare professional and it is important to seek help if you are experiencing symptoms such as apathy, disinterest and fatigue. Treatment of depression is most effective with a combined approach of cognitive behavioural therapy and medication, whilst being supported by a strong network.

Weight loss can be a challenging journey with plenty of ups and downs. Weight loss drugs can help. At Prescription Doctor, we offer a diverse range from Mounjaro and Wegovy, both of which are clinically effective for weight loss. Combined with diet and lifestyle changes, losing weight with medication can be an effective strategy to reach your weight goals and our clinicians will ensure the treatment is best for you. 

Authored & Reviewed By

Mohamed Imran Lakhi

MPharm - Lead Pharmacist

Imran Lakhi is the superintendent pharmacist and founder at Prescription Doctor. He has been at the core of our team.

Published on: 20/08/2024 Reviewed on: 20/08/2024