Stumbling Blocks to Weight Loss
By Sarah Scrafford
Newcomers to the weight loss process know how hard it is to lose those first couple of pounds; they also know it’s harder to stick to your chosen path even though you don’t seem to be losing weight as fast as you thought you would. But the worst part of a fitness program is sticking it out for at least six months, doing all the things you must do religiously, only to find out that you’ve not made much of an impact on the excess pounds clinging to your body. To get to the bottom of this problem, you have to take a closer look at other aspects of your life:
- Are you on medication of some kind? If so, consult your doctor to check if it inhibits weight loss or makes you put on weight. If it’s medication that you absolutely must take, ask your physician to suggest a weight loss program that’s suited to you; if not, dump it in the trash can.
- Are you a regular drinker? You may not realize it, but regular consumption of alcohol, which is nothing but a form of sugar (carbohydrate), can load on those pounds without your being aware of where they came from. Most wines and beers are high in calories.
- Are you suffering from a medical condition? Some thyroid or hormonal disorders slow down your metabolism and encourage the storage of fat in your body.
- Are you depressed most of the time? Intense sadness and depression can lead to hormonal changes in your body that cause fat deposits to build around your waist.
- Are you a woman? It’s not fair on the fairer sex, but women tend to hold on to fat deposits because of their high levels of estrogen, the hormone that makes it easy for them to conceive. A certain amount of body fat is necessary to become pregnant.
- Is your body going through hormonal changes? If you’re a girl hitting puberty or a woman going through menopause or fertility treatments, there’s a high probability that you’re unlikely to lose weight as fast as you would like to even though you’re doing all the right things like sticking to a sensible diet and exercise routine.
Instead of giving up on your work outs and diet when you don’t lose weight, examine other factors that may be inhibiting your weight loss; you’d be surprised at the remarkable difference a small change can make.