FIVE WAYS YOU CAN MAKE WEIGHT LOSS HARDER!
- Dieting
Yes, you’ve heard it right! The easiest way to make weight loss harder is to think you can just jump on the latest fad diet and grit your teeth for a few weeks. Willpower is under-rated and most diets fight against our body’s inbuilt weight control mechanisms. We slash calories and our body fights back. Net result – most dieters regain all the weight they lost and more, by a year. You need to work with your body, not against it if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
- Drinking alcohol
Alcohol is empty calories, often with sugary mixers added too. It saps any willpower we may have, making those nuts and crisps seem more appealing. It lowers sleep quality even if we think we sleep better and it leaves us searching for high sugar / high fat food the next day to boost energy and dampen the after-effects. What more do I need to say?!
- Eating too little
How often have you done this? Refuse all sorts of food early in the day because you’re ‘on a diet’ and end up picking at food later on, finishing up with the standard ‘well, I’ve blown my diet, I may as well finish that ice-cream and start again tomorrow.’ Eating a good, filling meal of protein and healthy fats will keep your body happy until the next meal and stop the snacking that makes weight loss much harder.
- Jumping on and off the scales
It’s great to see the number go down on the scales, but as soon as it goes up, especially if we think we have been ‘good’ we get demotivated and often give up. And yet, the scales are not a good reflection of your fat levels. They measure total weight, including muscle and the healthy meal you ate last night. And your weight can fluctuate with hormones and water retention. So, forget the scales and measure how well you feel and how your shape is changing, instead.
- Stressing about your weight
Yes – we need to be concerned, as excess weight isn’t good for health. But stress isn’t good either. It raises the hormone cortisol which encourages belly fat. And stress intereferes with sleep and encourages us to seek out ‘reward’ food like sugar to soothe our worries. Instead of stressing about your weight, focus your attention on building habits that improve your physical and mental health. Habits like a lunch-hour walk or a screen-free hour before bed to boost sleep. Not only will these habits become subconscious and therefore easy to maintain long-term, but they will make weight loss easier too – without you even thinking about it.
This article was originally published on DrSallyNorton.com
