Want to lose weight?
But things are going worst instead of trying the best possible things. If you are still struggling with weight loss and searching for the right reason for the cause, then you should give it a pause. There are many major and minor things that cause these problems and you are not aware of it.
If you searching for the reason why you aren’t able to lose weight then this is for you.
In this article, I will list down the reason which is the roadblock in major of people’s weight loss journey. There are quick fixes that can do the right.
1. Are You Skipping Your Breakfast?
If you are trying to lose weight, then it is important to start your day with a healthy start. A healthy start will make a bigger difference in your whole day habit.
Among that healthy habit, starting the day with breakfast is most important. You might have heard that, eating breakfast don’t have much effect on weight loss. But you should neglect those things, and start your day with healthy breakfast.
If you skip breakfast, then you will face craving for food during lunch, eating more calories. For weight loss, you need to avoid things that can cause craving, as it will lower your ability to make a better food choice.
Solution: Start your day with protein and fiber-rich foods. Protein and fiber are filling food that can keep craving a bay. As there is a continuous supply of energy, you won’t feel hunger pangs and stay away from craving.
2. Do You Eat Close To Bedtime?
Late night meal can also interfere with your weight loss goal. It may raise body temperature, blood sugar, and insulin level that makes it hard to burn fat.
Solution: To lose weight, you need to eat 2-3 hours earlier than you go to sleep. Eating few hour before going to sleep, has many potential health benefits. You can also go for 10-15 walk after a meal that will boost weight loss and protect from diabetes.
3. Are You Late Night Snackers?
If you have trouble while losing weight, then should check your sleeping pattern and eating habit.
If you sleep late, then you will prefer to have snacks, as they are readily available. Also, while watching late night movie or using a computer; you will eat more calorie dense without realizing. This habit will increase your calorie intake and also disturb your next day pattern.
Solution: Avoid distraction while eating. The most important thing is to avoid late night work or entertainment.
In case, you have to complete your assignment or work, then make a proper food choice. Grab a fruit or other healthy food than snacking on chips or ice cream.
4. Are You Under Too Much Stress?
Stress can make your effort to lose weight tougher. It impacts your weight loss goal in many ways.
Long term stress level = high cortisol level.
High cortisol level leads to blood sugar imbalance and fat storage in the midsection. Due to high cortisol level, you will reach to food dense in calorie and fat foods. (32)
Stress can also slow down the calorie burn that causes weight gain.
Solution: To lose weight you have first to get rid of stress by doing exercise and meditation. If you feel stressed then just go for walk
Other effective steps to lose weight:
- Choose fat wisely (Healthy fat)
- Adjust meal proportions (Add more fiber rich foods)
- Add metabolic boosters (Add Spices)
- Breathe before your eat
- Post Walk before meal
5. Do Gender Matters To Lose Weight?
Yes! Gender have a slight effect on weight loss. When both start with exercise and eat healthy, men will lose weight fat compared to women. While in long term, they both will have a similar ratio.
It means the rate of weight loss will be different; there won’t be any remarkable changes.
On an average, women have 6 – 11 percent more body fat than men. But it doesn’t mean its unhealthy weight; it’s body physiology that means it’s not extra weight. Women with 6 – 11 percent body are still healthy than a healthy man.
Solution: To lose weight both men and women have to be dedicated towards their fitness routine and nutrition. The weight loss result might vary, but it’s perfect to maintain a healthy weight for better health.
6. Are You Burning Calories Slowly?
If you are considering to lose weight, then you should take care of your calorie burn rate.
Calorie rate depends on metabolism — chemical reactions that control body energy level and other vital processes.
Metabolism plays important role in stimulating weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. With slow metabolism your body will burn less calorie and store more fat, making it difficult to lose weight.
Slow metabolism is also due to the gene. While it may be due to low muscle mass that requires less energy to function. A lean and muscular person burn more calorie as muscle need more energy compared to fat cells. So people with high muscle mass burns more calorie than high-fat cells.
A diet has more effect on the rate of metabolism. Diet rich in protein and fiber boost metabolism. But if your diet lack in required calorie, the body will slow down metabolism to preserve energy.
Solution: Start lifting weight to get more muscle mass to increase metabolism and burn a calorie. Women can also lift weight to stimulate metabolism without getting bulky like men. (To build more muscle body requires a large amount of testosterone)
With exercise, it is also important to eat a well-balanced diet. Avoid calorie deficient diet to prevent slowdown of metabolism.
7. Are You Sleeping Enough?
If you don’t get enough sleep, it will be tough to lose weight. Disturbance in sleep slows down the metabolism that you need to lose weight.
With slow metabolism, your energy level will be low for exercise. Also, it will delay the recovery process.
Due to lack of sleep, you will not be able to make a proper food choice. You will be more likely to choose foods that are dense in calorie and fats.
With a healthy and deep sleep, body produce a fat burning hormone that helps to lose weight.
Solution: Try to have a 7-8 hour sleep.
8. Do Genes Matter For Weight Loss?
Yes! Genes matter while losing and maintaining weight.
You might have seen some people don’t have trouble while losing weight or maintaining it, while few people face a tough time. It’s the gene that they inherited from their parents and grandparents.
Nothing can be done with gene as it’s not in anyone’s hand. But you can lose weight without the benefits of the gene.
Solution: By following healthy diet and fitness routine you can boost metabolism and lose weight faster.
Is Thyroid Acting Up?
Thyroid can be another reason you might be facing problem in losing weight.
Underactive thyroid ( hypothyroidism) lead to weight gain from the buildup of salt and water in your body.
Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) acts quite differently. In some people, it causes weight loss while other gain weight due to increased appetite.
Learn more about it at: hypothyrodism & hyperthyroidism
Solution: You should check out doctor if it the problem.
Are you facing health problem or taking medicine?
Are You Taking Medication?
If you have any health problems then you will face a tough time to lose weight:
- Sleep apnea
- Heart disease
- Eating disorder
- Hormonal disorder
You will have trouble while losing if you are taking medicine for:
- Allergies
- Birth control
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- High blood pressure
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
Solution: Consult your doctor to have a talk over medicine. Follow healthy eating habit and fitness routine.
9. Are getting enough Vitamin D?
Lack of vitamin D is a reason for weight gain in many people. If you aren’t active and don’t get exposed to the sun, then you should see doctor or nutritionist to suggest a certain test and to take appropriate actions.
Solution: Go outside and enjoy the sun between 8-10 am. Add vitamin D fortified drink.
10. Are you exercising the right way?
To lose weight, you should first start with a fitness routine. But to lose weight, you shouldn’t depend on single types of exercise.
Solution: Add strength training to build muscle. High-intensity interval training for short burst will boost metabolism for longer to burn more calorie. You can also add yoga and pilate to relax and recover. Yoga has been found to correct body function that is helpful in losing weight.
11. Is your digestion and absorption optimal?
There aren’t any benefits in eating lots of nutrient rich food if you can’t digest properly and absorb it. One of the important things you should consider your gut health.
Why?
The gut is responsible for major of immune function. It is in charge of better absorption of nutrients. It also makes vital nutrients and hormones. A healthy gut is also responsible for better absorption of healthy fat while preventing absorption of the unhealthy one.
You can conclude that your overall health depends on it, including weight loss.
Solution: Add fiber-rich food in your diet, as gut bacteria feed on fiber. Add fermented foods in your meal like yogurt, kefir, fermented soy products, picked vegetables, etc.
12. Are you inactive the whole day?
You might wonder about the slow result instead dedicating into gym…
While at the office or anywhere you may be, if you are inactive whole day and plan to lose weight just by working in the gym then you are making a big mistake.
It is tough to lose weight just by working out in the gym. You have to stay active whole day.
Solution: Take a short break in between every long hour. Go for lunch. Take stair instead of an elevator. Take small steps in every activity to make a better and smarter choice.
13. Are you eating too much?
Weight loss success depends on how many calories you eat and burn. A calorie is required for continuous supply of energy, and you can’t neglect it.
But body need a certain amount of calorie for the functioning, while excess is stored in the form of fat.
If you are over obsessed with eating healthy but in excess, you won’t lose weight.
Wait!
You might be following 5-6 time meal plan as suggested by many people.
It is found to be helpful, but those meals would be small and well-planned. It is tough to follow such strict routine as written in books or magazine. So don’t be obsessed with eating 5-6 times.
Solution: Your body is capable of signaling you to eat when it need. Just listen to it and eat when you are hungry. By following a healthy diet, you might not feel constant hunger and it also a good sign.
You should fill your plate with 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbohydrate, and 1/2 veggies.
14. Are you chewing your food?
If you aren’t chewing your food properly, your body will face a tough time to digest those foods and absorb nutrients. By chewing your food properly you can improve your digestive system that is directly linked with weight loss.
Solution: Chew your food properly. You can follow a trick of chewing 32 times, to eat less and feel fuller.
15. Are you a fad dieter?
Trying many diets to lose weight is one of the biggest mistakes that major people make. To lose weight, you don’t need to follow any fad diet that lacks any particular nutrient or food type.
By following a fad diet, you might get some result at the start, but it won’t be helpful in long run. You will gain more weight than you lost after quitting.
What’s the benefit of such diet…
You can lose weight without trying any fad diet.
Solution: Start healthy and clean eating. Add fruits, veggies, grain, cereals, meat, eggs, fish, etc. You don’t have to quit any food type; you just need to use the food at the right time.
15. Are you cooking at home?
Food prepared at home while food available outside have a big gap in nutrition.
You can make any food nutrients delicious and healthy by adding right food alternative.
Solution: Limit yourself from eating outside. Prepare a healthy food for the alternative of unhealthy foods.
16. Are you missing protein to your plate?
Protein is known as satiety nutrient that curbs hunger and prevents unwanted craving. If your diet lack protein, you would replace it with other nutrients. Other nutrients may be carbohydrate that is not so filling, leading spike in sugar and insulin.
Eating protein in every meal will balance sugar and insulin that prevent weight gain.
Solution: Add protein in every meal to prevent craving and blood sugar spike.
17. Are you scared of healthy fats ?
Avoiding bad fat is essential for weight loss. But in that process, you shouldn’t miss the good fat.
Healthy fat is required by the brain and for hormone production. If your diet lack in healthy fats, there will be hormonal imbalance slowing body function and weight loss.
Solution: Eat healthy fat rich foods.
18. Do You Stay Unrealistic?
Many people face stress while trying to lose weight. These stress effect the confidence and also weight loss goal.
The reason behind is being unrealistic. Don’t try to have a quick fix, as it won’t do much.
Solution: Plan a healthy routine combined with fitness and nutrition. Set a goal that gives 2-3 month period. It’s enough to get a lean body in this period.
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