Feeling worried that you've not been losing weight no matter how hard you try? You've cut down on sugar, cut down on processed carbs and fried foods and even do exercises yet you didn't see any changes in your weight? If yes, you surely have to know the reasons you're not losing weight.
1. You don't have enough sleep
Lack of sleep can negatively affect the way you eat. For an instance, when you sleep late, due to one reason or the other, you may feel hungry and be tempted to go to the kitchen or refrigerator and eat something - probably something junky to quench the hunger and then go to bed.
The next day, you wake up with a feeling of tiredness and confusion, then you skip exercise or do less physical activity, hence burning a very little amount of calories.
Are you following?
Therefore, the calories you consumed will be greater than the calories your body will use that day, which ultimately lead to weight gain.
Here's the solution: Try to have 7 to 8 hours sleep every night. Anything that can make you sleep late should be stopped. If it's TV that makes you sleep late, turn it off at a specific time and sleep wonderfully to avoid night cravings, regain your energy in the morning and feel good throughout the next day.
2. You're eating too much everyday
Tracking the amount of calories you consume and the amount of calories you burn is a good step to weight loss but unfortunately, many of us don't care about this. If you consume about 1500 calories today, you also have to burn these calories in order to stay fit.
Eating too much, especially at restaurants, will lead to intake of excessive calories and further lead to extra fat storage which finally causes weight gain.
Here's the solution: The more you eat, the more you'll need to exercise. Hence, eat less if you're lazy to exercise.
3. You're living a stressful life
Stress also has a hand in your weight issue. It either makes you lose weight or gain weight.
Why?
That's simply because our bodies respond to stress in different ways. Some people gain weight while some lose weight. You may gain weight due to increase in the cortisol (the stress hormone) levels which causes an increase in blood sugar and increase in appetite which often leads to overeating which now causes increase in fat storage.
Here's the solution: Reduce your stress at home and at work by taking short breaks for yourself and taking deep breaths.
4. You do little exercise
30-minute exercise everyday won't help you lose weight. You have to workout your whole body for a long time before you can lose the weight to your satisfaction. If your goal is just to lose 2kg, your exercise will be little but if you want to lose a greater number of kilo, you'll need to exercise more.
Are you following?
So, if you say that you've been exercising but not losing enough, it simply means you're not exercising enough.
Here's the solution: Either do 60-90 minutes exercises everyday or 30-minute high-intensity exercises everyday to greatly reduce the number you see on the scale.
5. Your metabolism is slowing down
At age 40-50, your metabolism becomes slower than how it used to be in your 20s. This can make your weight remain the same when you do less exercise and eat more food because slower metabolism (due to aging or any other reason) coupled with muscle loss brings about a reduction in the rate at which your body burns calories even at rest while increasing your fat mass.
Here's the solution: Eat less and exercise more to maintain muscle mass which will help burn more calories and lose weight.
6. You're taking some medications
There are some drugs you take that have side effects and weight gain may be one of them.
Some of the medications that can cause weight gain are:
- Medications for treatment of Diabetes mellitus
- Beta-blockers for treatment of High blood pressure
- Antidepressants
- Corticosteroid medications
- Medications for seizures, etc.
Here's the solution: Don't stop using the drugs. Simply ask your doctor for an alternative drug that won't affect your weight and which will be as effective as the one you use.
7. You have a medical condition
If you've tried to eat healthily and do more exercise but you don't seem to be losing it, it's high time you stopped wasting time and go see a medical doctor to help you find out the cause of this weight gain.
Some health conditions that may cause weight gain are:
- Cushing's Syndrome
- Kidney Problems
- Thyroid disorder
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Here's the solution: Visit your doctor for a medical checkup to know your health status.
8. You focus so much on the goal
I say this always and I'll say it again.
A realistic goal is one that can be achieved through stages. Hence, don't just think of accomplishing a goal which can never be possible. You need to learn how to set a realistic goal. For an instance, you have any fitness goal you want to achieve. you say, "Okay, I'm gonna achieve this goal by dieting and exercising". You started doing that but soon realized that you haven't even achieved anything".
Why?
...because you focused on that big goal alone instead of focusing on the small things that make up the big goal.
Here's the solution: Find out what's drawing you back or the thing that's not making you to achieve that your goal. Is it sugar? Is it overeating? Is it lack of sleep? Is it lack of exercise? Is it....?
Find solutions to those things and be glad that you ironed out those little things standing as obstacles.
So, FOCUS on the small things to achieve your realistic goal.
To summarize it all, this is a recap of the reasons you're not losing weight:
Not having enough sleep
Living a stressful life
Eating too much
Not exercising enough
Taking some drugs that may cause weight gain
Medical conditions
Focusing so much on the end goal
And what you should do now:
Try to have 7 to 8 hours sleep every night.
Either do 60-90 minutes exercises everyday or 30-minute high-intensity exercises everyday to greatly reduce the number you see on the scale.
Eat less and exercise more
Reduce your stress at home and at work by taking short breaks for yourself and taking deep breaths
Visit your doctor for a medical checkup to know your health status if diet and exercise failed you.
Read the instruction paper that comes along with drugs. Check the side effects, if weight gain is one of them, ask your doctor to provide you with an alternative.
Focus on the small things to achieve your realistic goal.
Congratulate yourself on every little thing you achieve while pursuing your weight loss goal. These little things make up a great thing!
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