Weight Loss Not Happening? 5 Reasons Why Not

One of the most common things women find upsetting about menopause is that you gain weight on the abdomen, stomach and thighs.

Unfortunately this is due to your ovaries switching production of its oestrogen into the fat cells of all the areas you just don’t want that extra weight.

Oestrogen dominance is certainly one factor, but if you are someone who frequently tries different diets, and just as often gives up feeling a failure, then don’t despair.

If you started a diet full of optimism, but it just didn’t work out, then you didn’t fail. The diet failed you.

I know that is a fairly radical concept, but many of the new diets are simply too much: Too restrictive, too low in calories, too joyless, too expensive, too inconvenient.

Did. you fall for the Grapefruit Diet, The Hollywood Diet, the ‘latest’ trend? There are a million diets out there, trust me I have seen most of them, but not all diets are suitable for all women.

Maybe one that new diet you really did feel great at first. It’s what’s known as the Honeymoon Effect, when you’re excited about the diet and the changes you’re seeing. You probably noticed a shift down when you stepped on the scales.

Unfortunately a quick weight drop is typically because of lost water weight, which is especially likely if you were drastically cutting carbohydrates as well.

The reality is that most diets don’t work in the long term because they’re not designed to. Giving up pasta forever? Recording your meals every single day? Not eating after 7pm?

Those things are doable for a few weeks, but you invariably hit a wall. You miss carbohydrates, you are fed up of counting calories and logging every bite on your phone app.

You’re just hungry and frustrated and who can enjoy a meal out with friends under those restrictions? So what’s next?

Here how to help yourself out of the diet trap

1. Understand that the problem isn’t you, it’s the diet. Make that your mantra when you’re feeling defeated, and put energy into really believing it.

2. Pinpoint what exactly about that specific diet didn’t work for you – never mind who else lost great weight on it. This is about you so check these:

a) Was there simply not enough food to sustain you?

b) Were the meal plans full of foods you just don’t like very much?

c) Did it require so much preparation for each meal that you gave up?

d) Did you end up feeling isolated from family/friends get togethers?

So please remember, none of those things make you a failure—they make the diet incompatible with your life.

3. Salvage something that did work for you – there is usually something. Check these:

a) Did you find a great fish recipe?

b) Discover that you actually like green smoothies?

c ) Realise that you don’t need a late-night snack every evening after all?

Even if that diet wasn’t good for you in the long run, there might be a few healthy habits you can take away from it.

4. Use what you learned. Every experience teaches us something. Maybe you learned that you don’t want to stop eating carbohydrates forever, that writing down everything you eat triggers obsessive thinking, or that you just don’t like not having enough variety and the occasional treat in your life.

Take what you learned from your diet attempt and move forward, wiser and knowing yourself a little bit better.

Then the next time a diet comes around and you’re lured in by big promises and dramatic testimonials, you can draw from this experience to make a better decision for YOU.

5. Check for physical reasons for your weight gain. These can range from medications such as the Pill or HRT, stress, oestrogen dominance, and medical conditions such as low thyroid.