Main reasons why you are not losing weight and some useful tips
You’ve just started a diet, but after two weeks, you no longer see any results… You have even started going to the gym and you’ve already started wondering what it might be that you are doing wrong. You’ve been limiting yourself from certain foods and want to see some progress.
Now you feel desperate and want to quit.”
Here are the possible reasons why you’re not losing weight:
- Lack of metabolic rate. Your metabolism is accounting for a large part of the weight loss process, so without your metabolism working properly or at all there will be much less weight loss happening in your body on a daily basis.
- Your metabolism is not functioning properly. You can actually have a high metabolism and if you are putting in the work you can still lose weight.
- You are overeating. Not all calories are the same, some calories are more unhealthy than others and they will lead to weight gain and fat gain (and a slower metabolism) quicker.
- Not enough physical activity. The good news is that even losing 1 pound of muscle per week will still result in a loss of 1 pound per month! So even if you only do 10 minutes of cardio or 10 pushups a day it will still take care of itself.
- Too much physical activity. Actually in some cases, even if you are working out all the time the scale will not budge, the reason is that you are putting your body under stress.
Do not close this article yet! The number one reason, by a significant margin, is…
You remember when I mentioned that women tend to carry more fat than men?
This means that fat loss for women takes longer than for men. Men start seeing results almost instantly, while it takes women weeks to notice any progress. Another reason is that women have to work twice as hard to lose weight compared to men.
Getting the metabolism back on track and getting the body to burn fat for energy is only half of the battle.
The other crucial part of losing weight is to control your appetite. Being able to do so will help you eat healthy, feel strong, and have lots of energy.
What follows is a useful collection of habits that can help you losing weight by reducing your caloric intake naturally:
1. Drink more water. Water helps your body detoxify itself, it also helps with digestion and lubricates the intestines. As a result you will have less food cravings. It also keeps you feeling fuller for longer periods of time. Instead of drinking sodas or fruit juices try to drink more water!
2. Eat smaller portions. This will control your appetite and help you control what you eat. You’ll be more likely to feel full and choose healthy foods instead of snacks.
3. Keep track of your weight. This way you will know how much you are losing, if it’s too little, increase the calories! If it’s too much, start to cut back a bit more and see what happens with the weight loss rate (maybe it won’t work anymore?)…
4. Move more. Try adding daily walks (with your dog or alone), jogging on the stairs or do situps while watching TV. Your body will start to feel better and you won’t have as many weight problems.
5. Get a bit more sleep. Some people think that losing calories through REM sleep, the deeper you go into it the more calories you burn. This does not mean, however, that you should spend 10 hours in bed since this will leave you tired and exhausted.
6. Drink less alcohol. Alcohol slows down your metabolism, however if you decide to drink 1 or 2 glasses of wine a day (no more), only do it before 5 PM! That way the alcohol doesn’t interfere with your sleeping habits and it can actually help reduce your appetite.
A few last tips:
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If you can, try to eat less processed foods, cereals, and baked goods.
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Eat lean meats, avoid eating too much meat (beef and pork mostly), and avoid deep-fried foods.
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Choose whole wheat foods over white flour products such as bread and pasta.
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If you are having a craving for a food that you know is bad for you, drink some water or green tea instead!
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Avoid eating junk food – If you have to have it, try to make it yourself but stay away from processed snacks like chips etc…
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Stay away from sweets – This is a bit related to the previous one but… Stay away from all those candies, chocolates, and ice cream!
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Start to learn how to cook good healthy food and it will be easier for you to stick with a diet program.
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If you follow these tips you’ll lose weight much faster and your body will start burning fat for energy instead of storing it in your belly. This is what will put you on the right track for losing weight in your belly.
After you get your metabolism on track you can then start to focus on your lifestyle and living habits. These are mostly about cardio and working out (cardio is the best way to continue burning more fat).
You should also know that you should not eat carbs after 8PM (the reason is because they will slow down your metabolism while you are sleeping). If you want to look good, it takes work! You need a good diet and exercise, including cardio, weight lifting, and other forms of physical activity like swimming, biking or hiking.
As I mentioned before the key to losing weight is in finding the right balance between eating right and exercising. The solution for the lean belly is to do cardio regularly and to eat a healthy Paleo diet.
Here’s my Paleo diet plan:
- Cut out sugars from your diet and replace them with more fruits (both fresh and dried).
- Replace all grains with sprouted bread or grain bread, but try to avoid eating grain-based bread since it will not have the right nutrients.
- Remove all processed food and stay away from trans fat! You should also stay away from margarine, vegetable oils, commercial mayonnaise, and corn oil. You should eat natural butter on occasion or use olive oil or coconut oil instead to cook your food.
- Get your protein from fish, eggs, grass-fed butter, chicken or turkey meat. Stay away from red meats and avoid processed meats!
- Cut out short-term snacks and eat only one meal a day.
This means that instead of eating 3 meals a day you should eat one big meal, containing:
- 1/4 of your total daily calories in vegetables (mix of different vegetables) – which include greens like broccoli and cabbage
- 1/4 of your total daily calories in fruits (red, yellow and orange ones) – which include apples, bananas, pears and oranges.
- 1/4 of your total daily calories in protein (chicken, seafood, beef and turkey)
- The rest of your calories in nuts and natural fats from olive oil or coconut oil. The best thing to drink is water!
- Drink green tea instead of normal tea.
This diet plan gives you 2 additional meals to eat if you want to, but it’s not mandatory. You can just eat 1 meal a day and it will work just as fine. You are also allowed to snack during the day but don’t go overboard with it since snack foods are not always healthy ones like fruits and nuts! Remember that you should stay away from snacks that have been deep-fried or they contain trans fat.
Foods To Avoid On Paleo Diet:
You know that the majority of your diet should be made up of lean meats and fruits, but what type are the best? There are a lot of fruits and vegetables out there but you can start with these ones to get you started:
- Avocado – great as a fruit or a fat replacement for cooking. You can mash it or puree it, use it in smoothies, or for cooking in any way you like. It’s even great for seasoning sauces.
- Berries, like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries are great. They are high in fiber and antioxidants which can help improve your overall health.
- Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, asparagus and cauliflower (don’t eat too much of these, they are high in carbs so watch out)
- Tomatoes – They’re full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy. The lycopene is good for your heart!
- Avocados – You should always have a few on stock for use in cooking or for salads or anything else you need them for.
- Beets – Great for any salad and soup, especially if you add some olive oil or coconut oil.
- Olives – They’re a great snack or even can be used in cooking. You can also use them in dips and hummus.
- Figs – They taste delicious, so eat them often!
- Olive oil is full of antioxidants that will help your body stay healthy. If you have a reliable source for organic olive oils, then definitely use it often. If not, then use extra virgin olive oil since it’s still great for your health even though it lacks the antioxidants of the other kind of olive oils.
- Coconut oil – Another healthy fat that’s great for cooking and baking.
Pro Tips For Increasing Metabolism and losing weight:
If your metabolism is not optimal, then you will have a harder time losing weight since your body needs to burn calories in order to lose weight!
The best way to increase your metabolism is through exercise which includes cardio and weightlifting (weight training can help you build muscle). You should also try to improve your lifestyle by:
