What are the reasons for not losing weight through dieting

Dieting to lose weight usually indicates that the body has entered a metabolic adaptation period, mainly due to a decrease in basal metabolic rate, muscle loss, insufficient calorie deficit, hormonal imbalances, and incorrect dietary structure.

1. Decreased metabolic rate:

Long term low calorie diet can lead to a decrease in basal metabolic rate of about 15% -30%. When the daily calorie intake remains below 1200 calories, the body will activate survival mechanisms and actively reduce energy expenditure to maintain vital signs. At this point, even if the original dietary intake is maintained, weight may stagnate or even rebound.

2. Muscle loss:

Insufficient protein intake during excessive dieting can cause the body to break down muscles for energy. For every kilogram of muscle loss, the daily basal metabolism decreases by about 50 calories. After a decrease in muscle mass, the fat burning efficiency significantly decreases, manifested as an increase in body fat percentage while the weight scale number remains unchanged.

3. Disappearance of calorie deficit: After the initial stage of weight loss, the amount of calories required to maintain a new weight decreases. If the dietary plan is not adjusted in a timely manner, the existing calorie gap may close. For example, a woman with an original weight of 70 kilograms needs 1800 calories per day, but after reducing to 60 kilograms, she only needs 1500 calories. When she continues to consume 1200 calories, the gap shrinks from 600 calories to 300 calories.

4. Hormonal disorders:

Long term dieting can cause a 30% -50% decrease in leptin levels and a 20% increase in ghrelin levels. The imbalance of these two hormones can lead to overeating, increased energy storage tendency, and a decrease in thyroid hormone T3 levels, resulting in a reduction of 200-400 calories in daily natural calorie consumption.

5. Nutritional imbalance:

A single food or extreme diet can easily lead to deficiencies in vitamins B and iron, affecting mitochondrial fat oxidation function. Low carbon water diet may lead to adrenal fatigue, leading to increased cortisol, water retention and visceral fat accumulation.

It is recommended to use a stepwise calorie adjustment method, increasing the intake of 100-150 calories per week to the level of metabolic recovery, and maintaining muscle mass with impedance training. Daily protein intake should not be less than 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, with priority given to high-quality proteins such as salmon and chicken breast. You can try a carbon water cycle diet and supplement with moderate slow carbon on high-intensity training days. Regular body composition testing, focusing on changes in waist circumference and body fat percentage, is more meaningful than just weight alone. If the plateau period lasts for more than 6 weeks, pathological factors such as polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance should be investigated.