Things that can affect how quickly you lose weight

LAST week we looked at myths about weight loss, but there are other factors that determine the rate at which you shed extra pounds.

Below, obesity surgeon Dr Alfred Dawes tells All Woman six things that can derail your weight loss journey.

1. Leptin resistance

“Leptin is a hormone that tells your body to speed up or slow down its metabolism. One will have to overcome leptin resistance in order to lose weight and keep it off,” he said. Dr Dawes added that this also means you cannot skip meals, as your body will go into starvation mode and increase your leptin resistance, which holds on to your fat stores instead of burning them.

2. Hypothyroidism

Dr Dawes explained that the thyroid is a shield-shaped gland found in the neck that produces a hormone which regulates the metabolic rate. “Low hormone production will result in your metabolism slowing, weight gain, and extreme difficulty in losing weight. This is usually treated medically,” he said.

3. Steroids

“Most people on steroids will experience weight gain mainly in the face and around the trunk. This weight is difficult to get rid of and increases one’s risk for diabetes,” he said.

4. PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

The obesity surgeon explained that hormonal changes in the body result in more efficient storage of fat, and a hormone-related condition — PCOS — leads to weight gain and other complications in women such as diabetes and infertility.

5. Sleep apnoea

If you are suffering from sleep apnoea you are not getting enough quality sleep, and this can leave you feeling tired when you wake up. Dr Dawes said this means you won’t have enough energy to exercise. This causes stress hormones to rise, resulting in increased fat storage. The outcome is weight gain which worsens the sleep apnoea, creating a vicious cycle.