If you are trying to lose weight and there is very little progress, you could be doing it all wrong. Too many people become frustrated with weight loss attempts like diet fads, diet pills, and diet fasting, that the whole process can just backfire and they are right back where they started, carrying around too much weight.
Science tells us a few things when it comes to losing weight and finding out what gets in the way can offer you a significantly needed re-adjustment.
Learn about these 4 weight loss obstacles and then incorporate ways to avoid them so you can get the most out of your weight loss protocol and fit into those summer clothes before you know it.
Low Muscle Mass
You need good muscle mass to lose weight. Many people will try to lose a few pounds but can’t seem to because their muscle mass is compromised. Muscle burns through calories all the time and when you have good musculature that consumption is escalated.
The study ‘Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss’ by researchers at the Center for Human Nutrition, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO which was published in the journal Advances in Nutrition reported,
“We therefore conclude that weight-loss therapy, including a hypo-caloric [low calorie] diet with adequate (but not excessive) protein intake, and physical activity, particularly resistance exercise–type training, should be promoted to maintain muscle mass and improve muscle strength and physical function in persons with obesity.”
Add some muscle building exercises to your weight loss program. You don’t have to lift excess weight, just lift enough to offer resistance and build some muscle where it is needed.
Just Water
Low hydration will cause your body to struggle on a variety of levels and when you’re trying to lose weight it can make it a much more difficult hill to climb. By increasing your water consumption throughout the day (not just drinking a gallon all at once, which is unhealthy) a weight loss protocol could be more successful.
Drinking more water can:
According to research from the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, Virginia Tech which was published in the journal Obesity,
“Water consumption acutely reduces meal energy intake (EI) among middle-aged and older adults. Thus, when combined with a hypo-caloric [low calorie] diet, consuming 500 ml water prior to each main meal leads to greater weight loss than a hypocaloric diet alone in middle-aged and older adults.”
Drink more water throughout the day. Adding an electrolyte such as powdered vitamin C packs and/or drinking water at room temperature can help.
Bad Shuteye
So many people struggle to get a good, deep sleep with most clocking only about five to six hours per night. Lack of sleep can stress the body and has been associated with a multitude of health compromises including Alzheimer’s disease, muscle fatigue, and weight gain.
The study, ‘Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity [a condition of being severely overweight, or obese]’ by researchers at the University of Chicago which was published in Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that,
“The amount of human sleep contributes to the maintenance of fat-free body mass at times of decreased energy intake. Lack of sufficient sleep may compromise the efficacy of typical dietary interventions for weight loss and related metabolic risk reduction.”
Do anything you can to increase your sleep such as taking the natural hormone melatonin, the amino acid L-theanine, using lavender oil, darkening the bedroom, adjusting temperature, changing to more comfortable sheets and bed clothes, or wearing a snore machine like a C-PAP.
Yup, It’s Stress Again
You probably hear about stress constantly as it continues to be a top health adversity. Yet, you may not even realize how stress may be stopping you from losing weight due to the large amounts of cortisol you continually produce. Cortisol is a survival hormone that responds to stress which is a good thing to avoid a dangerous situation. However, when you are stressed about non-lethal things such as your job, family, relationship, etc. your body goes into a constant cortisol mode which affects insulin resistance and causes your body to store fat. In fact, some studies find a correlation between stress, depression, and succumbing to high fat meals as a result thus causing weight gain.
Published in Biological Psychiatry, a study out of Ohio State University research concluded that,
“The cumulative 6-hour difference between one prior day stressor and no stressors translates into 104 kcal, a difference that could add almost 11 pounds/year. These findings illustrate how stress and depression alter metabolic responses to high-fat meals in ways that promote obesity.”
Look into lowering your stress factors by any means necessary such as changing jobs, changing relationships, seeing a therapist, or meditating.
Take these 4 weight loss obstacles out of your life and you may be able to advance your fat melting protocol much more rapidly.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421125/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19661958/
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