Why does it seem like gaining weight happens automatically, yet loosing weight seems so hard? Here’s some reasons as to why you might not be loosing weight, and some ideas on how to reverse that!
Yes, it seems like loosing weight should be simple. Eat less and exercise more. Less calories in, and more calories burned. But, your body is actually designed not to work that way. For example, when you decrease calories, your body goes into starvation mode, and your metabolism crashes – your body will actually conserve calories – and fat – as you eat less. So, if your metabolism has become sluggish, your weight loss efforts will stop your weight loss. So, rather than going for a huge drop in calories, try ramping them down about 200-500 calories per day. This can help fool your body into thinking that nothing is wrong – there’s no need for it to conserve fat, as the daily decrease in calories is low enough to cause the starvation factor from slowing down your metabolism.
So you may want to consider first, tracking how many calories you are taking in per day. This can be a pain though. Try using a phone app such as My Fitness Pal or Fat Secret – these apps not only have great recipes, but also bar code scanners and restaurant info to help you calculate your daily caloric intake. With this, you can start a plan to decrease what calories you’re eating per day without a huge negative impact on your current meal plan. Plus you’ll be more likely to stay on your meal plan, and avoid cheating on your diet!
One great way to decrease calories is to cut back or eliminate some of your favorite condiments. BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and other condiments can add 100-200 calories per serving! Instead, replace the high-calorie condiments with low-calorie alternatives such as mustards and hot sauces. You can still have flavor without the calories!
What you drink can also have an impact. What are you drinking with your meals? Fruit juice, soft drinks, sports drinks, and alcohol are full of empty calories that also do nothing to make you feel “full”. For many people, dropping back to water, sugar free beverages, and limiting alcohol to 1-3 drinks per week can have a huge impact on their weight loss plans!
When it comes to exercise, grinding away by spending hours and hours on cardio can not only be tedious, but since your body adapts quickly to cardiovascular / aerobic exercise, you’ll run out of energy & time before you make any real impact on your weight. So, add weight training to your workout plans. Breaking up your cardio workouts with weight training is a great way to help loose weight. What happens when you lift weights is your body tends to keep your metabolism going for a time, even after your done exercising (sometimes even up to 72 hours), so your fat burning workout “continues”, giving you more benefits that a straight cardio workout plan.
Finally, try planning out your meals, snacks, and exercise plans ahead of time. You’re more likely to not only keep a consistent diet and workout schedule, but you’re less likely to then accidentally “cheat” and ruin the positive impact you’ve been building.
For more information about buying cardio or strength equipment for your Phoenix area home , contact Fitness 4 Home Superstore today and we’ll be happy to match you up with the perfect piece of equipment. We have locations near you – our Scottsdale Superstore, Camelback Superstore, or I-10 Superstore.
