Why You’re Not Losing Weight (Even When You’re Eating Clean)

By Stacey, Certified Health Coach

You're doing all the right things.
You’ve cut out the junk, cleaned up your meals, and maybe even swapped your snacks for “healthier” options.
But the weight? It’s still hanging on.
Let’s talk about why, and it’s not about willpower, calories, or carbs. It’s about hormones.

Insulin: The Gatekeeper of Fat Storage

Insulin is the hormone that tells your body, “Store this for later.”
Every time you eat, yes, even a "healthy" snack, your insulin rises.
And when insulin is high, your body is in storage mode, not fat-burning mode.

Let’s look at a typical “clean” day of eating:

🕗 8:00 AM – Avocado on toast
🕥 10:30 AM – Muffin and a coffee from the café
🕛 12:00 PM – Salad with chicken and dressing
🕒 3:00 PM – Nut bar or a slice from the café
🕕 6:00 PM – Stir-fry with brown rice
🕗 8:00 PM – Cup of tea and a bikkie

That’s six insulin spikes!!! That is zero time for your body to tap into stored fat.
Even when the food is “healthy,” the constant eating keeps insulin levels elevated, which blocks fat burning and leads to metabolic dysfunction.

Cortisol, Stress & Your Stalled Metabolism

Now layer in stress.
When you're rushing, worrying, or overwhelmed, your body pumps out cortisol, your stress hormone. Cortisol tells your liver to release glucose for quick energy.

But that glucose spike needs managing, so guess what shows up? Insulin.
Even if you’re not eating, stress can keep your insulin levels high.

Chronic stress = chronically elevated insulin = more fat storage.

Late-Night Eating vs. Sleep Hormones

Here’s something most people don’t realise:
Insulin doesn’t just mess with weight, it messes with melatonin, your sleep hormone.
If you eat too close to bedtime, especially something sweet or starchy, insulin stays high, and melatonin can’t rise the way it should.

That means poor sleep, more stress the next day, more cravings, and yep… more insulin.

So, What Can You Do Instead?

• Stick to three solid meals - built around protein, whole food fats and natures carbs

• Ditch the snacks

• Create space between meals - give your insulin time to drop so your body can burn fat

• Finish eating 2.5 to 3 hours before bed to support melatonin and deep sleep

• Start noticing - are you eating out of hunger, habit, or emotion?

You can eat clean and still struggle to lose weight if your hormones are out of sync.
This isn’t about discipline. It’s about understanding your body’s signals and working with them, not against them.

This is what I call Metabolic Alignment, and once you start tuning in, the results speak for themselves.