Many people struggle with losing those few extra pounds in the usual trouble areas like the belly or hips. This fat can really be difficult to lose to the point where we can be stuck at the same weight for years. We try different types of diets, exercise and other gimmicks to no avail. It seems like those pounds are always going to be a part of us, never going away.
If you are someone who is having trouble dropping those few extra pounds of baby fat, don’t worry as there are some things you can do to solve the issue that you may not have thought of.
Here are the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to weight loss.
They Eat Too Many Healthy Foods
No one is saying that you should be giving up your whole foods and organic products, but some of us slip in to a false sense of security when it comes to these health foods. If you’re going to stuff your face with spinach and other salad greens that is fine, however if you are someone who likes more savory foods like peanut butter you need to keep your eye on your calorie intake.
Two of the biggest culprits here are nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are both extremely healthy when eaten in moderation as they are very nutrient dense in many micronutrients that we need.
However in addition to these benefits come along with a high calorie cost in the form of fats, and over eating these types of foods is relatively easy.
Just for example only an ounce of pumpkin seeds can contain over 125 calories, and a cup is almost 300. It’s easy to see why people can easily over eat these types of foods. It is definitely something to be aware of.
Your Exercise Program Isn’t Cutting It
If you are someone who regularly exercises, chances are that your exercise program isn’t up to par. It may have been years ago when you first started the routine, but if you are someone who typically does the same exercises time and time again at the gym, it may be time to switch things up a bit.
When trying to develop a good exercise program to lose weight, gain muscle, or whatever your fitness goals are, it is important to remember that the body is going to adapt to these exercises over time. This means that you are going to get more efficient in doing so, gain less muscle doing the same thing over and over again while simultaneously using less energy to do so.
What this all means is that you are spending the same amount of time doing exercise but will see less results from that work. You want to “confuse” your body by routinely adding in new exercises to your program to get the most results.
Getting your heart rate elevated and keeping it elevated is key in keeping your metabolism high and burning off those calories. If you aren’t breaking a sweat during your routine there is a major problem, and need to exert yourself more to see better results.
You Are Too Stressed or Don’t Get Enough Sleep
One easily unrecognizable problem preventing people from losing weight is a hormonal imbalance, which can be caused in a multitude of ways. The most common ways are through lack of sleep or being too stressed, both of which can severely negatively or positively affect weight loss.
The hormone cortisol is the main culprit here, as it is responsible for many things such as the accumulation of additional weight. Cortisol is produced by the body when it is stressed out which can be caused by a number of things, including lack of sleep.
Sleep deprivation not only elevates the level of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, but also decreases how effective insulin is in removing glucose from the blood stream. This really encourages weight gain in a multifaceted way.
Sleep is important when it comes not only to our fitness goals, but our overall health. It is one of the most important “activities” we can do for our bodies, so make sure that you are getting a full night’s rest and on a consistent basis.
Remember that you need about 7-8 hours of uninterrupted rest a night, and that taking naps will not make up any difference here as that is not how the body’s physiology works. Give yourself some time to wind down before bed each night as well with some stretching or meditation.
