3 Things That May be Keeping You from Losing Weight
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight you know it can be challenging! You think you’re doing everything right: You’re cutting calories, upping your water intake, and exercising, yet you’re still not getting any real kind of results.
It’s very possible that, though your efforts are commendable, you’re following outdated or just simply wrong advice and it’s stopping you from finally losing that weight.
Here are 3 things that may be keeping you from losing weight:
1. Focusing on the Scale
A lot of people focus too much on the number on the scale. It doesn’t go down quickly enough for them, and so they quit.
But that number doesn’t tell the full story. If you are exercising, which you should be, then without question you are putting on some muscle. Obviously, if you are actively weight-lifting or resistance training, then you are putting on quite a bit of muscle, though you may not be able to see it yet if you have a layer of fat.
Muscle weighs more than fat. So you may be losing fat but putting on muscle, and so the number on the scale may go up at times. Better to look at your overall body composition and pay attention to how your clothes fit than focusing on the scale.
2. Over-Exercising
You may think if you go at it hard 7 days a week at the gym, that you’ll lose weight faster. In theory, this may be true, but in actuality, over-exercising can cause problems and hamper your weight loss efforts.
Studies have shown that excessive exercising is not only unsustainable for the long term, but it can also lead to too much stress on the body as well as impair the production of adrenal hormones that regulate stress response.
Simply put, forcing your body to burn more calories by exercising too much is neither effective nor healthy. It is a better choice to lift weights and do some cardio 3-4 times per week.
3. Not Getting Enough Protein
You’ve probably heard that protein helps you lose weight because it makes you feel fuller longer. And this is true. It also helps your body build new lean muscle, and that can increase your metabolic rate.
But what you may not know is that if your body does not get enough protein, it will overeat in an effort to get more. This is called the Protein-Leverage Hypothesis (PLH). Studies have found that people subconsciously increase their intake of food in an effort to get more protein BECAUSE the body prioritizes protein over fats and carbohydrates.
So, if you are always feeling hungry, try upping your protein and giving your body what it demands.
While this list of weight loss mistakes isn’t exhaustive, we have found these 3 are the top mistakes people make. If you stop focusing on what the scale says and instead focus on how you look and feel, stop over-exercising, and make sure you get enough protein, you are setting yourself up for weight loss success. And once you taste that first hint of success, it will propel you to the finish line.
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