Possible Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight Most at times, you have done everything possible to lose a few pounds, but it seems it’s never working out. How often do you exercise and what do you eat? The truth is these two plays an important role in weight loss. When you lose weight, your body tries as much as possible to fight back. No matter what you have done or your background, the chances are that one of these 9 reasons could be why you are not shedding extra pounds
1. You’re Not Lifting weights
Resistance training like weight lifting is very vital when it comes to losing weight. This body training can help you hold on to your precious muscle mass, which is often burned along with body fat if you are not exercising. You can also add other body weight exercise like push-ups, squats, and lunges to weight lifting. It is important to note that lifting weights can also help prevent metabolic slowdown.
2. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein
Protein is a very important nutrient when it comes to losing weight. Eating protein can boost metabolism by 80-100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. Protein has an effect on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and others. This effect drastically reduces cravings and desire for snacking between meals. A high protein intake also helps prevent metabolic slowdown, which is a common side effect of losing weight. It also helps to prevent weight regain in the long run.
3. You’re Consuming Too Many CaloriesA large percentage of people who have trouble shedding pounds are simply eating too many calories. If you are not losing weight, then you should try weighing your foods and be tracking your calories history for a while. Tracking is also important if you’re trying to reach a certain nutrient goal, like getting 30% of your calories from protein only. This can be impossible to achieve if you’re not tracking your calories intake properly.
4. You’re Eating Wrong Foods
If you are not losing weight, the first place you should look is the quality of food you take in. Eating quality food is very important when it comes to weight loss. While the exact foods you consume depend heavily on your body type, metabolism, and other factors, a good way to start is to stick to all natural, whole foods. Eating healthy foods can improve your overall health and help regulate your appetite. Natural, whole foods tend to be much more filling than their processed counterparts. Maybe you should consider eating starchy foods on days when you do strength training or more rigorous form of exercise. Avoid food that has many processed labeled as “health foods”. Better still, stick to whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible.
5. You’re Not Doing Too Much Cardio
Cardio should be a necessary part of your workout routine, for reasons unknown, cardio has gotten a bad rap in recent years. Cardio keeps your heart healthy, boost metabolism and excretion of toxic waste in form of sweat. It is very effective at burning belly fat, that builds up around the organs.
6. You’re Not Resting Enough
Resting and recovery are often more important than the workout itself. It’s during the state of rest that the body does most of the fat burning. Good and quality rest is one of the most important things to consider for your physical and mental health, as well as your weight. So give yourself enough time to fully recover so you’re ready to work hard the next day. Most importantly, listen to your body don’t in the name of losing weight over stress your body.
7. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water
Drinking water before, during and after exercise can have benefits for weight loss. A study shows that drinking boosts a number of calories burned by 24-30% over a period of 1.5 hours .
8. You’re Not Working Hard Enough
Working out and eating healthy doesn’t have an exact formula- what matters is to find out what works specifically for your body. Spending more time in the gym doesn’t equate to a fit person. Unless you are a sportsman, an average person with the sole aim of losing weight shouldn’t be working out more than an hour a day. Your daily workouts should be intensity-dependent, not time dependent.
9. You Have a Medical Condition
There are certain medical conditions that can make it much harder for you to lose weight. These conditions may include hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and sleep apnea. If you are on certain medications, it can also make weight loss harder, or even cause weight gain. If any of this applies to you, then speak to your doctor about your options.