Summer has begun and it’s time to pull out the itty bitty bikinis, form fitting summer dresses, and daisy dukes (alright that’s a bit dated… short shorts). However, when you try on your summer wardrobe, you find that things are a lot tighter than you expected them to be. What’s going on? After all, you’ve been dieting and exercising all winter long.
While you may have tried your hardest, there are some underlying causes that could be keeping you from losing that last bit of stubborn body fat.
Below are a few that surprised me as well.
1. Not Enough H2O
I know, I know, you’ve been drinking water diligently during your exercise routines, so how could this possibly be the issue. Well water is extremely important to your overall health and weight loss. It suppresses the appetite and keeps you from overeating.
However, did you know that when your body is dehydrated, the kidneys don’t function properly? This causes the body to overwork the liver which in turn causes your body to store fat that would ordinarily be burned off. So if you haven’t been drinking your daily dose of water, this could be the culprit.
2. Not Consuming Enough Protein
While some might assume that protein is for men looking to beef up, it really does wonders for shedding pounds. High protein diets can help you to shed more pounds. As your body uses more energy to metabolize protein which in turn causes you to burn more calories. While you probably shouldn’t go overboard, you do want to make sure that you’re incorporating the daily dose of protein into your diet per day.
For those who are vegetarians or vegans, you might consider utilizing a supplement. Healthy Trim LinkedIn page describes some of the natural ingredients that can be found in weight loss supplements, which could be beneficial for your diet.
3. Sitting at Work All Day
For those fashionistas that work hard at a 9 to 5, this could very well be the issue with your weight loss. When a better part of your day is spent sitting at a desk in front of the computer screen you could easily be putting on pounds you’re not aware of.
Not only does sitting for long periods of time cause you to gain weight, but when you’re at work you tend to snack a lot more than you would at home. You take a trip to the vending machine, eat donuts from the break room, or even participate in office parties which cause you to pack on the pounds. If this is the issue, while you can’t up and quit your job, you can get up and walk around the office space for a few minutes to get the blood circulating and the calories burning.
4. You’re Stressed
Women often carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Whether you’re a wife, mom, or career woman, trying to maintain on the daily basis can certainly be rough. However, what we do not realize is that stress really does damage to the body causing you to put on extra pounds. There is a stress hormone in the body referred to as cortisol.
When you’re overly stressed, this hormone can act as an appetite stimulant persuading us to eat comfort foods that are packed with carbs. This of course makes it challenging to get rid of that belly fat. If you’re really stressed out, it’s best to find ways to unwind so that you don’t overdo it.
5. You’re Not as Motivated
There are times when you simply don’t have the same motivation you once had when you started your weight loss goals. This is especially true when you stop seeing the results. Many people become discouraged or just lose motivation after starting on their weight loss journey.
If this is the case, you may want to enlist the help of others to offer you that extra bit of encouragement and support when you need it most. There’s also the option of hiring a fitness coach or working with a personal trainer to help target your problem areas. The Healthy Trim Coach calorie intake calculator can be of particular use in monitoring weight loss progress.
Well, some of these are probably just as surprising to you as they were to me. In fact I found that most of these applied to my reasons for not losing the weight I intended to lose.
Fear not ladies, for the summer has only just begun, and there is still plenty of time to get in shape so that you can strut your stuff in the hottest summer fashions. If for some reason you still can’t shed the weight, it may be beneficial to seek medical attention as there could be an underlying health issue you’re unaware of.