Losing weight can be a tough journey and requires some sacrifice. Nothing can be more demotivating than putting all the effort in for minimal results. Here are 5 reasons why you may not be losing weight.
1. Not drinking enough water
Hydration is massively under rated when it comes to fat loss. Most of us drink too much coffee and not enough water. Being just 2% dehydrated can lead to tiredness, loss of concentration, brain fog, irritability as well as excess water retention.
Try drinking just one more glass a day for a week, then increase it again the next week. Shoot for your body weight in kg x 0.033 to find out just how much you need a day.
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2. The incorrect balance of strength and conditioning
Men tend to hit the weights harder than women and women tend to do far more cardio. The sweet spot is 3 strength/ weights sessions a week and 2 conditioning/ cardio sessions a week.
The strength work helps build muscle, which burns more calories, boosts the immune system and strengthens joints and tendons.
Conditioning can include High Intensity Interval Training at a 1:1 work:rest ratio or 1:2 work:rest ratio for best results. you can also use Tabata style circuits which are more time efficient but much harder. (20 seconds work:10 seconds rest x 10-20 rounds).
Conditioning is a great way to improve your mental toughness as well as recovery. One is not better than the other and any good program will have a balance of both.
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3. Not eating enough protein
Diet is always a tricky one and probably the hardest part of any weight loss program. Food makes a feel good and we have a strong emotional connection to it. When we are stressed we eat food to make us feel better. women tend to be particularly guilty of missing breakfast or just not getting enough protein into the diet.
Protein helps with gene expression, cell recovery and build the toned look we are after. It also helps us feel full for longer and stabilizes blood sugar levels. The more stable our blood sugar levels, the less cravings we have for sugary foods.
Try increasing your protein intake by one small portion a day for the next 14 days. If you can do this 90% of the time, increase it. For portion sizes and a great way to measure click below.
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4. Not getting enough sleep
Sleep plays a huge factor when it comes to fat loss. Not only does sleep regenerate our brain, improve our mood and work performance, but contributes heavily to our physical recovery.
Think of the training as the sculpting part of the process. Sleep is the time when the real changes begin to happen. The better quality of sleep you have, the more progress you make in the gym. We take sleep for granted and most of the readers of this newsletter will have been hugely successful getting by with very little. Try implementing a sleep routine or one of the tips in the link below and you will most likely improve your performance in life by at least 30%.
For fat loss, good quality sleep is essential.
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5. Not eating enough vegetables
Vegetables are full of phyto-nutrients that our body uses to help detoxify our liver. Vegetables help control blood sugar levels, increase our fibre intake and are full of vitamins and minerals. The more color you can include in your selection the wider variety of nutrients you will absorb. The trouble is we tend to leave them out due to the hassle of preparing them/ having them readily available.
Pre-chopping a few bags of vegetables make them more accessible and easier to include in our daily routines.
For a great info-graphic on food prep, click here.
Your In Health
Patrick Fallis
Founder of Leaner
www.leaner-uk.com