10 SURPRISING REASONS YOU ARE NOT LOSING WEIGHT
10 Surprising Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight
You’ve tried everything to lose weight. You’ve tried crunches, cycling, cutting out sugar, drinking water. You’ve even started eating spinach! IKR. But you’re STILL not seeing results. Why? In this article, Beauty and Tips uncovers the top 10 surprising reasons you’re still not losing weight.
Losing weight is both hard and weird. Hard, because sometimes nothing seems to work, and weird because – nothing seems to work! No matter how many math classes you take to count your calories, no matter how many times you jump on the treadmill, and no matter how many cakes you have to say NO! to, you’re still not losing weight. What on earth gives? The clues might surprise you. See, there is always something we do that lets us down – something we don’t usually think about it. Yet when we find out what it is, a lightbulb goes off in our heads. It should have been so obvious! Let’s take a look at 10 surprising reasons you’re not losing weight.
You Shop On An Empty Stomach
If we shop on an empty stomach, there is a often a big difference between the food on our shopping list and the food we end up buying. Food on our shopping list that we composed while feeling full and therefore rational:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Nuts
- Quinoa
- Lemons
- Mangoes
- Berries
Food in our shopping cart after we shopped while starving hungry:
- Pizzas
- Burgers
- Ice cream
- Candy bars
- Everything
It happens. Unless you go shopping on a full stomach, it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are, you still might end up coming home with a load of junk food that looked SO FREAKING GOOD in the grocery store. From now on, always go shopping on a full stomach. You’ll be so much more rational and will avoid the bad stuff.
You’re Not Eating Enough Protein
Avoiding turkey, chicken, tofu and the like? It could be the reason you’re not losing weight. Protein is essential for building muscle and repairing tissue. It also helps to keep you feeling full for longer, which reduces cravings. Start the day with a plate of eggs and you can curb your cravings.
You Sit Down All Day At Work
Are you the kind of employee who sits down all day at work? Maybe you sometimes even skip lunch breaks or eat at your desk. While this is pretty good for productivity, and while you might think that you’re getting lots down, the flipside is that you’re slowly putting on more and more weight. Studies have shown that those who stretch and move around each hour can improve their metabolism by around 13%. That’s pretty good. Alternatively, if you spend your entire day chained to your desk and literally don’t move at all, you run the risk of living the kind of sedentary lifestyle that’s linked to weight gain and all kinds of scary diseases. You don’t need to take huge breaks that cause your boss to get angry. Just a five minute walk or stretch each hour is enough to kick your metabolism into action.
Your Plate Is Too Big
Does your plate have to be SO large? Or can you get just as filled up by eating from a smaller plate? Try it and find out!
You’re Skimping On Water
Water might sound boring, but it can be the key to longevity and a healthy body weight. Not only does water help key nutrients get to your cells, it also keeps you filled up between meals and, when substituted for alcohol and coffee, can prevent annoying belly fat from building up.
You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep
Are you of the opinion that sleep is for the weak? Perhaps you tell your friends that you’ll “sleep when I’m dead”? A lot of people who lead busy lives and work many hours don’t always get as much sleep as they should. But while we might think grabbing just a few hours of sleep per night is perfectly fine (after all, we feel great!), the reality is that this could be your weak link that’s letting you down as you bid to lose more weight. Research has shown that a lack of sleep can slow down our metabolism, which in turn can cause weight gain. If you are only getting between 5-6 hours – or, gulp! – less of sleep per night, it’s time to rearrange your schedule so that you get more zzzs!
You Have An Undiagnosed Mental Health Problem
Mental health problems like depression can take their toll on so many aspects of our lives, including our diet. Depression can literally change the way we feel about food, ramping up our appetite for junk. However, depression can also lurk silently without us realising it. If you’ve been suspecting for a while that you might have an undiagnosed mental health problem, it might be a good idea to book yourself an appointment with a doctor.
You’re Still Drinking Diet Soda
Thought it was okay to keep drinking diet soda because it’s not the same as full-fat and doesn’t contain sugar? Think again. Marketers play on something called the contrast principle when it comes to how they sell diet soda to us. Compared to the full-fat, sugar-laden option, diet soda sounds pretty healthy! However, it isn’t. It contains artificial sweetener, which – just like sugar – cause weight gain. Worse still, artificial sweetener is also known to boost our cravings for sugar! It’s a much safer option to stick to plain water or fruit-water.
You’re Still Drinking Alcohol, Too
Cocktails with the girls on Friday? A glass of red after work? We don’t want to take these away from you. But these small pleasures could be the reason you’re not losing weight.
You’re Not Actually Eating Enough
Strangely, it might sound counterintuitive, but eating more can help you lose weight. How?! When you abstain from eating too much, you’re missing vital nutrients that can help you stay in shape. Instead of avoiding foods, you should aim to eat as much fresh fruit and veg as possible.
Stay happy!
from Beauty And Tips Magazine
0 Comments