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Apr 17, 2011

10 Biggest Reasons Why Weight Loss Fails


This is a guest post by Maureen Denard of MSN Degrees
You’re eating healthy and you get in a decent workout once every now and then, but the bathroom scales still refuse to budge and that bulge in your midriff seems to be getting bigger than before.
You’re at your wits end as you wonder what else you have to do to lose weight and get in shape.
What you don’t realize is that weight loss is a tricky devil that slips out of your grasp if you’re not careful. So before you throw in the towel on your weight loss efforts, find out why you may not be shedding those pounds as fast as you would like:
1. You’re either starving yourself or working out and eating all that you want – weight loss happens only where there is the right combination of exercise and diet. So work out sensibly, and eat healthy food.
2. You’re not regular in your exercise schedule – it’s advisable to work out for around half an hour day, at least 5 days a week. You could take a brisk walk, work out at the gym, or even play a sport. But you must do it regularly and not whenever you feel like or when time permits. If you don’t make exercise a part of your daily routine, you’re not going to lose weight and keep it off.
3. You’re not working your muscles as much as you need to – strength training helps you build muscle mass and tones your body. You also boost your metabolism and increase the rate at which you burn calories. When you increase your muscle mass and metabolism, you lose weight even when you’re sedentary.
4. Sometimes, you may not see a significant difference on the scales because you’ve gained muscle mass; but your body is toned and you look and feel better and are much fitter than before; you also have more stamina and you’re in all-round good health, so don’t worry about not reducing the number of pounds.
5. You may be giving in to eating binges because you’re starving yourself – when you deny your body nutrition and sustenance, you start craving foods that are not good for you. And after a few days of resisting temptation, you give in to your cravings and binge on junk food which throws your system into confusion and hinders your weight loss efforts.
6. You may be under severe stress in your personal and/or professional life, and this could stop you from losing weight. So work on bringing down your stress level first before trying to lose weight.
7. Other factors like illness or disease could be reasons for losing weight slowly or finding it hard to drop those extra pounds – you could have a thyroid disease, you could be suffering from a hormonal imbalance, or you could have some other condition that does not allow you to lose weight as fast as you want to.
8. Aging makes it harder to lose weight – you have to eat less because your metabolism slows down as you grow older. So make better and wiser food choices and you can stay slim and look younger as the years go by.
9. You may not have given it enough time – sustained weight loss takes a while to show on the scales, so don’t give up your efforts. You will start feeling better physically and mentally when you follow the right diet and work out regularly, so this is reward enough initially. Weight loss will come with time, so be patient.
10. And finally, your body is unique; so don’t compare results with your friends or your spouse and wonder why they have lost weight while you haven’t. As said before, stick to your chosen path, keep your eyes on the goal, and you’ll get there before long.

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