You have been spending hours at the gym and have restricted your meals to only bland chicken and boiled vegetables. Your weight loss routine was working fine for a few weeks but now it seems that no matter what you try, you just aren’t able to lose any weight. The reason is probably because you have hit a weight loss plateau. What happens is that as you start to lose weight and your body’s metabolism starts to slow down. This makes it difficult for your body to burn all those calories and hence you find yourself unable to lose any weight. Here are a few reasons why you have hit a weight loss plateau:
Diet Mistakes
As human beings, we make mistakes. At times we end up eating larger portions of food than we should have. This is why it is essential you maintain a food journal to note what and how much you have eaten.
Experts claim your body weight can fluctuate about five pounds on any given day. Basically, it just means it’s easy to gain the amount of weight you had just shed. Start tracking your daily calorie intake to pinpoint all the extra calories you have consumed to avoid them in the future.
You Sit at Your Desk All Day
If you are trying to lose weight, you really need to move around and get some exercise. Unfortunately, the one hour you spend in the gym does not compensate for the hours you have been sitting still at your workstation. A recent research concluded it becomes more difficult for the body to burn fat if you have been sitting for hours. Take a walk every hour. If you can’t, at least make the most of your lunch break and stretch around to overcome a weight loss plateau.
You Don’t Drink Enough Water
Drinking adequate amounts of water is necessary for weight loss. Drinking water not only suppresses your appetite but it helps you lose more weight. When your body is dehydrated, your kidneys have to work harder to function properly. For this, your kidney starts relying on your liver for extra support. By doing so, instead of consuming body fat, your body ends up storing it. So, carry a bottle of water with you everywhere you go to stay hydrated.
You Are Stressed Out
Stress is something you need to avoid and eliminate from your life. Stress not only causes you to gain weight but it also causes health risks, such as coronary heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. When you are stressed, your body gets tense, thus you start looking for ways to comfort yourself. Many people start binge eating to feel better. Instead of reaching for a tub of ice cream, start meditating. Look for ways to relieve your mind. You can keep yourself busy with a hobby you love or better yet, you can join yoga classes. Yoga not only helps to release stress but it also helps you shed a few pounds.
