Most people desire to lose weight and put efforts toward this goal. However, most of them give up along the way due to failure to record significant progress. What makes weight loss an uphill task? Learn that from this blog.
Weight loss often doesn’t usually happen as quickly as one might desire. Most people experience barriers to the weight loss journey. To lose weight, one has to learn to break through the weight loss barrier as they arise. In this article, we identify some common barriers and practical tips for conquering them.
1. Losing Weight Without Realizing it.
Some people experience a weight loss plateau, where the scale does not budge for a few days or weeks after embarking on the weight loss program. Bodyweight fluctuation by a few pounds is caused by muscle gain, foods consumed, and hormones that affect water retention in the body. People who introduce exercise in their lifestyle are likely to gain muscle and lose body fat. One can use other ways to check their progress other than the scale. For example, consider tracking your body fat percentage and waist circumference by taking your measurements every month. Keeping tracking of how well your clothes fit and how comfortable you feel is an accurate sign of fat loss compared to the fluid shift you can see on the scale.
2. Failure to Keep track of what you are Eating.
One important factor in weight loss is the number of calories you consume compared to calories you burn. Monitor calories consumed every day; one may be eating more than one thinks. One can keep a food diary which prompts one to think about what you’re eating. You can record your food intake every day for at least a week, tracking your portions, reading food labels, and enquiring nutritional information while you’re eating out. Unfortunately, food tracking gets complicated for people with eating disorders since it worsens potentially harmful side effects.
3. Failure to Eat Enough Protein
Protein is known to aid in weight loss. Research has shown that high protein consumption enhances metabolism, suppresses appetite, and triggers hormones that help you feel full. One study found out that consuming 25-30% protein calories boosts metabolism by 80-100 calories every day and makes one eat fewer calories the entire day. It was also found to minimize cravings and desire for snacking. To enhance weight loss, load up your breakfast with high protein, which will help you stay less hungry the entire day.
4. Eating too Many Calories
Consuming many calories often leads to weight gain, as the body stores excess calories as body fat. To help you achieve weight loss, you should weigh your foods and track your calories for a week. Most people often overestimate their calorie intake and can take advantage of some resources to help them track their calorie intake. For example, the Calorie Calculator can estimate the number of calories one needs to consume daily and provide guidelines for losing weight. Calorie Counters are a platform that helps a person track their calorie and nutrient intake. Tracking and calorie counting are essential to helping you reach your weight loss goal, and though you cannot do it forever, you can track for short periods to find out how much you are eating.
5. Failure of Eating Whole Foods
To maintain your wellbeing ensure you eat quality food. Whole foods are a superfood for they have been minimally processed and contain no added sugar, fats, sodium, and preservatives. This enables you to regulate your appetite, making you feel fuller upon consumption than processed foods. To win in the weight loss journey, one must reduce the consumption of processed foods and increase whole foods.
6. Failure to Lift Weights
Weight lifting is one of the most important exercises to help in losing weight. By lifting weights,one speeds up metabolism and maintains muscle mass, and the body stays toned. Weight training can also cause weight gain due to increased muscle mass because muscle is denser than fat and occupies more space.
7. Binge Eating
It is a disorder where one frequently eats excessive amounts of food in just a few hours until feeling uncomfortably full. Most people tend to overeat healthy foods, including chocolate, cheese, and nuts, which could contain many calories, thus a setback in your weight loss journey.
8. Failure to do Cardiovascular Exercises
It is a type of exercise that increases your heart rate and improves your health. Cardio exercises have been shown to effectively burn belly fat which often builds up in the body’s midsection. Examples of cardio exercises include jogging, cycling, and swimming. Regular cardio exercises could help one overcome a weight loss plateau.
9. Sugary Drinks Consumption
An excellent weight loss strategy is eliminating all sugary beverages. Most of them contain fattening items, and most of them are high in calories. This applies to processed sugary drinks like sodas and to healthier drinks that are often loaded with sugar. Consume fruit juices in moderation since a single glass may contain equal amounts of sugars as several pieces of the whole fruit.
10. Lack of Quality Sleep
Quality sleep contributes to your physical and mental health and determines your weight. One study shows that the biggest risk factor for obesity is poor sleep. The study concluded that adults and children who experienced poor sleep had a 55% and 89% greater risk for developing obesity. Ensure you have a quality sleep every night, and this will enhance your weight loss progress.
11. Adopt a Low Carb Diet
This diet limits carbohydrates intake and is high in protein and healthy vegetables. It is especially ideal for overweight people and those with metabolic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. One study concluded that this diet causes 2-3times as much weight loss as the standard”low fat” diet. Study shows that low carb diets enhance metabolic markers, such as good cholesterol and blood sugar. Adopting this form of diet will help you overcome a weight loss plateau.
12. Eating too Often
Some people eat small meals frequently throughout the day, resulting in excessive calories, hindering weight loss progress. This type of approach complicates health nutrition, for it can be time-consuming to prepare and eat meals thought the day.Research shows that adopting intermittent fasting, going without food for extended periods, helpsmanage your weight and prevent or reverse some forms of diseases.
13. Failure to Drink Water
Science suggests that water aids in weight loss by suppressing your appetite and boosting metabolism. One 12-week weight loss study showed that people who drank half a litre of water 30 minutes after having their meals had a 44% weight loss than those who didn’t. The study also concluded that drinking water before meals could reduce calorie intake and boost the number of calories burned by 24-30% throughout 1.5hours.
14. Consuming too much Alcohol
Most alcoholic beverages are generally high in calories and low in real nutrition. To win in your weight loss journey, drinking spirits like vodka is best for they contain a zero-calorie beverage. Research shows that moderate drinking is safe, while over-drinking leads to weight gain, for alcohol contains seven calories per gram.
The Bottom Line
Weight loss to achieve with many factors that can bring it to a standstill. The calories you consume versus calories you burn can determine your success in the weight loss journey. Strategies like keeping a food diary, consuming more proteins, eating a low-carb diet, and doing strength exercises can aid your progress. Losing weight and lifestyle change requires lots of patience, discipline, and resilience.
Sleep specialist
Using the acquired academic and professional experience, I advise patients with various complaints about mental health - depressed mood, nervousness, lack of energy and interest, sleep disorders, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and anxieties, difficulty concentrating, and stress. In my free time, I love to paint and go on long walks on the beach. One of my latest obsessions is sudoku – a wonderful activity to calm an unease mind.
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