Weight Stuck? – This Will Get It Moving Again!
posted on: July 29, 2026. posted in: Weight loss
"So I'm at my wits end I'm 58 going into the end of menopause had two new knees last year one at the beginning one at the end. I had to lose weight just to have them done which I did through doing calorie deficit. Now nothing works I walk beween 12000 and 15000 steps a day and do resistance band training every other day to help with my knees. I work in care long shift over night 5 times a fortnight. I'm more active then I've ever been and eat healthy but still nothing moves any suggestion would be gratefully received before I say to hell with it."
Ok, I want you to visualise something for me...
Imagine a car that is parked on a steep hill, in neutral, with the handbrake firmly on. The driver of that car is revving the engine, trying to get the car to move, but the car just isn't going anywhere. Rev rev rev. Foot hard on the accelerator. No movement at all.
"That's obvious Liam! She needs to put the car in first gear, she needs to take the handbrake off, then she needs slowly drive up that hill, until she's over the top of it, then she can really get going where she wants to go!"
Exactly.
Three things.
1) 1st gear.
2) Handbrake off.
3) Overcome steep hill.
In that exact order.
___________
Getting Into First Gear ⚙️
When it comes to weight loss, very often I get messages from people saying "I'm trying my hardest! I'm revving my car! I'm getting my steps in! But my car (weight) just isn't moving!"...
And I instantly know that no amount of moving / revving / getting your steps in is going to help with getting their weight down. Because, quite simply, they're either in neutral, or the handbrake is firmly on, or they're on a very steep hill, or all three.
"Liam, I get it! I'm stuck in neutral, the handbrake is firmly on, and the hill I'm stuck on feels like a mountain to climb! What the hell do I do?!"
Ok, so you know how when the car's in neutral it just can't move anywhere no matter how hard you rev? Well, when your body is hormonally imbalanced, you just can't lose weight, no matter how hard you exercise. Rev rev rev, the car is still. Move move move, the scales are still. That's neutral. That's hormonal imbalance.
Perimenopause decreasing estrogen levels, long night shifts that elevate your cortisol levels, high stress that impacts your insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate intolerance, and potentially undiagnosed issues, like a thyroid issue, can all play their part in putting you in neutral.
To get into first gear, and start losing weight, you need to address the underlying hormonal issues first.
__________
Taking The Handbrake Off ✅
Imagine that you've got yourself into first gear, and you're revving, revving, revving, and the car is grinding forwards a little bit but not really getting going...
"Got it Liam, the handbrake is still on! So I can't just go into first gear, I need to take the handbrake off too! What's the handbrake then, tell me!"
The handbrake is a far more challenging issue. It's a psychological issue, where people unconsciously self-sabotage their weight loss efforts, the moment things get going.
The car edges forward a bit, then the driver unconsciously yanks the handbrake up, stopping any further progress forwards.
Inside many people living with obesity, there is an unconscious fear of weight loss that holds them at their higher weight, putting the handbrake on. That fear can have its origins in trauma, or perfectionism, or the fear of how life will be different if they lose weight. And it's all unconscious.
I work with many clients who get stuck at a high weight, with the handbrake firmly on, because of unconscious programming that sabotages their weight loss efforts the moment they get going.
Rev rev rev, try try try, consciously. But unconsciously there is something yanking the handbrake up. What is it?
__________
Getting Over The Hill ⛰️
You've got the car in first gear (you're hormonally balanced now). You've taken the handbrake off (you've identified and addressed the unconscious programming sabotaging your efforts).
You're revving away, but it's slow.
Now if you were that person on the hill, trying to drive up and over it, you would ACCEPT that it's going to be slow, and it's going to take time, and it's not like driving on a motorway, so you're going to have to be patient and wait, right?
People just don't do this with weight loss. Their expectations are that weight loss should be super quick, losing 3 or 4lbs a week. So when they're only losing 1lb, a "measly half a pound" a week, they can't accept it. They get impatient, and they convince themselves it's not working, so they quit.
But it is working.
It's just slow because you have a big hill to get over. And it might take a year or two to get over that big hill, driving very slowly. But a year of losing 0.5lbs a week is 24lbs, nearly 2 stone a year.
Can you accept that? Can you be patient? Can you stick it out long enough to finally, albeit slowly, make your way over that hill?
Most people can't. And that's why they don't lose weight.
__________
The take home...
1) Get your hormones balanced,
2) Identify your weight loss handbrake,
3) Get a good coach, to help you be patient.
Liam x
Rebelfit
p.s. For anyone feeling stuck, I have some availability for private consultation if you'd like to do some work on this. Email liam@rebelfit.co.uk and I'll get things moving for you 🚗
