For many women, especially those 45 and older, losing weight can seem impossible. It’s hard enough to lose the weight as is, but then they often get caught in a cycle of gaining that weight back immediately after losing it.
This can be a frustrating reality to live in. The joy of meeting your weight loss goals seems to get diminished by watching your body yo-yo back to its starting weight. Many women find themselves confused and discouraged by this pattern.
If you’re wondering, “why am I gaining weight after I just lost it?” You’re not alone.
Why You Gain Weight After Losing It
There are a number of issues that occur after you gain weight. When you gain weight after losing it, your body becomes more insulin-resistant. You also lose muscle mass and gain more fat than before. This makes it harder and harder to lose the added weight.
So why does this happen? When you know the reasons why your body keeps gaining weight, you can disrupt this pattern in its tracks. Stop the vicious cycle once and for all.
Here’s why women 45 and up gain weight after losing it.
You Lose Weight Incorrectly
Most weight loss methods include a calories in/calories out approach. Basically, this approach refers to burning more calories than you’re consuming. This method is not only incorrect, it simply doesn’t work.
Why? Because it focuses on the symptom rather than the root issue at hand.
Restricting calories is like plucking the petals of a flower that’s already dying. What the flower actually needs is water.
Similarly, what your body actually needs are nutrient-rich foods that fuel you rather than deplete you and slow your metabolism. Restricting calories may work in the short term, but it’s detrimental in the long term.
Weight gain is a symptom of a deeper imbalance. More often than not, this issue is stress and hormone-related.
Toxins Make You Gain Weight Back
Toxins are one of the biggest factors contributing to weight gain.
Fat cells are meant to protect our bodies from harmful toxins. Toxins cause inflammation, hormonal changes, and of course, weight gain. When toxins reach fat cells, it becomes harder and harder to lose weight. As we keep gaining weight, toxin levels increase.
Our bodies require a gentle detox in order to flush them out of our systems. Fiber, activated charcoal, bentonite clay, lemon water, and drinking lots of water will pull the toxins out of your system.
It’s important not to strip your body of nutrients throughout the mild detox process, however.
How to Stop Gaining Weight and Lose it For Good
When we help our clients lose weight, we set up a system to help them keep it off sustainably. Most major weight loss programs fail to complete these final two steps. This is why so many women find themselves gaining weight.
Create a New Set Point
A set point is the weight at which your body feels safe and comfortable. For most women, their bodies go into a state of survival when they lose weight.
To counteract the stress caused by weight loss, our bodies create more weight to feel safe. In order to lose weight sustainably, you need to create a new set point.
Take a Break
How do you create a new set point? Take a break!
This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually a great way to create safety in the body. You need to take a break from losing weight in order to create a new normal inside your system.
Of course, this needs to happen under the guidance of a trusted professional.
Are You Experiencing Hormonal Weight Gain?
If you’re experiencing hormonal or stress-related weight gain, reach out to us at the Metabolism Reboot. Our clients lose an average of 20-45 lbs over the span of 6 weeks. With one-on-one support and guidance from experts in the field, you can actually lose weight sustainably.