Losing weight takes some consistency.
However, for some people, the results might take longer than expected, and contrary to popular beliefs, it might not be that you’re not exercising enough.
The truth is that exercising alone might not deliver the full results you want without changing your diet and lifestyle.
How do you fix this? The first step is to start by identifying the difficult factors that might be hindering your weight loss journey before you can begin resolving them.
Here are 5 reasons you’re probably not losing weight fast enough:
1. High levels of stress
Stress acts as a fitness restraint in many cases, but seeing as it is a biological thing, it’s one you can easily control. Start by identifying what is causing you stress.
Once you’re done with that, you can now move on to introducing calm practices like mindfulness, meditation, yoga and deep breathing exercises into your routine.
These practices reduce the body’s production of the cortisol hormone (responsible for stress) to normal levels. Cortisol is not only the body’s natural-built alarm system, but it also causes fat to be stored centrally, preventing the body from burning fat.
2. Eating whenever
No matter how good your diet is, eating whenever you feel hungry will throw it off balance.
To fix this, add an 8-hour eating window to your routine set a time to start eating and a time after which you no longer eat. You can start eating at 10 am and end at 6 pm, whatever you choose.
Now, to get into this routine, try it out three days a week before moving to five or six days when you feel comfortable. If you feel hungry after your end time, grab some fruit juice or a coffee during the fasting window. Doing this allows for faster weight loss and reduced risks of chronic diseases.
3. Doing the same workout routine
While consistency is important in every weight loss journey, you’ll need to switch things out every once in a while.
Try to change your routine; we advise performing an interval workout three days per week, and on alternate days, perform low-intensity workouts, like Pilates, yoga or walking.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) increases the body’s metabolism for up to 24 hours (excess post oxygen consumption). HIIT training also allows for a more efficient cellular makeup.
Doing interval workouts also trigger a metabolic process known as mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) which provides our body and brain with sufficient energy to perform all tasks.
4. Excessive alchohol consumption
Regular (excessive) alcohol consumption can put your weight loss journey at a standstill as alcohol limits the body’s ability to burn fat.
While you might not want to cut alcohol out of your diet completely, you can limit it to one glass of wine a week. Or by opting for clean cocktails made from fresh fruits.
5. Not enough sleep
Three vital ingredients to a health loss journey is proper rest, a good diet and enough rest. So, when you don’t sleep enough, you’re not giving your body enough time to recuperate.
So, set two different alarms, one to go to sleep and the other to wake up; this helps create a proper sleeping schedule.
Remember that the body’s muscle recovery is hindered without enough sleep, reducing its efficiency in burning fat.
Like with every positive change, your weight loss journey would take a lot from you, physically and maybe even mentally. Whatever you do, remember your goal and ensure to only achieve this goal in the healthiest way possible.
