You don’t understand: you do Crossfit every other day, go to the gym for a few rounds of weight lifting, play a mean badminton over the weekend and hike for hours, but you still aren’t shedding the pounds.
How could that be? Well, you may want to consider these five likely reasons:
Your Weight Fluctuates
Are you sticking to your diet no matter how juicy that crispy, golden French fry looks? Yes. Have you been loyal to fiber and nearly nothing else? Definitely! Then why aren’t you seeing the results of your self-discipline?
The answer may be simple, really. Body weight can vary by up to five pounds at any given time, so the amount you lose may be temporarily masked. Weighing yourself weekly or even monthly will give you a better overall picture of true weight loss.
Your Water Intake isn’t Enough
Personal trainers are quick to mention that when beginning any diet program or exercise routine, there needs to be an increase in your water intake. Water is a handy appetite suppressant. The more of it we take in, the less hungry we get.
But inadequate water intake has a number of ill effects on the body. It can take a toll on the liver. When we’re dehydrated, our kidneys don’t work as well as they should, so the liver tends to take up the slack by working double time. The result is that fat in the body gets stored instead of being burned.
Another ill effect of inadequate hydration is constipation. If constipation becomes an issue while dieting, be sure to keep fiber intake around 25 grams per day and beef up the water intake.
How much water intake is just about right then? The standard guideline is to drink about one-half your body weight in ounces every day, especially if you’re exercising. If you consume more than 25 grams of fiber in any given day, adding another eight to 16 ounces of water a day is necessary. Keep an ongoing tally tacked on your computer screen or refrigerator door as a reminder.
You Say No to Protein
Another way to lose weight effectively is to increase protein intake. The body uses up more energy to metabolize protein than to metabolize carbs or fat, so a high-protein diet helps burn calories more quickly. But if you’re keeping your diet low in protein or protein-free, then your body could be missing out on one of the ways you could burn more calories with less effort.
Depending on your weight, a goal of eating 40 to 80 grams of protein daily is a good ballpark figure.
Your Stress May be Off the Charts
Stress induces the fight or flight response which, unfortunately, is an appetite stimulant – including an increase in desire specifically for carbohydrates.
Fortunately, exercise is a handy stress reliever. That, along with balanced meals, helps kick the stress out of your body.
You’re a Slave to Your Desk
Do you spend a big part of your day sitting down? Research shows that sitting tends to stop the production of the enzyme lipase, which helps the body break down fats.
Simply walking around for at least a few minutes in between tasks, however, helps the body burn 59 calories, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to move about as often as you can get away from your desk.
Try using a timer to remind yourself to get up and walk it out every few hours. Briefly visit with your co-workers or go for a walk around the building. It will not only help keep the calories down, but it’ll keep your stress levels down too: a double win.
These five habits alone can do wonders to boost your diet program. Journaling your water and nutrient intake as well as your activity level will help you become more aware of the way you are progressing. Taking weight off and keeping it off is definitely doable!
Live In Fitness – Getting the Weight Off NOW
