Why doesn't a method that worked for others work for me?

Key points in 30 seconds

1. The reason weight was gained differs from person to person.
2. It's common for a method that worked for others not to work for you.
3. If you eat little and still don't lose weight, eating even less is not the answer.
4. We look at your history of losing and regaining, your sleep, and your medications together.
5. If you gained weight suddenly, other causes such as thyroid problems should be checked first.

What we often hear

• "Others say it worked, but it doesn't for me."
• "I do the same thing, and I'm the only one who doesn't lose weight."
• "I feel like my body gains weight now even though I eat less than before."

Why doesn't a method that worked for others work for me?

Because the reason weight was gained differs from person to person. If the same method is used for someone who gained weight from eating a lot and someone who gained weight despite eating little, the results are bound to differ.

Many people copy a method that worked for someone they know. When it doesn't work, they blame themselves, but in most cases the method simply suited that other person.

What types are there?

Broadly speaking, people fall into three groups: those who eat a lot, those who move little, and those who gain weight without eating much. The third is the trickiest.

For people whose problem is how much they eat, simply recording what and how much they eat is effective. For people who move little, adding exercise works right away.

But some people don't lose weight even though they eat little. In this case, cutting back even more without a plan only drains their energy and costs them muscle. Here, we need to look at something else.

What do you look at in the third group?

We look at how many times you've lost and regained weight, how you sleep, how your digestion and bowel movements are, and whether you take any medications.

In people who have lost and regained a lot of weight many times, the body has often already adjusted to using less energy. When you don't sleep enough, the signals that regulate appetite get thrown off. Some medications cause weight gain by themselves.

Can a genetic test tell me?

A genetic test can only show tendencies. It doesn't tell you what will make you lose weight. Test results can't replace a plan.

To be honest with you, how you've eaten and moved over the past few years, and your history of losing and regaining, tell us much more than test results. We spend more time listening to that story.

What are the limits of this assessment?

Dividing people into three groups is a convenient way of sorting, and in reality several factors are mixed together. We have not attached literature supporting this grouping to this article.

One more note. If you keep gaining weight even though you eat little, or you gained weight suddenly over a short time, causes such as an underactive thyroid, polycystic ovaries, or medications you're taking need to be checked first. Those tests come first.

We don't simply recommend a method that worked for someone else. The reason for weight gain differs for each person, and when the starting point is different, the same method doesn't work.

If a method that worked for everyone else didn't work for you, come see us. We'll start by looking at why it didn't fit.

Even with the same method, results differ from person to person depending on why the weight was gained.