3 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight
You’re following all the rules: measuring your portions, chewing your food slowly, exercising frequently, avoiding high-fat processed foods . . . the list goes on and on.
Yet no matter how much you fight the fat, the number on the bathroom scale tells you that you’re still doing something wrong.
Before you start blaming yourself and piling on the guilt for your shortcomings, you might want to rethink your approach. Turns out, there may be other factors in your life that could be the reason why you’re not losing weight or slimming down.
Some factors, such as your genetics, are completely out of your control, while others may require outside assistance to overcome.
Here are just a few to keep in mind:
You Lack the Muscle
Exercising regularly is a great way to slim down, and high-intensity aerobics such as Zumba are quickly becoming the popular way to blast through calories and fat.
However, there’s more to a balanced weight loss program that simply counting the calories burned in cardio.
According to an obesity researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research center, a pound muscle (at rest) burns about 6 calories per day while a pound of fat only burns about 2. That may not seem like a lot, at first, increasing your lean muscle mass is the first step to improving insulin sensitivity and sculpting a thinner healthier body.
According to recent research, with every 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass, HOMA-IR (a measure of insulin resistance) saw a relative reduction of 11%.
Strength training, not just cardio, holds the secret to slimming down.
Women, don’t be afraid about bulking up! Most women lack the testosterone necessary for building bulky muscles, so skip out on the wimpy weights and start challenging yourself.
You’re Not Supplementing
Even with the most carefully balanced diet, it can be difficult to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients for maintaining a healthy metabolism. The fewer calories you eat per day, the harder this becomes.
Dr. Jo Ann Carson, registered dietician and nutrition expert explains, “Once you turn 50, there are a few vitamins that you just don’t absorb as easily as you did when you were young.”
Supplementing with a multi-vitamin or even a diet pill can help give your body the extra boost it needs to stay healthy rather than just crossing your fingers and hoping that your self-diagnosis and “customized” weight loss plan will do the job.
Some of the best dietary supplements combine the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need alongside clinically proven herbs and botanicals for weight loss, so you can jumpstart your goals without worrying about whether or not you’re getting adequate nutrition.
You can read in-depth reviews about the best diet pills by going to http://dietpillsthatactuallywork.net, or you can feel free to browse our reviews as well, listed on the side bar for your convenience.
Obesity Runs in the Family
Jill Comess, MS, RD, explains that if both of your parents are obese, then chances are likely that you will be too.
“Researchers estimate that your genes account for at least 50% – and as much as 90% – of your stored body fat,” says Comess.
Additionally, in a study featured by sciencedaily.com, researchers observed that children whose parents were active were more likely to be active themselves. “Helping parents to increase their physical activity, therefore, may promote children’s activity.”
However, just because you’ve been brought up in a home that isn’t as conducive to weight loss doesn’t mean that you can’t break the cycle.
Even losing as little as 10 lbs. can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, and Comess adds, “you don’t have to be super-slim to improve your health.”
Final Thoughts
While these 3 factors may be the reason while you’re not losing weight effectively, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never be able to achieve your weight loss goals. Learning how to overcome these factors can help give you better results and establish healthier patterns of living for the future.
