7 Reasons Why You Might Struggle to Lose Weight
In spite of all your hard weight-loss efforts, do you find that your body just doesn't want to cooperate? Weight-loss is not always easy, and some find it more difficult than others to reach their goal weight. While you might be putting in the hours at the gym and restricting your diet, there may be other factors at play that could be holding you back from achieving the body that you want.
Here are the possible reasons why you may be struggling to lose weight.
Stress or depression
Research shows that there is a definite link between stress and weight-gain (or difficulty losing weight). When you're stressed or anxious, your adrenal glands release stress hormones, namely adrenaline and cortisol, which trigger the fight or flight response. Non-life threatening events such as death, divorce or a pandemic, as well as life-threatening events, lead to elevated cortisol/adrenaline levels.
These stress hormones stimulate your appetite, often making one crave sugar - sugar supplies the body with fast-releasing energy that your body thinks it needs to cope with the stressful situation. Even if you aren't giving in to the sugary cravings, cortisol also slows down your metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight.
Besides the effects that elevated cortisol/adrenaline have on the body, when you're stressed or depressed, the last thing on your mind is counting calories or being mindful about your lifestyle. Finding solace in yummy snacks and comfort food ends up having consequences to the numbers on the scale.
If stress or depression is affecting not only your wellbeing and daily responsibilities, but also your weight, it may be time to seek counselling where you can learn better coping skills.
Tip: MindSoothe is a natural mood stabiliser and antidepressant that was formulated by a Clinical Psychologist, who has been able to observe the results on real people in her private practice. The great thing about MindSoothe is that it won't make you gain weight like most prescription mood stabilisers and antidepressants do!
View our range of natural solutions for mood and nerves
Gender
Did you know that weight-loss is often more difficult for women compared to men? Men tend to lose weight faster than women, which essentially comes down to hormones and the way that their bodies are structured.
Besides the common body differences that allows men to lose weight faster than women in general, it gets even more difficult for women to lose weight as they age. As women age and head into their menopausal years, hormonal changes lead to additional fat storage (especially around the tummy) and decreased metabolism, making it so much more difficult to burn fat.
Additionally, fluctuating hormones may cause food cravings, and this is where it's important to not give in to those unhealthy food cravings (easier said than done, right?)! These cravings can also be your body's way of letting you know that you are deficient in certain nutrients. Menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause all take a toll on the female body and can sometimes lead to certain deficiencies, so it's important for women to know which supplements their bodies need!
READ: 6 Essential Supplements for Women
Protein
There are two main sources of dietary proteins: animal and plant-based. Both proteins come with various health benefits such as keeping you full, helping you build muscle, improving bone health, aiding skin functioning and more. While both proteins are beneficial, the cause of your weight-loss could be that you're eating too much animal protein and not enough plant-based protein.
The problem in over-consuming, or mainly consuming animal protein, is that the protein is typically accompanied by fat, which obviously leads to weight gain (as well as other health concerns like diabetes or heart disease). Plant-based protein, on the other hand, allows you to eat higher amounts of these foods without worrying about weight-gain or negative effects on your health.
Tip: Feelgood Health offers a wide range of health food, superfoods and tasty snacks that contain plant-based complete proteins. Wholefoods are associated with better weight-management and health!
Medical conditions
If you're doing everything in your power to lose weight but simply cannot shed the pounds, it may be caused by a medical condition. Medical conditions that affect your hormones (hypothyroidism), insulin levels (diabetes) or blood pressure are likely to be huge contributing factors to weight-gain and difficulty in weight-loss. Sometimes it's not even the medical condition itself, but the medication! Antidepressants, antipsychotics, sulfonylureas, hormone replacements and antiepileptics are the most common culprits.
If you're gaining weight due to medication, your doctor may be able to help you find a similar drug that won't have the same effect. You might also want to look into natural alternatives that don't come with the side effects of prescription or pharmaceutical medication. You're welcome to contact us for free health advice!
Cardio
Cardio exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is any type of high-intensity exercise that is rhythmic activity, which raises your heart rate and breathing and challenges your cardiovascular system. Dancing, running, skipping and kickboxing are all great examples of effective cardio exercise.
While resistance training (with weights, for example) does offer weight-loss benefits, you might not be doing enough cardio. You need to burn enough calories to make a significant impact; aim for at least 35 minutes of fast-paced cardio exercise 5 - 6 days per week.
Tip: Choosing a supplement like Solgar L-Carnitine helps you to boost energy and increase physical endurance. L-Carnitine is an excellent daily supplement for people who want to maximise their work out for high intensity exercise.
Sugary drinks
If you are doing everything by the book but still not losing weight, ask yourself if you're guilty of consuming sugary drinks. These drinks are loaded with sugar and are significantly fattening. They are known to make weight-loss much more difficult to achieve, even if you have a consistent workout routine and are watching your diet. While the main culprits are sodas like Coca-Cola, the 'healthier' beverages like fruit juice or Vitamin Water are also loaded with fattening sugar. It's best to stick to water and smoothies.
Tip: Browse our range of superfoods which can be added to smoothies or meal replacement drinks. Not only do they provide your body with essential nutrients for optimum health, they help you feel fuller for longer - and quench your thirst!
Sleep
Studies show that poor sleep is one of the biggest risk factors for obesity. When you're sleep deprived, it slows down your metabolism, and you're up to 89% greater risk for developing obesity than those who get sufficient sleep. On average the human body needs 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night for optimal metabolism.
Tip: Serenite Plus is a combination herbal/homeopathic formula especially formulated to treat the symptoms of insomnia, especially sleep onset insomnia (difficulty falling asleep) and occasional insomnia (i.e. difficulty falling asleep not more than two or three times a week).
If you have any health-related questions, please contact us or leave a comment below for FREE advice. We always love hearing from you!
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