Why Can’t I Lose Weight – 12 Medical Reasons
Last Updated On June 26, 2025 by Robert Dowling
Why can’t I lose weight? Do you ever curious to know why you can’t lose weight even though you go to the gym a lot and eat very healthy? You might think you’re doing something inappropriate because you haven’t lost weight even though you’ve been trying for months. It is correct that you might not lose weight if your workouts aren’t hard enough or if you don’t eat the right amount. But a lot of people don’t know that not losing weight can be because of health problems. You might be having trouble losing weight because of a health problem or a medicine you’re taking. Ready to get the answer for why I am not losing weight? Let’s dive in.
Why Can’t I Lose Weight – 12 Medical Reasons
If you’ve been following a good diet program and an exercise plan for a long time and haven’t lost enough weight, you may need to interact with your doctor to make sure you don’t have a medical condition that’s causing your weight gain. Here are a few reasons why you might not be losing weight.
1. You Take Certain Medications
You might have heard that taking medication can make you gain weight, and it’s true. Some prescription drugs, like steroids, can cause you to gain weight that you don’t want. Some antidepressants and medications used to treat respiratory issues and other conditions that cause inflammation can make you gain weight. Some medicines, like psychiatric drugs, steroids, beta-blockers, and blood sugar supplements, can make it hard to control your weight. Consult with a doctor about how you feel and whether you want to change your medicines or the amount you take.
2. Dieting and Weight Loss History
Whether you’ve lost and gained weight many times previously, or yo-yo dieted, each time you tried to lose weight it was probably harder. In anycase, a woman whose weight has changed a lot over the years is more likely to have trouble losing weight than a woman whose weight has stayed mostly the same. Research has showed that this is mostly because of changes in how fat is stored after a period of not eating enough calories.
3. You Are Stressed
Curious about the medical reasons why you can’t lose weight? It could be because of your stress. If you don’t do anything to deal with your stress, it can lead to all kinds of problems. Your body stores stress, which kills you in so many ways. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when you are stressed. It breaks down muscle tissue and makes your body store more fat. Getting less stressed could make a big difference in how much you weight. Do meditation, don’t work out for more than 45 minutes at a time, and get a lot of sleep.
4. You’re still drinking sugar
Sugary drinks are some of the most fattening foods out there. Your brain doesn’t make you eat foods to make up for the caloric intake. This isn’t just true of soft drinks that are high in sugar. Also it applies to “healthier” drinks with lots of sugar, like Vitaminwater. Even fruit juices can be bad for you if you drink too much of them. One glass of juice can have as much sugar as several whole pieces of fruit.
5. You Have Thyroid Problems
Hormone problems can cause you to gain weight or make it hard for you to start losing it. This is particularly true of a gland in your neck known as thyroid gland, which circulates thyroid hormone that controls how your body uses energy. When the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone, you may start gaining weight. This is termed as hypothyroidism. Consult a doctor about your worries, and he or she will give you a lab test to see if your thyroid issues are making it hard for you to drop weight.
6. You Have Digestive Problems
The natural microbiome of gut bacteria is still not fully understood, but it is evident that maintaining your healthy digestive system will directly boost your immunity. This helps you burn fat quickly and is good for your health in general. People who have trouble digesting food will find it hard to lose weight. Giving your digestive tract a break by going without food for a while might help. You should also limit how much grains, pastured dairy, legumes, and sugar you eat.
7. You’re not getting enough Vitamin D.
A lot of people don’t get enough Vitamin D, which has been linked to weight gain and a number of metabolic processes. If you invest more time indoors, your doctor should check your Vitamin D levels.
8. You Have Clinical Depression
Depression is one of many health problems that can make it hard to lose weight. Approx 49% of women have depression right after giving birth. Changes in the brain’s chemistry and hormones, stress, the way you live your life, and your genes may all play a role here. No matter why you’re depressed, it will directly effect you in several ways, like making you gain weight. When you are stressed, your body makes cortisol, that can make you gain weight. Depression could also make you eat too much, which will again make it hard for you to reach the weight-loss goals.
9. You’re sitting all day.
You don’t move around enough during the day, which is not good for your body. I know that some of you work in offices and are locked to your desks, but is it probable to get up and walk around every hour for a few minutes? Or walk between 30 and 35 minutes to get lunch?
10. You’re eating too much.
I wish I could say that you can eat quite so much nutritious food as you want, but this just isn’t true. A lot of foods at once is too much for the body to handle. It is important to put enough food on your plate. I usually say that 1/4 of the tray should be protein, 1/4 should be carbs, and 1/2 should be vegetables. Populate that plate with greens, and eat 4-5 small meals each day. We need to start listening to our bodies and stop eating when they tell us to. We should all work on it. You may also eat too much because you don’t get enough fiber. Fiber makes you feel full and can even help you lose weight.
11. You’re eating out too much
Trust me, you have no idea what that hotel is cooking your food with. Think that they are using bad vegetable oils, a lot of oil and butter, and low-quality food. When you feed out, you eat a lot more salt than you do at home, that can make you gain weight and feel bloated. Start to love the kitchen, unless you’re eating at a site that says it serves healthy food and uses healthy ingredients.
12. You Have Syndrome X
Syndrome X, which is also known as insulin resistance, is one of several medical reasons why many people can’t lose weight. Resistance to insulin, you can get a number of health problems. If you have insulin resistance, many hormones which help keep your metabolism in check don’t work right. This will cause you to gain weight quickly.
Is it due to a problem with my overall health?
When you have a health problem, it is harder to lose weight. Some of the things that could have been making you gain weight are:
- Eating disorders
- Cardiovascular health
- Hormonal disorders
- Sleep apnea
Some medications can also make it harder for you to lose weight. For example, you might find it hard to lose weight if you taking medication for:
- Allergies
- Depression
- Birth control
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Epilepsy
- Bipolar disorder
Consult to a doctor if you own these conditions and your weight is an issue. They might be able to modify the medicines you’re taking.
Why Am I Not Losing Weight? My Verdict
If you think that you are putting on weight or having difficulty losing weight because of a health problem, you should consult a doctor right away. But you should never give up, even if you’ve a health problem. Managing your weight may be hard, but it’s not unrealistic, especially if you collaborate with your doctor, who can help you treat the fundamental health problem.
Depending on your health, you might also want to change what you eat and how you work out. For the best piece of advice, you may need to work along with a dietician, but it will help you obtain good results. If you already have diabetes or are resistant to insulin, you may need to take certain pills to keep your blood sugar levels in check. In this case, you also have to pay much more attention to what you eat. If you do, you will start to see results.
Please remember that if you have diabetes or your blood sugar drops quickly, you may need to follow the instructions of a medical professional. You can lose weight similar to a normal person by just taking better care of your condition.
