Losing weight is not an easy task for most of us.
Many times even after working out strenuously for hours in the gym, spending loads of money on dietary products the results are not good at all.
What may be the reason?
Apparently, we do not look out for the other reasons that may interfere with our weight loss goals.
The science behind weight loss in the most simplistic manner:
- The amount of calorie intake= amount of energy stored which the body uses up, so the weight stays stable.
- If the amount of calorie is more than the calorie you burn, then the weight is gained.
- If the amount of calorie is less than the calorie you burn, you might lose weight but the energy level falls.
The science behind weight loss may seem very easy to understand, but some minor mistakes we make that we do not even recognize during our fitness regime.
Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight
Not all bodies are suitable for heavy workout and all of us cannot become slim within 2 months.
Our body goes through a whole lot of processes before weight loss.
Hence we should also keep in our minds these simple things during our weight loss regimen.
1. Not drinking enough water
You might have heard that water is one of a key element in losing pounds.
It suppresses appetite, alleviates dehydration hence saving us from kidney damage. When kidneys are damaged, the body moves to the liver for further functioning.
This is how the fat gets stored more than it can be used. Low water intake may retain the fat in your body and you may not lose weight. Also, water helps in flushing out toxins and keeps the body fit.
Health Tip: Since your body contains 65% water, 8 glasses of water (for a woman weighing around 128pounds) daily should be enough to get going. When you are trying to lose weight, intake of water should be increased every day.
2. Exercising, but without a diet plan
Working out without a proper diet plan may prevent weight loss. Research has shown that the calories burnt during exercise are from the muscles that we have, not the fat residing in your body.
Over-exercising may make you feel hungrier.
It is observed that people tend to intake more unhealthy foods than healthy foods after a heavy workout.
This is a major reason behind not losing weight.
Simply exercising causes us to eat more, especially during the early stages of the workout.
Health Tip: When you start a workout, always make a dietary plan before doing it. A pre-snack might be a great idea. An hour before a strenuous workout requires 45grams of carbohydrates and small amounts of protein. Also staying hydrated throughout the workout may help intake less calorific food.
3. Dietary mistakes; leaving out an entire food group
Opting out an entire food group may lead to nutritional deficiency.
Your body needs all the dietary elements (Vitamins, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins).
Opting out any one of these elements may not support the theory of “balanced diet”.
Health tip: Maintain a balanced diet. Eat small amounts of every portion of the food committee. Leaving any one of the groups may lead to unfit routine and bad health. It’s about the extra carbohydrate that creates the fat, not the small number of Fats in the diet.
4. Skipping breakfast
Choosing healthy proteins, fats and carbohydrates are necessary. Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.
Skipping breakfast may lead to swelling of the abdomen. Your body thinks that it’s getting “starved” hence it won’t use up the residing fat.
Studies showed that people who eat breakfast regularly reduce more weight than others. It is a kick-start to your day for a healthy metabolism.
Health tip: Cereals may be a time-saving breakfast during office days. Stay away from sugar-coated cereals which contain around 350 calories per serving.
Be aware of the type of milk you choose or the honey and the toppings. Avoid foods which have a high number of calories.
5. You may have inherited a “fat gene”
This may be one of the crucial reasons why most people even after following a healthy diet and good workout regimen don’t lose weight.
When both the parents are obese, it is mandatory that their children will become obese.
A study in the University of California, San Francisco showed that a child has 50% chance of being obese when one of their parents is obese and a child who’s both the parents are obese has an 80% chance of being obese.
Remember these are just "chances".
Good news is that only 2 pounds of fat can be blamed on that “fat gene”.
6. Sitting and working all day
According to a study in University of Missouri, Columbia, our body tends to inhibit the fat-inhibiting enzyme called as the lipase.
Sitting in front of a computer and working all day without moving may add to not losing weight.
Just a walk of 2 minutes during those hours may lessen the chances of getting fat. According to recent research at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee showed that walking for 2minutes burns 59 calories a day.
Health tip: Set up a timer at your desk and after a strenuous sitting and working, walk for about 2-5minutes and then come back and start your work again.
Keep doing this and you’ll feel much active during working hours.
7. Not getting enough of sleep
Getting enough of sleep is required when you have a tight weight loss routine and workout schedule. To keep up with the exercise routine you need a lot of energy for it.
Your body needs to rest for a long time so that it can work properly every day.
Pounding up on caffeine and sugar for more energy will never help out in losing weight.
Health tip: Try to sleep for at least 6-8 hours a day. Getting enough of sleep will help in working out more the next day and lose weight!
8. Medicines to be blamed
Some of the drugs that treat depressions, nerves, and diabetes may accelerate the weight gain process.
Some of them make people hungrier and some of them stimulate the body to store fat.
Health tip: Rule out those types of drugs unless they are absolutely essential. In many cases, people take these drugs as they get habitual of taking it.
It is a great idea to find other ways to cure those ailments, which can be food and lifestyle based. For example, diet control and exercising can be great for diabetes.
9. Stressing out
When your mind is stressed or depressed, you tend to look out for carbohydrates. This is the work of the stress hormone “cortisol” and it triggers the “flight-or-fight” response in our body.
Usually, people look out for chocolates to terminate their depression. This hormone, if secreted enough may decrease the metabolism n our body which in turn slows down the weight loss process.
Health tip: You can start doing yoga or exercises that remove stress. Distracting your mind is the best option. Even if that doesn’t work, switch to low-fat or dark chocolates.
10. Adding unhealthy toppings to healthy foods
Healthy food may be tasteless sometimes. But when you are working hard on your weight loss goals, keep in mind not to mix up healthy products with unhealthy ones.
A salad might be great for a weight loss regime but be careful about what you add to your dressing. Even if you crave on unhealthy side dressings, make sure to work it out the next day.
Health tip: Cutaway cheesy and sugary side dressings or watch out on the portion that you gorge on.
What Can You Do?
Once we reach our target to reduce weight, we forget to take care of our health thinking that we won’t go back to our original weight.
As we are going against our biological routine, i.e. removing excess weight from our body, we must keep in mind that we should continue with our daily diet and exercise.
Else we might end up gaining the weight back.
Some simple steps should be remembered when taking care of our health as researchers found that only calorie-restricting diet alone may not do their job.
Keeping the away the weight may be hard, but it pays off well at the end. People lead a healthy lifestyle for a long period of time.
1. Keeping a food journal
This helps in a lot of ways.
Research showed that women who keep a diet journal with them lost 6pounds more than women who did not keep one.
This was published in a journal named journal of academy and nutrition dietetics of a 2012 study on obesity.
Keeping a food journal may help people achieve dietetic goals and keep a check on what they are eating on a daily basis.
2. Following a consistent diet
To maintain body weight, we need to follow the same routine diet every day. It may seem tedious, but it has proved to be one of the best ways to overcome weight and maintain it.
Researchers believe that allowing a “flexible” diet may increase the risk of becoming overweight.
A journal named International obesity and related metabolic disorders wrote about a study done in 2004 which showed that constant diet helps in maintaining good health than people who ate more during weekends and holidays.
3. Adding low-fat-protein diet
Lean proteins are prescribed by doctors worldwide to maintain a good diet. Adding lean meats to diets helps in the maintenance of essential proteins in the body and builds good muscles and strength.
If the diet of an obese person lacks protein then he/she may fall ill.
These lean meats keep the stomach full even if after consuming it in fewer amounts. This also helps in burning the calories and overall weight loss.
4. Being active
Being active helps in maintain good health after achieving the required weight.
If we can keep the weight off, we can be more active than usual obese people.
Physical activity not only reduces weight but also keeps away from heart diseases and diabetes.
To maintain a healthy lifestyle one must not forget to eat healthily as well as continue with the vigorous physical exercises.
5. Not skipping breakfast
Breakfast is considered an important meal of the day.
It may help in achieving weight loss goals. Skipping breakfast will never help in reducing calories.
Scientists say that a 6 ounce serving of Greek yogurt and some berries may kick start our days and provide us with calcium.
In the journal Obesity research, scientists showed that breakfast eaters can contribute to more physical activity in a day than non-breakfast eaters.
Bottom Line
Weight loss may be difficult in certain cases but not impossible.
Following an exercising routine and a diet plan with a few other precautions can show amazing results.
Learn to enjoy the process than making it a burden. Being healthy is important, but being happy is more important!!