Last week I sat with a beautiful human who was exhausted — not just physically, but emotionally — from the ongoing battle with their body. They’ve had a gastric sleeve. They’ve done the hard work. They’ve used weight‑loss medication in the past with great success. And yet, here they are again, facing the heartbreak of regaining everything they once lost. It wasn’t laziness. It wasn’t lack of willpower. It was their body, their hormones, and their biology pulling in a different direction than their intentions.
This is a conversation so many people quietly carry: “Why is my body fighting me?”
And the truth is, our bodies are not simple machines. They are hormonal ecosystems — constantly talking, adjusting, protecting, and reacting. When it comes to food, appetite, and weight, those hormonal conversations can be loud, confusing, and sometimes completely overwhelming.
The Hormonal Battle No One Sees
When someone has had a gastric sleeve, the body undergoes major changes in appetite hormones like ghrelin (hunger hormone) and GLP‑1 (satiety hormone). Early on, these hormones often shift in ways that make eating less feel natural.
But over time, the body can adapt.
Hormones can creep back toward old patterns. Appetite can return. Cravings can intensify. And the brain — which has its own powerful weight‑regulation system — can push hard to restore what it believes is “normal.”
Add to that the hormonal effects that we often overlook:
- Stress – which increases cortisol , cortisol increases ghrelin (appetite) Reduces leptin (so you find it hard to feel full), and interferes with insulin (causing hunger swings and energy crashes).
- Sleep disruption,
- Trauma,
- Medications,
- Menopause, and
- Chronic dieting (dieting for more than 6 months), and suddenly food becomes part of a much bigger biological conversation.
This isn’t failure.
This is physiology.
Its easy to see why regain happens — Even When You’re Doing Everything “Right”
If we keep focusing only on building habits around food intake or exercise, we miss the bigger picture. Weight, wellbeing, and energy are shaped just as much by stress, the natural changes that come with aging, our history of trauma — including generational patterns — and the long, complicated relationship many of us have with dieting and fad messages about food and fluids. When we widen the lens, we can finally see that our bodies are responding to far more than calories or movement; they’re responding to the full story of our lives.
How exhausting!
Weight regain after surgery or medication is incredibly common, and it’s rarely about effort. The body has protective mechanisms designed to keep weight stable. When weight drops quickly, hormones like leptin fall, signalling the brain that you’re in danger. Appetite increases. Metabolism slows. Hunger becomes louder. Fatigue becomes heavier. This is not a lack of discipline — it’s your body trying to keep you alive.
For people who’ve used weight‑loss medication, stopping it can feel like losing a supportive voice in that hormonal conversation. Without it, the old signals return, often stronger than before.
The Emotional Weight of Starting Again
The person I spoke with wasn’t just dealing with physical regain — they were dealing with grief. The grief of feeling like they had climbed a mountain only to find themselves back at the bottom. The grief of shame, even though none of this was their fault. The grief of wondering whether their body could ever feel like a partner instead of an opponent.
And yet, in that conversation, something powerful happened.
They realised they weren’t broken.
They weren’t failing.
They were human — living inside a body that communicates through hormones, history, and survival instincts.
A More Compassionate Way Forward Is Needed for People who are on a Weight Loss Path
If you’re reading this and you’ve lived a similar story, here’s what I want you to hear:
- Your body is not betraying you. It’s trying to protect you.
- Regain is not a moral issue. It’s a biological one.
- You deserve care, not criticism.
- You are allowed to start again — gently, without shame.
- You are not alone in this conversation.
And most importantly:
Your wellbeing journey must be on your terms.
Not society’s. Not anyone else’s expectations. Yours.
What Helps?
Not quick fixes. Not punishment. Not restriction.
What helps is understanding your body’s hormonal language — learning what triggers hunger, what calms it, what supports satiety, and what helps your nervous system feel safe. What helps is compassionate structure, not harsh rules. What helps is support from professionals who understand metabolic health and can guide you safely.
And what helps most is knowing that your story is valid, your struggle is real, and your courage to keep going is extraordinary.
A Final Word for This Monday – I know this is a long Blog today!
If you’re starting again today — whether with food, movement, mindset, or self‑kindness — I want you to know that starting again is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of resilience. It’s a sign that you still believe in your future, even when your past has been heavy.
- Your body is talking.
- Your hormones are talking.
- And you are learning to listen with curiosity instead of judgement.
That is powerful work.
That is brave work.
And that is exactly where change begins.
You can do this! Don’t feel shamed in asking for help – you are not alone!
