Reasons You're Not Losing Weight
roger711
Posts: 22 Member
6 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight
By FITNESS Magazine | Healthy Living – 2 hours 9 minutes ago
By Alexa Joy Sherman
Food journal? Check. Regular workouts? Yes, indeed. Enough fiber to keep an entire army regular? You got it. I
know how to lose weight. I've been writing about the topic for more than a decade. That's why it was so frustrating
when the pounds clung to me like a codependent boyfriend, no matter how hard I tried. A lot of women have this
problem, the experts tell me. "Body weight can fluctuate by up to five pounds on any given day, so the amount you
shed can easily get lost," says Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, the author of Why You Can't Lose Weight. I combed
through research and grilled diet gurus to pinpoint little-known reasons that your efforts -- and mine -- haven't been
showing up on the scale. Who knew?
Related: 10 Strategies to Lose Fat and Keep It Off
You Don't Drink Enough Water
We've all heard how important H2O is when it comes to shedding pounds. It helps to suppress appetite, so you're less likely to overeat. But that's not
all: When you're dehydrated, your kidneys can't function properly, so the body turns to the liver for additional support. Because the liver is working so
hard, more of the fat you consume is stored rather than burned off.
What surprised me most, though, is that if you're upping your fiber intake but not also hitting the bottle hard, things tend to get a wee bit, er, backed
up. "It's important to add fiber gradually and increase water intake at the same time. Otherwise, instead of helping with digestion, fiber may actually
lead to constipation," notes Anna-Lisa Finger, RD, a personal trainer for the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. I often consume
nearly double the recommended 25 grams of fiber daily. Gulp.
Just how much water should I be drinking? "About one-half your body weight in ounces every day, especially if you're exercising," Dr. Smith says. So
the eight-cups-a-day rule applies only to sedentary women who weigh 128 pounds (sure as hell not me!). "If you consume an aggressive amount of
fiber, another eight to 16 ounces a day is a good idea," Dr. Smith adds. H2OMG! That amount of liquid -- for me, 12 cups a day, minimum -- requires
serious effort. I fill up with about a liter at each meal, and I'm a peeing machine.
You Skimp on Protein
Several studies show that high-protein diets result in more pounds shed, at least initially. Protein enhances the feeling of satiety and prevents your
losing muscle as you lose fat. You also have dietary thermogenesis, which is the energy you burn to process and use the food you eat, on your side.
"Your body expends more energy to metabolize protein than carbs or fat," says Cari Coulter, RD, the program director for Wellspring Weight Loss
Camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "So higher-protein diets make you burn slightly more calories."
So how much protein do I need a day? "It depends on your weight, but most women should get 40 to 80 grams," Dr. Smith says. To accomplish that, I
have Greek yogurt (18 grams) or a couple of eggs (13 grams) for breakfast, and I eat a few ounces of lean poultry (25 grams) or fish (22 grams) or a
heaping helping of black beans (15 grams) or lentils (18 grams) at lunch and dinner. I snack on a handful of raw almonds (6 grams). As a result, I feel
fuller -- sometimes so full I don't even sneak a bite of my son's ice cream (the way I used to whether I was hungry or not) -- so it's easier to keep daily
calories in check.
You Sit at a Desk All Day
I log a solid hour of exercise almost every day, but outside of that, my time is mostly spent sitting in front of a computer. Much to my dismay, research
finds that dedicated workouts simply can't compensate for being sedentary the rest of the time. According to one University of Missouri-Columbia
study, sitting for just a few hours causes your body to stop making a fat-inhibiting enzyme called lipase. Getting up and walking for just two minutes
during each of those hours burns an additional 59 calories a day, according to recent research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Experts recommend setting a timer on the computer to remind you to move every hour, but what's helped me is the Fitbit One ($100, fitbit.com). I
keep this activity tracker clipped to my bra 24-7, and I won't go to bed until I've logged 10,000 steps a day. To accomplish that, I heed some of those
recommendations we've all heard a million times ("Take the stairs instead of the elevator," "Park far away from the mall"). I even jog in place while
brushing my teeth and watching TV. At first my husband and son laughed their skinny little butts off at me, but now seeing me hopping around the
living room strikes them as normal. Walks are part of my family's evening routine, and "How many steps do you have now?" has become the new "Are
we there yet?" I've even given Fitbits to friends and family as gifts so we can see who takes the most steps. Move-more mission: accomplished.
Your Numbers Are Off
I've always considered myself a math whiz, so I assumed that I had the whole calories-in, calories-out formula down pat. Here's how I determined how
many I should eat a day: I got my basal metabolic rate (BMR, or the amount of calories I need to maintain my weight) using the online calculator at
fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/bmr, and I entered "moderate" for my activity level, because I exercise regularly. That gave me about 2,400 calories
a day. Then I added whatever calories I burn during my workouts (usually about 500), according to my heart-rate monitor. That meant I could eat
almost 3,000 calories a day without gaining a pound (or nearly 2,500 a day to lose a pound a week). Sure, it seemed high, but I had used a
calculator. It had to be right!
Not so fast, Coulter says. "The BMR calculator already factors in the calories you burn with your workouts, so you shouldn't add them in again," she
explains. Math club membership revoked! All this time I had thought my daily needs were 500 calories higher than they really were. No wonder I'd
been maintaining instead of losing.
Related: Find Out Your BMR
You're a Stress Case
I'm a lot like the lab rats -- and humans -- who turn to comfort food and pack on pounds when they're under duress. "The stress hormone cortisol
triggers the fight-or-flight response, which is an appetite stimulant," Dr. Smith says. "In addition, it steps up the production of a certain brain chemical,
neuropeptide Y, which increases cravings for carbohydrates."
Even when I don't give in to cravings, stress can stall my slim-down. "Too much cortisol slows metabolism," Dr. Smith says. "Even worse, excessive
stress causes fat to be stored in the abdominal area, where weight is harder to lose." Ugh! I can practically feel my belly expanding every time I have
a meltdown over something, including my weight-loss efforts.
Luckily, a lot of the things I'm doing to whittle my middle should also ease my angst. "Exercise reduces stress," Dr. Smith notes. "Balanced, nutritious
meals can repair the damage that stress does to the body, and a social support network also helps." So my team of Fitbit-wearing friends and fam is
helping me beat belly bloat in more ways than one.
The is s a repost from Yahoo Shine and Alexa Joy Sherman. Thanks to both of them.
By FITNESS Magazine | Healthy Living – 2 hours 9 minutes ago
By Alexa Joy Sherman
Food journal? Check. Regular workouts? Yes, indeed. Enough fiber to keep an entire army regular? You got it. I
know how to lose weight. I've been writing about the topic for more than a decade. That's why it was so frustrating
when the pounds clung to me like a codependent boyfriend, no matter how hard I tried. A lot of women have this
problem, the experts tell me. "Body weight can fluctuate by up to five pounds on any given day, so the amount you
shed can easily get lost," says Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, the author of Why You Can't Lose Weight. I combed
through research and grilled diet gurus to pinpoint little-known reasons that your efforts -- and mine -- haven't been
showing up on the scale. Who knew?
Related: 10 Strategies to Lose Fat and Keep It Off
You Don't Drink Enough Water
We've all heard how important H2O is when it comes to shedding pounds. It helps to suppress appetite, so you're less likely to overeat. But that's not
all: When you're dehydrated, your kidneys can't function properly, so the body turns to the liver for additional support. Because the liver is working so
hard, more of the fat you consume is stored rather than burned off.
What surprised me most, though, is that if you're upping your fiber intake but not also hitting the bottle hard, things tend to get a wee bit, er, backed
up. "It's important to add fiber gradually and increase water intake at the same time. Otherwise, instead of helping with digestion, fiber may actually
lead to constipation," notes Anna-Lisa Finger, RD, a personal trainer for the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. I often consume
nearly double the recommended 25 grams of fiber daily. Gulp.
Just how much water should I be drinking? "About one-half your body weight in ounces every day, especially if you're exercising," Dr. Smith says. So
the eight-cups-a-day rule applies only to sedentary women who weigh 128 pounds (sure as hell not me!). "If you consume an aggressive amount of
fiber, another eight to 16 ounces a day is a good idea," Dr. Smith adds. H2OMG! That amount of liquid -- for me, 12 cups a day, minimum -- requires
serious effort. I fill up with about a liter at each meal, and I'm a peeing machine.
You Skimp on Protein
Several studies show that high-protein diets result in more pounds shed, at least initially. Protein enhances the feeling of satiety and prevents your
losing muscle as you lose fat. You also have dietary thermogenesis, which is the energy you burn to process and use the food you eat, on your side.
"Your body expends more energy to metabolize protein than carbs or fat," says Cari Coulter, RD, the program director for Wellspring Weight Loss
Camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "So higher-protein diets make you burn slightly more calories."
So how much protein do I need a day? "It depends on your weight, but most women should get 40 to 80 grams," Dr. Smith says. To accomplish that, I
have Greek yogurt (18 grams) or a couple of eggs (13 grams) for breakfast, and I eat a few ounces of lean poultry (25 grams) or fish (22 grams) or a
heaping helping of black beans (15 grams) or lentils (18 grams) at lunch and dinner. I snack on a handful of raw almonds (6 grams). As a result, I feel
fuller -- sometimes so full I don't even sneak a bite of my son's ice cream (the way I used to whether I was hungry or not) -- so it's easier to keep daily
calories in check.
You Sit at a Desk All Day
I log a solid hour of exercise almost every day, but outside of that, my time is mostly spent sitting in front of a computer. Much to my dismay, research
finds that dedicated workouts simply can't compensate for being sedentary the rest of the time. According to one University of Missouri-Columbia
study, sitting for just a few hours causes your body to stop making a fat-inhibiting enzyme called lipase. Getting up and walking for just two minutes
during each of those hours burns an additional 59 calories a day, according to recent research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Experts recommend setting a timer on the computer to remind you to move every hour, but what's helped me is the Fitbit One ($100, fitbit.com). I
keep this activity tracker clipped to my bra 24-7, and I won't go to bed until I've logged 10,000 steps a day. To accomplish that, I heed some of those
recommendations we've all heard a million times ("Take the stairs instead of the elevator," "Park far away from the mall"). I even jog in place while
brushing my teeth and watching TV. At first my husband and son laughed their skinny little butts off at me, but now seeing me hopping around the
living room strikes them as normal. Walks are part of my family's evening routine, and "How many steps do you have now?" has become the new "Are
we there yet?" I've even given Fitbits to friends and family as gifts so we can see who takes the most steps. Move-more mission: accomplished.
Your Numbers Are Off
I've always considered myself a math whiz, so I assumed that I had the whole calories-in, calories-out formula down pat. Here's how I determined how
many I should eat a day: I got my basal metabolic rate (BMR, or the amount of calories I need to maintain my weight) using the online calculator at
fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/bmr, and I entered "moderate" for my activity level, because I exercise regularly. That gave me about 2,400 calories
a day. Then I added whatever calories I burn during my workouts (usually about 500), according to my heart-rate monitor. That meant I could eat
almost 3,000 calories a day without gaining a pound (or nearly 2,500 a day to lose a pound a week). Sure, it seemed high, but I had used a
calculator. It had to be right!
Not so fast, Coulter says. "The BMR calculator already factors in the calories you burn with your workouts, so you shouldn't add them in again," she
explains. Math club membership revoked! All this time I had thought my daily needs were 500 calories higher than they really were. No wonder I'd
been maintaining instead of losing.
Related: Find Out Your BMR
You're a Stress Case
I'm a lot like the lab rats -- and humans -- who turn to comfort food and pack on pounds when they're under duress. "The stress hormone cortisol
triggers the fight-or-flight response, which is an appetite stimulant," Dr. Smith says. "In addition, it steps up the production of a certain brain chemical,
neuropeptide Y, which increases cravings for carbohydrates."
Even when I don't give in to cravings, stress can stall my slim-down. "Too much cortisol slows metabolism," Dr. Smith says. "Even worse, excessive
stress causes fat to be stored in the abdominal area, where weight is harder to lose." Ugh! I can practically feel my belly expanding every time I have
a meltdown over something, including my weight-loss efforts.
Luckily, a lot of the things I'm doing to whittle my middle should also ease my angst. "Exercise reduces stress," Dr. Smith notes. "Balanced, nutritious
meals can repair the damage that stress does to the body, and a social support network also helps." So my team of Fitbit-wearing friends and fam is
helping me beat belly bloat in more ways than one.
The is s a repost from Yahoo Shine and Alexa Joy Sherman. Thanks to both of them.
0