Do you have trouble losing weight despite paying attention to everything you eat? Are the diets you used to do not work anymore? Are you exercising excessively to lose weight quickly, but you can’t reach the weight you want? If your answer is ‘yes’, the reason why the weighing hand never falls off may be due to some of your faulty habits and diet!
In an ideal and healthy weight loss program, the weekly weight loss averages between 1 and 1.5 pounds. However, sometimes despite dieting, weight loss does not happen. If there are no diseases such as insulin resistance, hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome, the difficulty in losing weight can be caused by some faulty habits and wrong diet. Healthy weight loss can only be achieved with the right physical activity as well as a correct nutrition program.
It is important not to go beyond the existing ingredients in the diet as much as possible, to prevent the tendencies that disrupt the nutritional balance, to solve emotional or stress-related eating attacks with professional support if necessary, in order to gain a permanent eating habit in the long term.” So, which of our mistakes can slow down weight loss?
Nutritionists have outlined 10 reasons why you may have trouble losing weight despite dieting; they have given important recommendations and warnings.
Reason: If you misunderstand the word ‘diet’
The reason you have difficulty losing weight may be because you misunderstand the word ‘diet’. You may think you’re on a diet by starving yourself. You just need to fast for 24 hours to see that you are weakened on the scale. But this is not a real weight loss. Because with this method, the body loses water and the muscles shrink, but the fat does not melt. At this stage, the organism converts the muscles into energy to capture the energy necessary for it. That’s why a person who doesn’t eat during the day starts to think, “I don’t eat anything, but I still can’t lose weight.” In order to prevent this error, it will be the best decision to apply an adequate and balanced nutrition program that is calculated according to your needs, suitable for your lifestyle, and that you can maintain.
Reason: If you’ve been sitting at your desk or armchair all day
When you sit still all day, your body has a hard time burning calories. In this case, the calories you burn will probably be less than the calories you eat. Exercise suitable for your body is a must for losing weight in a healthy way. When exercise is done regularly, it can be useful in many aspects such as maintaining the ideal body weight, being durable and providing flexibility. Remember, at the end of the day, 70 percent of your weight decreases with diet and 30 percent with exercise.
Reason: If you’re interested in everything but food
Trying to finish your plate while chatting with friends? Or are you watching a movie with your plate in your hand? In summary, if you’re interested in everything but food, the reason you’re having trouble losing weight may be ‘not focusing on your meals’! The ‘intuitive eating’ technique, which involves slowing down, eating without distractions, enjoying every bite while listening to natural signals that tell your brain when your body is full, is one of the healthiest weight loss tools. Numerous studies have shown that intuitive eating can contribute to weight loss and reduce the frequency of binge eating. When you consume your food by chewing slowly and thoroughly on a table that is not in front of the screen, trying to notice the color, smell, taste and textures, when you stop eating the moment you realize that you are full, you perform the majority of the ‘intuitive eating’ behavior and contribute to the reduction of your weight.
Reason: If you forget to drink water
When the body is dehydrated, or in other words, when the amount of water drunk is not enough, the working tempo of digestive enzymes and intestines slows down. The slowing digestive system can also cause calorie burning to decrease, fat burning to slow down and as a result to weight gain or inability to lose weight. According to the general guidelines of scientific organizations; a healthy adult needs to drink about 35 ml of water every day per pound. For example, it is of great importance for a person weighing 50 kilograms to drink at least 1.7 liters of water per day.
Reason: If you’ve been on a diet for too long
Being on a ‘diet’ for too long can also prevent you from losing weight. If you’ve been losing weight for months, you may have reached a point of resistance. In this case, you may need to take a break from dieting. During these plateau periods, you can try increasing a few hundred calories a day, getting more sleep, and lifting weights to get stronger and gain more muscle. During your break, aim to maintain your body fat levels for 1-2 months before you start losing weight again.
Reason: If you prefer large portions
You can keep excessive calorie intake, and therefore your weight, under control with portion adjustment. The portions of the food you order outside are usually more than the healthy recommended amount. For example, the steak (250 grams) you order at a restaurant can contain three servings of meat. Moreover, it is often served with french fries or pasta, which significantly increases the calories taken. Don’t bother finishing all of your meals to keep your portions under control. Take care to eat slowly, leaving your food and fork in between. Replace the potatoes that come with your meal or high-carbohydrate and high-fat options like this with salad alternatives.
Reason: If you’re not getting enough sleep
While the level of ghrelin hormone in the body, which increases appetite and therefore food intake due to sleep irregularity, increases, leptin hormone, which has the opposite effect, is suppressed. As a result, the risk of obesity increases. Consume eggs, fish, unroasted and unsalted nuts to eliminate the sleep barrier that causes you to lose weight. These nutrients make it easier for you to fall asleep and are the highest sources of the hormone melatonin, which is known to help you stay asleep longer.
Reason: If you exercise a lot
According to researches; When too much physical activity is done, the body reacts by stopping calorie burning. For this reason, although people who exercise excessively lose weight in the short term, there is no weight loss in the medium and long term. Therefore, excessive sports program alone is not enough to lose weight and adversely affects health. In order to lose weight, a diet should be made together with sports. Since it is the most effective sport, care should be taken to walk regularly to lose weight. Thanks to the fact that walking is a low-weight and long-term sport, it accelerates fat burning without causing stress in the body. By walking for at least 45 minutes a day, you can both accelerate weight loss and step into a healthy life.
Reason: If you’re eating too close to bedtime
Eating late at night can raise your body temperature, blood sugar, and insulin levels, leading to storage of what you eat and your inability to lose weight. Therefore, try to finish your meal at least 3 hours before going to bed. Be careful about snacking after dinner, as you inadvertently eat excess calories while watching TV or using a computer.
Reason: If you’re in stressful situations
Stress releases another hormone called cortisol, which orders the release of glucose into the blood through the adrenal glands and increases the brain’s use of glucose for energy. Noting that these hormones do not return to their normal level until stress passes, experts say, “If stress does not pass, the nervous system continues to trigger physical reactions that can eventually become inflamed and damage cells. “To reduce and manage these problems, you should reduce your consumption of caffeine, refined carbohydrates and deli products, while also making time for meditation and exercise.”