Ghrelin Levels – Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

I’m about to reveal to you a secret that you may not have ever heard of, but may be the exact reason why you’re not losing weight no matter how hard you workout.

  • Ever want to raid the fridge right after dinner?
  • Ever find yourself wanting a snack shortly after you’ve eaten lunch or breakfast?
  • Do you just find yourself always wanting to eat and never feel satisfied?

You may have high ghrelin levels.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

A Nerd Explanation of Ghrelin
A variety of hormones are secreted in the body to control the metabolic process and the signaling system within the body. Emotions, the feeling of hunger, satiety or the feeling of sleepiness are all controlled by hormones. Ghrelin is one such peptide hormone secreted by the P/D1 cells found in the lining of the stomach and by the epsilon cells of pancreas.

Ghrelin also known as appetite regulating hormone is secreted at higher amounts when the stomach is empty and its levels drop after having the meals.

 

Ghrelin
Shakeology is healthy and satisfies your appetite for up to 3 hours.

How Does Increased Ghrelin Levels Make You Gain Weight?

After a short note on Ghrelin, let’s examine the role of Ghrelin in gaining weight. If you wait a long time in between meals, then Ghrelin levels shoot up, sends hunger signals to the brain and thus, forcing you to have food. The Ghrelin levels drop down only after the stomach walls have stretched out,  or the stomach is full.

I often see people literally try to starve themselves. Then they complain and come to me and ask, “Why Am I Not Losing Weight?” I don’t eat much.

The truth is when they do, they eat huge portions, high calorie foods, and a bunch of sugar and salt. Total recipe for disaster.

So, the food you eat should be filling but low calorie and healthy to bring down Ghrelin levels and ultimately the appetite levels. If you’re eating high calorie foods then Ghrelin levels do not subside, you continue eating high amounts of food and this will result in weight gain and accumulation of fat in the abdominal region.

  • Stress increases in Ghrelin levels: Studies show that Ghrelin levels rise when a person is subject to a lot of stress. It continues to remain high until the symptoms of stress start to subside.  In a nutshell, stress has profound effect on Ghrelin levels.
  • Deprived sleep and increased Ghrelin level: Reduced sleep results in increased levels of Ghrelin. Increase in numbers of sleep hours is associated with reduced Ghrelin levels and thus, reduced appetite.

How To Decrease Ghrelin Levels?

why am i not losing weight
Ghrelin is everywhere and can be your worst enemy

If you’re gaining weight uncontrollably then why not find out more about the hormones that’s causing weight gain. You should also think of a strategy to bring down Ghrelin levels. Not sure, how to decrease Ghrelin levels? Just take simple measures to keep triggers of Ghrelin secretion under control.

  • Eat fiber rich foods like vegetable soups and salads for a feeling of fullness faster. Once the stomach is full, cells lining the stomach stop secreting the appetite inducing hormone.
  • Ghrelin production cycle starts once in every four hours. Hence, to keep Ghrelin secretion under control it is recommended to eat little amount of food once in every 3-4 hours.
  • Sleep for at least seven hours a day as lack of sleep triggers Ghrelin production.
  • Take hard to digest proteins like animal protein. These proteins stay in the stomach for a long time keeping the stomach full and thus, inhibit Ghrelin secretion.
  • Stay away from stress as increased stress stimulates Ghrelin production and binge eating.
I know this is easier said than done, but the fact is, this is what may be keeping you from losing weight. We all talk about eating healthy and exercise as the main formula to lose weight. There are however, little things you should know about that can boost your results when you dig deeper in knowing how your body reacts to certain things.

With this understanding of Ghrelin, its role in weight gain, and an understanding that you must formulate a strategy to keep it under control, makes it easier to lose weight and improve your health.

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P90X by Tony Banawa

 

 

 

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Why Am I Still Not Losing Weight?

Are you frustrated and asking yourself, “Why am I not losing weight?” Maybe you are exercising daily, putting hard earned time into your fitness and health and still, nothing is happening. Still can’t fit into the old jeans, Same ole’ big clothes are fitting the same and you are getting depressed. You feel like quitting but then you remind yourself that you are tired of starting over every year and not getting the results you want.

You need help, you need a solution, you need guidance. You need that change!

My Wife’s Issue – Why Am I Not Losing Weight

My wife comes up to me this morning and asks me, “Why am I not losing weight?” Although I am not a certifed fitness professional with tons of facts and information stored in my head, I do know enough from my own personal experience, where I’ve come from and accomplished after losing 23 lbs in 90 in days while putting on lean muscle, to help someone get maximum results with exercise and proper nutrition. More on her at the end.

Along that journey of mine, I’ve been able to help many people do the same thing. Now, those people who have totally transformed their health are now good friends, family, and we help each other live the best life possible on an ongoing basis. What a great circle of influence to have in life. People that make their health a priority no matter how busy life gets. We all know without good health, we are on a dead end road to medication, preventable diseases, obesity, and a life shorter lived, unfortunately.

People have grown to think that eating healthy means starving yourself and eating a truck load of salads all day. When you combine exercise with nutrition, you are recommended to eat 5-6 meals per day and many beginners find that they can’t eat enough throughout the day. Why? Your body will be demanding foods from the energy you will be using.

Starving? I don’t think so. You actually have to eat more when you exercise than if you don’t exercise. What a great combination and excuse to eat, because your body needs it to lose weight and gain muscle, not becasue it needs it to satisfy a sweet tooth.

 

Why Am I Gaining Weight And Not Losing Weight

So, among the many reasons as to why people find it almost impossible to lose weight are:

  • Lack of exercise
  • Inadequate sleeping habits
  • Poor nutrition
  • Excuses why they can’t instead of why you should
  • Turn to food for comfort
  • Quitting when things are not comfortable
All these can be difficult when the wrong behaviors are in place. I know life is busy. It’s busy for everyone. If you want the rewards, then you have to do certain things that don’t necessarily come easily. Getting out of your comfort zone is necessary. Be prepared to fit things into your schedule that matters. Be prepared to have to prepare meals before going to work so you don’t have to eat out on your break.

Here are some things to help you get on track for maximum results:

  • Do you keep a bunch of processed foods in your reach at home? Get rid of them
  • Do you find yourself starving yourself because your are too afraid the foods you eat will add on the pounds? Eat More
  • Are you eating white breads, white rice, and sugar high carbs often? Cut them out
  • Are you driving your car to check the mail box just down the road? Walk instead
  • Do you not exercise? It’s a necessity in my opinion to gain strength, functionality, and live longer while preventing avoidable injuries

Snacking on junk foods, eating in a hurry during lunch breaks, not eating breakfast, and having large portions of servings during dinner contribute greatly to weight gain. Unnecessary eating combined with taking less than the required amount of water per day, which is at least eight glasses per day, bars the body from cutting down weight. As we know, water is essential in burning fat present in the body.

Other Reasons To “Why Am I Not Losing Weight?”

why am i not losing weight
Eat 5-6 properly portioned meals daily instead of 2-3 HUGE meals.

You have so many stressing matters at hand. It might be the kids, the tight work schedule, school business or even that thing you so much want to accomplish. But if you are planning on losing weight, a guided exercise routine may help reduce stress and relive you from worry more than if you didn’t workout.

You cannot keep your hands off unhealthy junk food – I am also a victim of this at times. If you are on a transformation jouney, you will need to keep junk foods on the “off limits” list. Once in a while on a rest day, you might be able to sneak one in but remember to not make it a habit or it can highly effect your results. We are human, and if you need to eat a few peanut butter M&M’s to rid of that burning sweet tooth, just get it out of the way if that will get you to move on and stay sane. But don’t finish a family bag in one sitting on your own. You know what I’m saying. Here are some foods that you may think are healthy but are not.

As much as possible, cook at home versus eating out. When you eat out, foods are cooked in a lot of bad oils and fats that can really add on the pounds. Where they say low calories here, usually it is added in your drinks, dressing, or sauces that are easily available. By eating at home, you can control what all is included in your meals. Remember, everything that you put in your mouth counts. So even though you have a healthy meal, don’t get carried away in putting on a load of unhealthy sauces, dressings, high sugar drinks and stuff on the side. It will count for the negative.

More Reasons On Why Am I Not Losing Weight

Starving yourself will not do either. By not eating enough, your body will go in starvation mode and hold onto unhealthy fats for energy and even burn away hard earned muscle. You do not have to starve yourself to death to lose weight. It is actually opposite. If you want to lose weight, you must eat, but eat the right foods in proper protions. This way you will optimize your metabolism which is crucial in cutting weight.

Eating a balanced diet and exercise will work wonders for your body. That and taking enough water to properly transport all the nutrients in your body to the right places will see to it that you can lose weight when done consistently. Here are some foods that I recommend that are great for fat burning.

Snacking on fruits and vegetables is not a bad idea too. I usually love eating bananas, oranges, blueberries right out of the freezer, grapes to get rid of my sweet tooth, and edamame beans in between my 3 major meals. These are everyday snacks for me and I love them as they do my body good in helping me feel strong, energetic, and light.

Eating 5 to 6 properly portioned meals instead of 3 large meals a day as america has grown to do will help you lose weight. Try to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours, and start eating as early as possible so you can get all meals in throughout the day. I usually start around 7am and have my last meal around 7pm. If i feel hungry later than that, it will be a Shakeology or a protein shake to fulfill my appetite for the night.

Why am i not losing weight
Why Am I Not Losing Weight? Maybe Not Getting Enough Rest

With exercising, you don’t have to kill yourself to get results. Over training is a huge mistake a lot of people make. They want to lose weight so they double or even triple their workouts and burn themselves out. After a while, they quit from being overworked and get no results because their body never had time to recover and build.

Muscles need rest. They grow when you rest not while your working out. Muscles also burn calories on an ongoing basis even hours after you are finished working out. Muscles burn calories in your sleep. Versus cardio, only burns calories during the workout.

Back To My Wife
It turned out that she wasn’t eating enough during the day. She knew that she needed to be consuming minimum 1800 calories during her P90X journey. Although she was eating healthy, she looked back at what she was eating daily and found out that she wasn’t eating enough. Therefore her body was holding onto other things that she needed to burn like unwanted body fat. So her body was staying the same cause cause their weren’t enough carbs in her body for her body to use as fuel during her intense workouts.

One week later, after readjusting her eating plan, she started to lose weight quickly and her clothes were getting huge. What a feeling! When the wife is happy, the whole household is happy. Isn’t that the truth?

So the answer to, “Why Am I Not Losing Weight” can be a combination of many things. The best way to get on track the fastest is to combine exercise, proper nutrition, at least 8 cups of water daily, and at least 7 hours of sleep at night. With that, it’s also good to have an accountability coach to keep you on track and answer your questions when you need help. Why am I not losing weight? Now you know.

Beachbody Coach
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[box type=”note” style=”rounded” border=”full” icon=”none”]I love Comments and Feedback…Please share your stories, fitness goals, and questions with us below in the comment section.[/box]
Live Passionately,

P90X by Tony Banawa

 

 

 

Author: Tony Banawa 

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