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If you already know that the key to losing weight is a healthy diet, and you’re trying your best.
But it’s been months, and you’re still not really losing weight.
Before you give up forever, here are some reasons you could be retaining.
- You haven’t made yourself a specialized diet plan. While this would have been a luxury twenty years ago, it’s an easily accessible government tool now. The old diet guidelines of 2,000 calories per day are pretty far behind. Not everyone needs that many calories, or really should be eating that many. Try using the new NIH Body Weight Planner to work out a diet that’s right for you.
- You’re not sleeping enough. Losing sleep can undermine all of your hard work without you even realizing it. Even losing half an hour of sleep from your recommended 7-8 hours can make you 17% more at risk for obesity. When you go through your day without enough sleep, you put out more of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes you to store fat.
- Your mind is always on your workouts. While it’s important to work out, keeping your mind on your workout may actually cause you to eat more, since you’re anticipating burning off all the calories. You’re not going to. So keep your portion sizes as moderate as if you weren’t training for a marathon, and limit your pre-workout routine to a healthy snack.
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- You’re eating healthy, just eating too much of it. Fruits and veggies can be great for you, but there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. Healthy foods that are high in healthy fats and carbs, like nut butters, quinoa, and avocado, can gain on you pretty fast if you eat too many. Always eat the recommended serving size, or you risk gaining weight you didn’t want.
