Surprised You Aren’t Losing Weight? I’m Not, and Here’s Why.
“People who have trouble losing weight may not be eating enough food or eating often enough, or they may lack sleep or dietary protein, nutrition experts said. Registered dietitian Emily Pierce said eating too few carbohydrates may stymie weight loss, and RD Gal Cohen said failing to drink enough water can cause the liver to burn less fat.”- Philadelphia magazine (10/2018)
When reading this quote, I seriously felt as though I had written it. These are without a doubt some of the most common reasons that health-conscious people are unsuccessful in reaching their goal weights. But why? Lemme tell ya. 😊
Not eating enough food. How is this possible? If you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming, you should be losing weight. Right? Not necessarily. Consuming too few calories sends your body into “starvation mode”. Unsure when it will be fed again, your body holds tightly to its energy stores and minimizes energy expenditure (aka- you do not burn as many calories as you may be expecting).
Not eating often enough. I am a huge proponent of eating small, frequent meals throughout the day for so many reasons: a) You are able to keep your body in a positive nitrogen balance (a state in which it effectively builds muscle) by consuming relatively modest amounts of protein every ~3 hours, rather than overconsuming in a single sitting (leading to excess protein being stored as fat). b) You are able to better stabilize blood sugar levels by more evenly distributing carbohydrate intake throughout the day. c) You are able to maintain higher energy levels, thus enabling your body to effectively burn more calories. d) You are less likely to reach a point of feeling over-hungry, at which time all bets are usually off when it comes to food selection and portion control. e) Fewer meals/snacks means fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables which inherently offer SO MANY BENEFITS and SO MUCH NUTRITIONAL VALUE! 😊
Lack of sleep. If you are getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep each night, you are on strict orders by Madz to rest up, buttercup! Sleep deprivation leads to increased cortisol (stress hormone) production, which then leads to greater retention of abdominal adipose tissue (aka- fat around your tummy area). It also causes decreased glycogen synthesis. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates. Decreased glycogen synthesis means that glucose (the basic unit of carbohydrates) remains in the blood stream longer, causing increased blood glucose levels. Decreased energy stores also contributes to an overall feeling of fatigue. Sleep is a time during which we filter through many environmental toxins and bodily waste products. Less sleep = less time for this process to occur = greater retention of the “bad” stuff (fat included!).
Lack of dietary protein. I touched on this in point #2 when explaining the benefits of consuming protein in more even amounts around-the-clock, but there’s more to it than that. Protein helps keep you full, which makes it easier to stay away from non-nourishing foods. Protein is also essential for muscle building. Muscle mass has a higher resting metabolism than does fat mass. Our resting metabolic rate (RMR) is responsible for up to 70% of the calories we burn in a given day. More muscle = more calories burned.
Too few carbohydrates. “But I thought carbs were bad?!” Not all carbs are created equal, my friend. As long as we are intentional with our selection of nutrient-rich carb sources and time them appropriately (including pre- and post-workout), carbs can absolutely work to our benefit. They give us energy, which allows us to burn more calories…and be more pleasant in general. 😊
Not enough water. Not only might inadequate water intake reduce the liver’s ability to burn fat (as mentioned above), it also has an adverse effect on pretty much everyyy aspect of your body. If this seems like a scare tactic, it’s not intended to be. It’s just the truth! But instead of focusing on the negatives, let’s highlight the positives. Maintaining proper hydration reduces hunger, fatigue, constipation…all of which have direct or indirect effects on weight loss.
If any of you falls suspect to these surprising six, this is exciting! You now have new ideas of beneficial behaviors to adopt in your efforts to achieve/maintain a healthy weight. If you know what to do, but need support in guidance to actually make the change(s), that’s where I come in. 😉 Contact me today to learn how we can get you on the road to real success!