10 reasons why you aren’t losing weight
Maybe you enthusiastically thrown yourself into healthy eating and exercising and initially saw results, but have since seen them stall. Why isn’t that weight shifting, despite your best efforts? Here are some possible reasons for that nuisance fat stubbornly clinging to your body.
Weighing yourself too often
Your weight daily fluctuates anyway – and, if you are a woman, your monthly cycle could be having an effect as well, the website of US TV channel Food Network cautions. Make sure you weigh yourself just once weekly – and always at the same point in the day.
Casually snacking during the day
Having the occasional snack can wreak havoc on your waistline, despite what you may initially think. In fact, over the day, it could add an extra 1,000 calories for which you don’t account.
Neglecting the exercise
While going on an occasional walk is a good start, you shouldn’t expect to see sustained weight loss unless you step up those exercise efforts. Aim for at least half an hour of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days each week.
Not getting enough sleep
A study revealed at The American Thoracic Society indicated that women getting under five hours of sleep each night were 32% likelier to gain weight of at least 33 pounds compared to women sleeping for a minimum of seven hours nightly.
Eating healthy foods of the excessive calorie count
Even if you routinely tuck into such healthy foods as salads and brown rice, you could be underestimating the calorie content. You might not have realized that just a three-quarter cup of cooked brown rice totals about 150 calories!
Not mixing up your exercises
If your only exercise consists of running, you might want also to add some swimming, badminton or something else which helps inject more variety into your exercise routines. HuffPost insists that “variability in your workouts is vital”.
Experiencing too much stress
Your health plan can be thrown into disarray if you fret excessively. Studies show that stress can lead to weight gain through producing cortisol and leading you to choose unhealthy foods.
Insufficient protein intake
Should protein account for 25-30% of your calorie intake, you could daily lose an additional 80-100 calories, says Healthline. Protein can also significantly reduce your cravings and snacking desire; this is thought to be due to how protein affects appetite-regulating hormones like ghrelin.
Drinking too little water
Upping your consumption of water can help you lose 44% extra weight. This is certainly a conclusion of one 12-week study, participants of which lost this much weight through drinking half a litre of water half an hour ahead of meals.
You should not, however, deem sugary beverages like Coke, Pepsi and even vitamin water substitutes for water. These sugar-loaded drinks are actually among the most fattening things you could add to your diet.
Not knowing the facts
Maybe you have inadvertently bought into various myths about weight loss. However, joining a fat camp can give you a great opportunity to learn what really works for shifting that blubber.