Why It is Difficult to Lose Weight

Before having weight loss surgery, many patients have found it difficult to lose weight and ultimately keep it off. In fact, many of my patients, pre and post-bariatric surgery, will say that they have done everything; “I’ve gone through all the different weight loss programs. I’ve tried weight loss pills. My doctors have done all kinds of tests. I will lose weight for some time, and then weight always comes back – what’s wrong with me?” 

Well, I am here to tell you that nothing is wrong with you. Let’s break this down from a historical perspective and start to understand why it is so difficult to lose weight.

The History Behind Fat Stores

First of all, you have to understand that fat tissue, called adipose tissue, is a necessary origin. Adipose tissue is our backup fuel source and is the regulation of our energy stores. The gasoline that gets us through our day is glucose because it is the easiest thing for our bodies to break down and run on. But glucose wasn’t always available in prehistoric times.

Think about humans in the first few thousand years of existence. It was a time when people had to forage for food to eat. And when they couldn’t find anything, and they had used up their circulating glucose, then they had to rely on their fat stores to bridge them or keep them alive until they could find food again. 

So our brains, which went to their formal processing and programming thousands and thousands of years ago, learned that adding more fat tissue would be a survival advantage—the more fat you have on you your body, the longer you could survive in the absence of food. Therefore, our brains and bodies became very efficient at taking in excess calories and creating more fat stores. Our brains’ processing has made it difficult to lose weight in the modern day where we have fast food on every corner, Georgia sweet tea and soft drinks, and all these different delivery restaurants. 

Why It is Difficult to Lose Weight

Almost every day, we consume more calories than our bodies actually need. We are taking these excess calories, and we’re creating more fat stores. The problem with this is that every time you’ve added fat throughout your life, your brain will recalibrate that as your new “normal”, ultimately making it more difficult to lose weight. 

What does that mean? Our brains keep us alive by managing normal levels in the body. If I drew your electrolytes today, I’d know pretty close to what those numbers would be. I also know that if I checked them a year from now, they would be the same amount because your brain needs all your electrolytes to be within a specific range to keep you alive. 

Similarly, if you donated blood today, we would decrease your circulating red blood cell levels, and if I rechecked you in a week or so, you’re going to be right back where you started, and there’s nothing you could do to prevent that. Nobody would ever say, “well, you didn’t have enough willpower to keep your hemoglobin down.”