Why You Really Can’t Lose Weight - And What To Do About It
Photo by Gabriel Martin on Unsplash.
If you’ve been struggling with weight loss despite your best efforts, you’re not alone. It can be frustrating when the scale won’t budge no matter how much you exercise or how strictly you follow a healthy diet. The truth is, weight loss isn’t just about calories in versus calories out. But let me be clear: I’m not suggesting that you can deny the laws of physics and magically lose weight by eating more calories than your body uses for energy.
However, I do want to be realistic about the complexity of weight loss and what many people are dealing with. It’s often not enough to simply count calories and expect that the weight will magically fall off. Why? Because if, for some reason, your cells can’t actually GET the energy that you’re eating from food, if they can’t break it down into a usable food source, then no, you won’t be able to lose weight. If your body can’t burn that energy, it will have to store it somewhere and probably end up storing it as fat.
I learnt this the hard way when I developed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism in 2017. Despite doing all the things that had helped me lose weight in the past, including increased exercise coupled with reduced food consumption, I was inexplicably gaining weight. It took me years to not only get a diagnosis for this condition but it was also years before I began to truly understand what had gone wrong in the first place and how to fix it. The solution was far more complex than simply reducing my calories. In fact, I ended up having to increase my calories to lose weight.
So, why wouldn’t your body be able to use the energy from your food? There are several reasons, but perhaps the most important is mitochondrial dysfunction. Let's have a look at why this is so important and how other factors like nutrient deficiencies and issues with detox systems can interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat and regulate hunger.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: The Hidden Driver of Weight Struggles
If you've been eating well, moving your body, and still finding it hard to shift weight, you're not alone—and the problem might not be your willpower. A growing body of research shows that mitochondrial dysfunction is at the heart of persistent weight gain and low energy. Your inability to lose weight is therefore not just about how much you eat, but how much you eat relative to how much of the energy you get from food that you can actually use.
Mitochondria are often called the "powerhouses of the cell" for good reason—they produce the majority of your body's ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which fuels nearly every cellular process, including fat metabolism. But mitochondria don’t just make energy—they also regulate oxidative stress, cell signalling, and apoptosis, all of which influence metabolism.
When your mitochondria aren’t functioning well, energy production becomes inefficient. The result? Fatigue, slower metabolism, and impaired fat-burning. Your body may shift into a kind of “energy conservation” mode, holding onto fat stores, especially around the middle, even if you’re eating less or exercising more.
Why Nutrient Deficiencies Can Sabotage Your Metabolism
Even with a seemingly healthy diet, many people are low in critical micronutrients that mitochondria depend on. Magnesium, B vitamins (particularly B2, B3, and B12), coenzyme Q10, and antioxidants are all essential for mitochondrial energy production and repair.
Magnesium, for instance, is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions and plays a direct role in ATP synthesis. Without enough of it, your cells can’t efficiently convert food into energy. Similarly, the B vitamins act as coenzymes in the citric acid cycle—without them, metabolic function slows, often leading to fatigue, insulin resistance, and weight gain.
Meanwhile, chromium, a heavy metal, is crucial for maintaining insulin sensitivity. It essentially acts like an enhancer when insulin goes knocking on cell receptors, helping it shuttle glucose into the cell more readily. It’s not needed in huge quantities in the body, but research shows that it can help increase insulin sensitivity and can aid weight loss in those who are deficient.
The Toxin-Weight Connection: Detoxification and Hormonal Disruption
Your mitochondria are also highly vulnerable to toxic damage. Heavy metals (like mercury and lead), pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and BPA can inhibit mitochondrial enzymes, increase oxidative stress, and even cause mitochondrial DNA damage.
When detoxification pathways—particularly those governed by the liver—are under stress, toxins may accumulate. This not only burdens your mitochondria but also affects hormonal balance. For instance, toxins can interfere with thyroid hormones, insulin signalling, and leptin sensitivity—three key players in metabolic regulation.
Leptin resistance is a common issue in chronic weight struggles. When leptin signalling is disrupted, your brain doesn’t register satiety properly, leading to increased hunger, food cravings, and difficulty sticking to a healthy eating pattern.
Hormonal Imbalances: The Interplay of Energy Regulation and Hunger
In addition to leptin, other hormones like insulin and cortisol also play key roles in regulating energy production and use, as well as hunger and satiation. Insulin is the hormone responsible for managing blood sugar levels, and when insulin is chronically elevated (often due to stress, poor diet, or mitochondrial dysfunction), it can lead to insulin resistance, making it harder for your body to use stored fat for energy. This leads to more fat storage and a reduced ability to lose weight.
Cortisol, a hormone involved in your stress response, also plays a part in weight regulation. When cortisol levels are high due to chronic stress, your body may go into “survival mode,” storing fat in preparation for a perceived threat. This is an adaptive survival response, but in today’s world of chronic stress, it can become a metabolic liability, especially when fat is stored around your abdominal area.
Why Do Our Mitochondria Stop Working Well?
At a biochemical level, any of the factors that I’ve already outlined above can affect your mitochondria. But these stem from lifestyle-level choices and behaviours that you’re undertaking - often without even knowing that they might be damaging your mitochondria - every single day. Things like being under a lot of stress, not getting adequate sleep, eating highly processed foods, exercising beyond your capacity can all impair mitochondrial function and impact your ability to lose weight.
In my situation, I realised that the biggest trigger of mitochondrial dysfunction for me was emotional and psychological stress, as well as an inability to sleep well due to the effects of stress. Not eating enough was compounding my inability to lose weight, rather than supporting weight loss. Why?
Because it was stressful.
My body was already unable to get enough energy from the food I was eating due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Then I cut back on the amount of food I was eating, and it was even harder still, especially because I cut right back on carbohydrates at a time when my body was under so much stress that my mitochondria needed them more than normal. Yeah, you read that right, cutting back on carbohydrates can be stressful for your mitochondria, even more so for someone with my genetic profile. Just like having too many carbohydrates (relative to need and other dietary factors) can be stressful, too few can be stressful as well. I talk about this more in my book, Overcome Autoimmune Disease, which, despite being aimed at an audience with autoimmune disease, covers a lot of topics that can be helpful for anyone struggling with chronic health conditions, including issues with losing weight.
Once I started eating more and including more (high-quality) carbohydrates in my diet, concurrent with reducing my stress, I was able to lose weight.
Your own issues with weight loss will be personal to you - they’re unlikely to be exactly the same as mine. We don’t have the exact same genetics, cultural context, or lifestyle factors, and you might be biologically male, whereas I am biologically female, so it’s impossible for me to say that what I did will work exactly for you. This is why you need a personalised approach to health and weight loss based on data like hair mineral analysis, bloodwork, and maybe even genetic analysis.
But I’m going to share some tips below that will get you on the right track as you’re beginning your journey.
What You Can Do: Supporting Mitochondria and Metabolism
The good news is that mitochondrial function is dynamic—it can be supported and restored with the right inputs. Here are practical steps you can take:
1. Nourish Your Mitochondria
Focus on nutrient-dense foods that provide the raw materials your mitochondria need. Antioxidants (like polyphenols in berries and leafy greens) protect mitochondria from oxidative stress, while healthy fats like omega-3s support membrane integrity and energy production. Nutritional compounds like CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine, and alpha-lipoic acid have been shown to enhance mitochondrial function in both research and clinical settings. Your mitochondria also need ample B vitamins, iron, zinc, and magnesium to work properly.
2. Correct Nutrient Deficiencies
Even a few key deficiencies can create bottlenecks in energy production. Functional testing (e.g., blood, organic acid testing, and hair mineral analysis) can help identify what you’re missing. Magnesium, B12 (if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you really need to get B12 in particular checked regularly), zinc, and selenium are common deficiencies in people struggling with energy and metabolism. I also see a lot of people with chromium, boron, and vanadium deficiencies who struggle with energy and metabolism. And the number one deficiency I see? It’s vitamin D - everyone I work with, unless they’re supplementing, is deficient in vitamin D, probably because our lifestyles revolve around being inside so much these days. This is especially true for those living in cooler climates with harsh winters, where getting outside can be difficult due to the weather.
3. Enhance Detoxification
Support your liver and lymphatic system through hydration as a first priority. I know that I often forget to drink enough water when I’m on the run or having a busy day at work. Then I get home and wonder why I’m so thirsty! I now try to carry a water bottle with at least 500ml capacity everywhere I go, so I can track how many times I’ve filled it up throughout the day. Your water requirements will vary depending on your size and activity level, but at least 2l/day is a great starting point for any adult. If you’re a larger person or more active, you may even need double this amount.
Your detoxification systems can also benefit from whole foods like cruciferous vegetables (rich in sulphur and glucosinolates), and herbs like milk thistle and dandelion root. And, believe it or not, the majority of the antioxidants that your body produces itself are protein-dependent, while many of the detoxification processes in your liver rely on iron. Plants are fabulous for your detoxification systems, but so is meat. A balanced diet that includes both is the best nutritional strategy for optimising detoxification.
In addition, reducing environmental exposures—like plastics, synthetic fragrances, and pesticide-laden produce—can also lighten the load and reduce the need for your body to detoxify in the first place.
4. Balance Your Hormones
Prioritise sleep, reduce caffeine and alcohol, and engage in restorative practices such as deep breathing, meditation, or gentle movements like tai chi or yoga. I talk about nervous system function a lot, and this is one of the reasons why - your nervous system impacts your metabolism in some pretty major ways. These kinds of activities can all help reset cortisol and improve leptin and insulin sensitivity. In fact, anything that helps you feel relaxed or, better yet, feel emotions like love, awe, and wonder, can help regulate your nervous system and therefore your hormones.
Eating meals that include protein, fat, and fibre can help keep blood sugar stable and reduce stress on metabolic systems. This is a really important point, so I’m going to dwell on it for a moment. Research has shown that having protein and carbohydrates at the same time can slow the absorption of carbohydrates and reduce spikes in blood sugar after eating a meal that includes carbohydrates. You don’t even need that much protein to get the effect - a single egg (~6g of protein) paired with 40g of berry jam (high in refined sugar) produces a noticeable decrease in blood sugar compared to eating the berry jam on its own. This has flow-on effects for insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function, so it’s good to remember because it can guide you in shaping your meals. The study cited above was small, but there is plenty of additional research to support its findings, including the mechanisms by which protein can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce glycaemic load, so I think this is a valuable strategy that we can all utilise to the benefit of our mitochondria.
Final Thoughts
Weight regulation is about so much more than calories in versus calories out. It’s about restoring energy balance at the cellular level. Cosmetic motivations aside, this is an excellent reason to make it a priority, though I’m not advocating for a specific body size or shape. I’m advocating for a healthy and sustainable body composition, which indicates and is supportive of mitochondrial function.
By supporting your mitochondria, correcting deficiencies, reducing toxic load, and balancing stress hormones, you can give your body the tools it needs to shift from energy conservation into energy production—and finally see sustainable changes in your weight and well-being.