Health & Fitness

Why You Can’t Lose Weight

by Staff

They’re Lying to Us

When it comes to weight loss, most women can tell you about the latest fad diet, the best diet they ever tried (but the weight came back) and what weight-loss products are new on the market. It’s no secret that the weight loss industry is burgeoning with our hard-earned dollars.

The mistake most of us make when it comes to weight loss is in trying to fit the mold when it comes to size and shape. We have myriad images thrown into our paths day after day, if not telling us outright then implying that if we don’t wear a size zero and look flawless our chances for happiness and wealth go right out the door. The reality is that precious few of us will ever attain the look the models and stars have and furthermore, for most of us it isn’t suitable anyway.

How We Really Gain Weight

When we look at how we gain weight, some of us will be quite surprised. Often it isn’t the way we think. How many times have we moaned the words, “But I don’t eat that much…”? You probably don’t, however, your weight gain may be due to a number of reasons you haven’t thought of.

Did you know that one of the main causes for weight gain is dieting? It’s true. Dieting makes you fat. You’ve actually heard this before, but we’ll tell you again – when you reduce your food intake drastically your body thinks it’s never going to get another meal and goes into starvation mode. Your metabolism slows down in order to use as little as possible of its precious stored fuel – fat. Your body is going to hold on to every bit of fat it has in order to preserve your sweet life.

Lose 10 Pounds of Ugly Fat in One Week! Not

So, when you say you want to lose weight, what you really mean is that you want to lose fat. Fast weight loss means that nearly 25% of what you lose is made up of muscle, water and lean tissue. You really want to hold on to those commodities and not give them up to dieting. Fad diets and pills that promise a weight loss of ten pound in a week may deliver on the weight loss, but the reality is that it is physically impossible for you to lose more than two pounds of fat in a week. What would you rather lose – fat or muscle?

What Are You Putting into Your Mouth?

Another reason you aren’t losing weight is because you’re getting too much food and not enough exercise. Just what you wanted to hear, right? It’s the old system of burning more calories than you are eating. Lots of calories in a just a few expended equals weight gain. But, it’s not just exercise. It’s also taking note of the kind of calories you are eating. Empty calories that keep you “comin’ back for more” are a sure-fire way to gain weight. If you watch what thin people eat you’ll see they eat nearly as many calories as heavier people do, but the quality of their food is different. Instead of breads, high-sugar, high-fat foods, they eat low fat, naturally slimming foods. Oh, and beware of the “low-fat” trick that’s such a big seller in so-called diet foods. These low-fat and no-fat items are loaded with sugar. Sugars burns very quickly and you get a sugar high and then you crash because your body has to produce more insulin to control the sugar. Your body will choose to store the excess sugar as fat rather than energy if there’s too much of it to deal with.

We’ve Got Some Surprises for You

Here are a few other things that will cause you to gain weight:

· An underactive thyroid is something most women never think about. But, the chances of having an underactive thyroid are more prevalent than you would guess. Ask your doctor to test your thyroid to be sure it’s operating at optimum levels. A slow thyroid will cause you to gain weight.

· Nutritional deficiencies can cause your body to hold onto weight rather than shedding it. It’s important to have the right balance of vitamins and minerals to be sure your body is running optimally. There are tests available to determine if you are deficient.

· Prescription drugs are often linked to weight gain. HRT, contraceptive pills and steroid drugs are all commonly understood to cause women to gain weight. Have a chat with your doctor to see if there are alternative drugs you could take.

· Food allergies are another source of weight gain because they cause chemical releases in the body that make it hold onto weight. Once again, there are tests to determine if this is a problem for you.

· Yeast overgrowth is another one of those hidden culprits. Yeast causes sugar cravings and cravings for wine, bread and cheese and other yeast-laden foods. Antibiotics can cause yeast overgrowth as can a compromised immune system.

Surprised? Now that you are armed with more information, your weight loss efforts may produce more than aggravation.

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