The Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight
Everyone has their own personal goals for their health and body composition, and sometimes those include weight loss. But there's a lot of misinformation out there, so we are going to discuss some common pitfalls, stumbling blocks and misconceptions around weight and fat loss and how to be successful in keeping it off.
1. You Don’t Drink Enough Water:
Besides keeping you hydrated, drinking water on the regular, according to recent studies, can aid with weight loss. Filling up on water before a meal helps encourage portion control, and eating foods that contain a lot of water (like fruits and veggies) will fill you up faster, causing you to eat less. A small study even found that drinking cool water could speed up metabolism and discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice.
2. You Don’t Eat Enough:
Don't starve yourself to save calories for later. It'll not only mess up your metabolism, and by dinnertime, that famished feeling will likely cause you to eat more than you would if you weren't starving. Not only is starving yourself not sustainable for continued weight loss, but also, limiting yourself to too-small portions can lead to excess snacking between mealtimes.
3. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein:
Whether you prefer lean meats, fish or legumes, make sure you are eating enough protein, especially when you are lowering your overall caloric intake. To ensure your weight loss is reflecting a drop in fat and not muscle, it’s important to have adequate protein in your diet. People with diets were protein comprised, 15-25 percent of their daily calories stored as much as 45 percent of excess calories as muscle, while those who ate only 5 percent of their calories from protein, stored 95 percent of access calories as fat. Start your day off right with a healthy serving of protein, instead of a sugary or carb-filled meal.
4. Eating Too Many Processed Foods:
Stay away from refined foods! That means white bread, crackers, chips, plus all those sneaky refined sugars in packaged foods. All of these unhealthy items increase inflammation in the body. Belly fat is associated with inflammation, so eating too many processed foods will hinder your ability to lose belly fat." Instead, stick to whole, clean foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
5. Too Much Cardio Not Enough Weight Training:
Cardio is generally considered the fastest way to burn calories for most. However, there is a point of diminishing returns for most. Spending hours and hours of cardio can be tedious and cause unfavorable metabolic adaptations. Weight training can solve your excess cardio problems. Weight training produces a phenomenon called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). In a nutshell, this means that your metabolism is going to stay elevated after you exercise, so you continue burning calories even after you are done training. Sometimes metabolism stays elevated up to 72 hours after an intense weight training session. EPOC is the gift that keeps on giving (in terms of body fat reduction).
6. You’re Being Unrealistic:
Sustainable, lasting weight loss can take a while. While a loss of one or two pounds per week is reasonable and doable for many people, there are no hard and fast numbers that equal "success" for everyone. We all differ and everyone tolerates lifestyle change differently. For some people, the only way to lose weight without getting frustrated, bingeing, and giving up is to do it very slowly. Being realistic about how much weight you can actually lose in a given amount time with a given amount of effort is crucial.
As you integrate all this into your own weight loss efforts, remember to check in with yourself regularly to make sure your goals for your body are consistent with your goals for your mental health and happiness. Also, always check with a doctor before making any big changes to your diet or exercise routines.
A serial entrepreneur and former financial advisor, Jean Titus discovered his purpose and passion through the heartache of losing loved ones far too early. He lives his mantra – “We rise by lifting others” – daily as a life coach and Personal Trainer. Jean brings a simplicity and practicality to his work, helping clients draw on their strengths to realize the one thing money can’t buy – good health and wellness. Follow him on Instagram and his fitness journey!