The 7 Reasons Why Diets Fail During Menopause

Knowing the 7 reasons why diets fail during menopause, can help you avoid the stubborn, depressing, and severe weight gain that often goes hand in hand with menopause. 

Most women who go on a diet - don't lose weight. Especially during menopause.

WHY??

For many women, when they hit menopause, the methods they've always used - successfully - their whole lives - to lose weight - don't work anymore.   Every diet, every method of losing weight they try, fails. 

In this article we'll look at the 7 big reasons diets fail - and at 2 bonus reasons. Any one of these is enough to stop your weight loss in its tracks... 

Some statistics say 98% of diets fail!  

Dr. Mark Hyman's Stats About Why Diet's Fail: (1)

Dr. Josh Axe's Stats About Why Diet's Fail: (2)

So If you're experiencing menopause weight gain (or having trouble losing weight) during or after menopause... This isn't sounding hopeful... 

I mean, even if the odds are twice as good as what the stats say - they’re still awful.

WHY? WHY? WHY?

And what can you do to tip those odds in your favor - so that you can understand why diets fail and avoid menopause weight gain?

This article is Part 1 of a four part series on understanding the 7 big reasons why diets fail (especially during or after menopause)...

And of course we're going to go in detail into how to use this info to turn your dieting odds around completely.  Forever.  So that you can lose weight before, during, or after menopause. 

Some of these you've probably heard before - some are likely to be new -

And if even ONE of them is happening for you - it could be the one that's stopping your weight loss in it's tracks.

We'll look at each one - and then at how to overcome each one!

Have you ever kept trying, over and over, to write with a pencil that needed sharpening really badly?  

If something's not working - change it right?  But we don't always do this with diet.  

We keep thinking - exercise more, eat less calories and I'll lose weight.

And the truth is, that's not the way it works.  It's not the whole equation.  

So let’s look at the most common reasons diets fail - so we can stop making these same mistakes over and over.

Here’s what the experts say about Menopause Weight Gain and the 7 Big Reasons Why Diets Fail:

---Dr Aviva Romm says

When you don't eat enough - You're not feeding your brain, because your brains fuel comes entirely from food - if theres not enough food - the brain says - RED ALERT - and then this happens:

• You feel shaky, irritable, unable to focus and may even have cold sweats
• You’ll likely have mad cravings for sugar and fast burning carbs (yoru brain screaming feed me now)
• Your brain sends out cortisol to tell your body to store every extra calorie it can = belly fats and increased cholesterol
• Your brain makes sugar and carbs taste extra good
• Your brain”hits the binge button” so you really “can't eat just one”
• Because cortisol overrides your willpower no matter how much you try.
• Your brain tells your body to conserve energy by turning down the thermostat = lower thyroid which makes you pack on weight, feel tired, and lose hair
• The belly fat this kind of situation produces hormones that make it harder for you to ever feel full - so you eat more and more - it also produces chemicals that cause inflammation, depression, and chronic disease.
• And the cortisol makes it harder to sleep - (lack of sleep makes you 5 pounds heavier on average)

---Dietician Cassie says: 

Once you get on a whole food eating plan - wait 6 MONTHS before reducing portion size if you’re not losing weight - it can take that long from your metabolism to heal, recover, and turn back on after being in deprivation/survivial mode

---Dr Josh Axe agrees.  He says:

Dieting can make you fat because if you eat too little, too few calories, or not often enough your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows…

and - The brain is wired to know you need to eat regularly to survive.. so eating too little triggers all kinds of alarms in the brain not only lowering metabolism but turning on the drive and desire to eat

---NPR reports that scientists say:

The BRAIN is hardwired to want food to survive - so eating too little, which is deprivation backfires.  

---The Huffington Post says:

Eating too little leads to being hungry a lot - which causes you to rebel

OR eating too little makes you feel restricted - which can also lead you to rebel and eat like crazy.

#2. You’re eating a low-fat diet

Basically losing weight is much easier if you're eating enough healthy fat (and not eating enough healthy fat is one of the big reasons diets fail.)

---Dietician Cassie says:

Eating too little fast is one of the top 3 reasons diets fail.  

Fat keeps you full and helps stave off cravings for carbs.

Eating fat helps you stay away from sugar.”  

Fat is your friend, ESPECIALLY if you’re trying to lose weight.

Aim for a MINIMUM of 10 grams at all meals and snacks — preferably more.

---Dr. Mark Hyman says:

Studies show that by eating more fat and less carbs you can increase your metabolism by 300 calories a day (eating the same total calories a day).

That’s like getting the benefit of running for an hour a day without getting off the couch.

You could call it “The Butt Diet.” Sit on your butt and lose 1 pound every 11 days.

One of my favorite ways to get more healthy fats into my diet is in my smoothie!!

3. You’re not sleeping enough

Study after study shows that not sleeping for long enough OR not getting good enough quality deep sleep leads to weight gain and makes it much harder to lose weight.

---Dietician Cassie says:

Sleep controls hormones which control your appetite AND your metabolism, not to mention playing a key role in immunity, which you need working in your favor if you plan to lose weight too.

Everything needs to be working properly for your body to lose weight, and it starts and ends with sleep.

---PopSugar says:

Getting enough sleep:

1. Helps you eat less because it chabges the level of the hunger-regulating hormone leptin, which helps your body realize it's full, and ghrelin, which stimulates appetite.
2. It reduces belly fat: Anxiety and stress are two major contributors to belly fat, and getting enough sleep is one way to beat both.
3. It may suppress fat genes: A recent study found that women who slept seven to nine hours a night weighed less than those who were sleep-deprived.  Researchers believe that those who slept fewer than seven hours a night (or, interestingly, more than nine) were more affected by any genetic predispositions to be overweight or obese.
4. It gives you energy: If you've gotten a good night's rest, then you're more likely to have the energy to tackle your workout for the day. And, since exercise helps you sleep, revamping your sleeping habits can be the start of a beneficial cycle.

#5 You have a food sensitivity or allergy causing inflammation

---Dietician Cassie says:

If you are eating foods you have a sensitivity to, an inflammatory reaction takes place in your body and your body is NOT going to lose weight. Your body is going to focus on healing areas that are affected (damaged and inflamed) by the food you are eating.

When you have chronic inflammation going on, the last thing your body is going to do is lose weight.

#6 Your gut ecosystem (probiotics!) is in bad shape

Having bad bugs in your gut instead of good ones - can either trigger inflammation or alter how your food is broken down and absorbed.  Either one can cause menopause weight gain and cause your diet to fail no matter how "good" it is. 

#7 You're toxic

IF YOU HAVE AN overload of toxins in your body from things like pesticides, household cleaners, make up, pollution and heavy metals, they can be “obesogens" making you gain weight almost no matter what you do or don't eat.

BONUS-1: You don't have the right attitude

Let's just lay it on the table right now willpower, deprivation, and an all-or-nothing or totally controlled approach won't work.

I mean really - is this great news or what?? None of those are fun anyway!  I can't wait to share with you MORE FUN and much more successful ways to lose weight. 

Here’s the recap.