While we often talk about calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and the basic principles of weight loss—where we consume fewer calories to lose weight and more to gain weight—we need to remember that this process isn’t easy for everyone.

For thousands of years, humans have battled against starvation. Our bodies have developed an excellent mechanism for surviving food shortages, as well as a feedback loop that drives us to eat more when food is plentiful—because we didn’t know when it would be available again.

In recent decades, however, food has become constantly accessible (especially in the modern world), and those genetic traits that helped our ancestors survive now put us at risk of excessive weight gain, triggered by the abundance of food in our environment.

Why is it Harder for Some People to Lose Weight?

While some people might not find it difficult, others face a huge challenge when trying to resist the ever-present, tempting, high-calorie foods that are just within reach. Add to that factors like a person’s financial or economic situation, work-related stress, job type, mental health, family responsibilities, emotional eating, and more, and it becomes clear why weight gain is so common.

Our brain is still "stuck in the past"—wired to eat whenever food is available, fearing that there might be a shortage later. It’s essential to keep this in mind. On the other hand, while we can always say "no" to food, this becomes much harder the longer we’re on a diet, the more tempting and calorie-dense foods are nearby, and the more often we expose ourselves to situations where food is abundant (like dinners, social events, and parties).