If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re trying to lose weight. And if you’re trying to lose weight, chances are you’re struggling. Losing weight can be a daunting task in today’s society, where you are bombarded with unhealthy food from all directions, and you are pressured to participate in a sedentary lifestyle on your sofa. It seems as if everybody who attempts to lose weight struggles at one time or another with their progress. However, using the right techniques, you should be able to answer the question “why can’t I lose weight?” Here are four such techniques to stop struggling:
1. The number one reason most people struggle to lose weight is that they simply are not honest with themselves. Many people claim to count calories, but conveniently leave out that Big Mac they had for lunch or that piece of cake at Aunt June’s birthday party. On the other side of the same coin, many people are not honest about their exercise program. It’s easy to stop 10 minutes short of your desired workout length, but doing so consistently will seriously harm your chances to lose weight. There are two techniques in particular that are powerful in helping you stay honest with yourself. Starting a written journal in which you write everything you eat, and every exercise you do, down to every last calorie eaten in calorie burned can go a long way towards ending your struggles. Also, you may want to consider starting a picture journal. Do this by taking a picture of yourself in the same pose every week.
2. Another reason why you might be struggling is lack of goal setting. Very rarely does anybody achieve any significant measure of success, in any walk of life, without setting specific and realistic goals. Not only will setting goals give you a clear path and end result in your weight loss program, but as you meet these goals they will give you encouragement along the way. It is important, however, to be realistic in your goal setting. It will only be a disservice to your desire to lose weight if you set an unrealistic goal for yourself and then use your failure to meet that goal as an excuse to stop your program.
3. Perhaps you may be dieting too much. You may have been upset with your progress, and decided to drastically reduce your calorie intake. While on its face, this would seem like a sure way to lose weight quickly, ultimately it will hinder your chances in meeting your weight loss goals. The reasons for this are twofold. First, when your body does not get a certain amount of calories, it goes into what is termed as “starvation mode.” This simply means that your body begins to feed off not only the fat, but also the muscle you already have. Since muscle increases your metabolism, it is in your best interest to keep as much as possible throughout your weight loss program. Second, when you are in starvation mode, you are much more likely to binge. These periodic binges will do more than enough to offset any gain you get from cutting calories. An effective way to combat potential binging is to keep small portion controlled snacks available where you can access them quickly in case of a hunger attack.
4. A final reason you may be struggling to lose weight is, quite simply, you’re not getting enough calcium. It is common knowledge that calcium aids in the building of bones and other tissue of the body, but a recent study by Creighton University’s Osteoporosis Research Center in Nebraska showed those who ate calcium rich diets were up to 70% less likely to be overweight. Simply reading the calcium on a nutritional information label however, can be dangerous. Since many high calcium foods are also high in fats, you’ll want to be sure that you’re picking your calcium sources wisely.
These are only a few reasons why you may be struggling with your weight loss program. There are surely other aspects which are contributing either to your success or lack thereof. However, if you combine the above techniques, you will be much more likely to meet your weight loss goals.