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You’re giving your best to eat as healthy as you can, but you still aren’t losing weight? Or you’re on a strict diet and nothing is really happening? Well, we understand your concerns! Losing weight is often much harder than it initially seems, which is exactly why you should stay with us and keep on reading. Here are five reasons why it’s so hard to lose weight, so check them out and learn something new!
Because of our ‘obesogenic’ environment
Despite constantly being on the go, the truth is that the majority of people nowadays are actually consuming more calories than they burn on a daily basis, which, of course, results in weight gain. Even though the combination of numerous technological improvements and a society that runs on time constraints undoubtedly has multiple benefits, the fact is that it also leads to making poor eating choices which can deteriorate the quality of your life and your overall health condition.
Let’s take online shopping, for an example. Everyone knows that literally everything we need is just one click away from us, without having to take one step. That’s exactly how we become lazier and less physically active, which can be quite dangerous when combined with the growing number of fast-food restaurants and ready-meals.
Because of our unhealthy eating habits (obviously)
As mentioned above, our unhealthy eating habits are one of the leading factors when it comes to weight gain, and these can prevent us from losing weight, too. I personally spend a lot of time working from home, which definitely has a lot of amazing benefits, but you know what? Deadlines (and my poor organisation skills) often don’t allow me to prepare healthy meals, so I often find myself ordering food online instead.
It could be seen on my body quickly enough. I gained 10 pounds over the last few months which made me more than frustrated, so I decided to finally do something good for myself and I gave the organic cold-pressed juice a try. My body was desperately craving a good detox, so I wanted to try these healthy juices and now I can’t wait to see the results!
Because our bodies are working against us when it comes to weight loss
Yes, you heard us correctly – your body is highly likely to work against you when it comes to weight loss. This is because maintaining the required calorie deficit can be a challenging task, due to the hunger attacks that can drive you crazy on a diet. This is actually a never-ending battle between you and your biology, which makes it a lot harder for you to persevere. Some people are genetically more susceptible to this than others.
Of course, we can’t say that your body doesn’t want you to be healthy – on the contrary, it just doesn’t want you to starve. We should also mention that weight loss results in a drop in the basal metabolic rate – the number of calories you burn just by being alive. The same goes for losing your body mass, as any loss in body mass will lower your metabolic rate and make your weight-loss process harder to keep going.
Because we are physically inactive
Physical activity is an extremely important aspect of weight loss, and the fact is that you may not be losing weight simply because you aren’t active enough. You probably already know that our bodies aren’t designed to sit for hours at a time, as that negatively affects our circulation and digestion. Besides that, it can also increase the amount of insulin in our system, which is a hormone responsible for storing fat.
So, if you sit a lot on a daily basis (which most of us do), make sure to take at least a brisk 15-minute walk after work, so that you boost your metabolism and speed up the weight-loss process. Apart from its benefits related to your appearance, physical activity will also relieve anxiety and help you take a break from everyday stressful situations, so make sure not to skip it if you want to shed those extra pounds. A cheap step counter (Google Fit has one on every Android phone) can help you keep more active, as it shows your daily steps in clear terms.
Because we’re constantly stressed out
When you’re stressed out, the stress hormone called cortisol starts pumping sugar into your blood so that you can have enough energy throughout the day. However, that sugar gets mopped up by insulin, and it goes straight to our fat cells where it gets stored. This is exactly why we can say that a stressed-out body hangs on to fat in those nerve-racking situations.
So it’s fair to say that constant stress is highly likely to prevent you from losing weight, and the only thing you should do is make sure that you’re getting enough rest and relaxation. Read your favorite book, watch a movie, take a walk, or do whatever else makes you happy. Even 10 minutes of deep breathing a day will make a huge difference, so try this exercise and you’ll see an instant improvement!
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that can prevent you from losing weight and slow down the whole process, which can be quite frustrating and annoying. So, if you want to keep losing weight and become thinner and healthier, just make sure to stick to our tips and everything will be more than fine in a short period of time!
