We’d all love to have the perfect figure and to feel fit and healthy, but losing weight can be a real struggle. If you’ve been unsuccessful so far in your weight loss journey, you might be wondering where exactly you’ve gone wrong. To help you get to the root of your weight loss problems, here are five possible reasons why you’re struggling to get in shape.
1) You’re skipping meals
The best way to slim down is to reduce the number of calories you consume and increase the amount of exercise you do. With this in mind, it may seem logical to think that skipping the odd meal will help you lose weight. However, avoiding meals can in fact have unintended consequences. For example, it can result in tiredness, meaning you are less able to stay active. In addition, it makes you more likely to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods. Ultimately, this could see your waistline expanding rather than shrinking.
To stand a chance of losing weight and keeping it off, it’s important to stick to a healthy and sustainable diet that incorporates three nutritious meals a day. Bear in mind that you may be eligible to take weight loss pills such as Xenical. This is available on prescription from trusted sources like onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com for people with a body mass index of 30 or over.
2) You have an underlying health condition
Many people don’t realise it, but underlying health conditions can make getting in shape more difficult. For example, type 2 diabetes and thyroid problems can make it easy to put on weight, but much harder to lose it. Also, certain drugs can cause weight gain. Steroids taken for conditions including eczema, arthritis and asthma often have this effect, and insulin and antipsychotic medicines can also cause people to increase in size.
However, never be tempted to simply stop taking any prescribed medicines unless your doctor has advised you to do so.
3) You’re not burning enough calories
Sometimes, when people try to slim down, they often focus on what they eat without paying enough attention to their activity levels. As well as cutting your calorie intake, you must make sure that you burn plenty of calories on a daily basis. A session or two a week at the gym may not be enough, especially if you spend most of your days sitting in front of a computer screen and your evenings relaxing on the sofa.
Try to incorporate more exercise into your general routine. For example, perhaps you could walk or cycle to work rather than drive. Even simple things like taking the stairs rather than the elevator will help you to burn fat. You could even install an exercise bike in your home so that you can watch your favorite shows while burning energy.
4) You’re choosing the wrong foods
The diet food industry has exploded over recent decades and many shoppers now seek out products labelled as ‘low-fat’. If you hone in on foods like these, you might assume you’re doing your waistline a big favor. However, some of these products contain high levels of sugar and may therefore be much less healthy than you think.
Always read the nutrition information provided on foods carefully and never simply assume that low-fat means low-calorie.
5) You’re not getting enough sleep
Not getting enough sleep could also be hindering your health kick. There is mounting evidence to suggest that a lack of shuteye can contribute to weight gain. Research has shown that insufficient sleep promotes hunger and appetite. This is because people who don’t get enough slumber have increased levels of a hunger-related hormone called ghrelin and lower levels of the fullness hormone leptin.
If you think you’re not getting enough sleep at the moment, try changing your routine to give yourself more time to rest. As well as making you feel better, this could help you to get in shape.
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