Here’s How You Might Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to shift that extra weight. It may be your diet, maybe too much stress in your life, it could be oestrogen dominance or any number of things.

If you are not sure what’s happening for you, check the list below to see whether any of them might be holding you back.

1. Relying on crash diets

These are really only helpful if you have some major event but you have to lose weight quickly for, but this is not a recipe for long-term for success.

Perhaps your diet plan calls for nothing but grapefruit or cabbage soup each day. You slash your daily calories to fewer than 1,000, and sure enough, the pounds melt away.

But when you eat so few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly, and you usually regain the weight.

2. Skipping breakfast

it really is the most important meal of the day, and although missing breakfast seems like a simple way to cut calories, it can make you hungry the rest of the day.

This may lead to unplanned snacking at work and eating a supersized portion at lunch, making calorie counts soar.

But breakfasts that are high in protein and fibre can curb hunger throughout the day. In fact, studies show people who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

3. Losing track of snacks

Maybe you count calories at every meal, but what about all those nibbles in between? There’s the bag of crisps at your desk, the little slice of cake at a party, the ‘taste’ of your  kids ice cream cone.

All of this mindless munching adds up and could sabotage an otherwise well-planned diet. If you’re serious about counting calories, you may want to use your smartphone or a notebook to keep track of each bite.

4. Not snacking at all

While mindless snacking can pad your waistline, thoughtful snacking may do just the opposite.

People who eat several small meals and snacks a day are more likely to control hunger and lose weight. Snacking helps keep your metabolism in high gear, especially if the snacks are protein-rich.

Having a few nuts is a good, high-protein choice, and research suggests people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than those who don’t.

5. Loading up on low-fat

Low-fat products can play an important role in your diet. Just remember that low-fat isn’t the same as low-calorie, and it’s not a license to take second and third helpings.

If you pile your plate with low-fat cake, you may end up eating more calories than if you had a smaller slice of regular cake.

The best way to know how much fat, sugar, and calories you’re getting is to check the nutritional label.

6. Sipping too many calories

When counting calories, many of us tend to overlook what’s in our drinks. This is a big mistake when you consider that some fancy coffees and alcoholic beverages have more than 500 calories.

Even the calories in fruit juice and soft drinks can add up quickly.

7. Drinking too little water

This is one of the simplest diet mistakes to fix because water is essential for burning calories.

If you let yourself get dehydrated, your metabolism drags, and that means slower weight loss. So try adding a glass of water to every meal and snack.

8. Ditching dairy

Full-fat milk, cheese, and ice cream are taboo for many dieters, but ditching dairy foods may be counterproductive.

Some research suggests the body burns more fat when it gets enough calcium and produces more fat when it’s calcium-deprived.

Calcium supplements do not appear to yield the same benefits, so dairy may have other things going for it, too. Stick to nonfat or low-fat dairy options.

9. Too many fast food takeaways 

Yes it is convenient after a hectic day, and you can always order salad or other healthier option.

But once you’re there, can you resist that milkshake or extra fries? And if you allow yourself the ease of fast food once, it could become a habit.

According to one long-term study, people who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds than those who had it less than once a week.

10. Setting unrealistic goals

Telling yourself you’ll lose 20 pounds your first week is probably setting yourself up for failure. If you know you won’t be able to do it, you may never start your diet in the first place.

If you diet and lose 5 pounds in a week, instead of celebrating, you may feel discouraged that you didn’t reach your goal.

A realistic goal is vital to successful dieting. If you’re not sure what your goal should be, talk to a dietitian but for healthy long-term weight loss a slow and steady loss of 2-3 pounds a week is sustainable.

Helpful information

if any of these factors have been holding you back, it’s not a major undertaking to make some slight changes that could really make a big difference.

It’s certainly true that at Menopause for many women the issue will be one of oestrogen dominance so check your hormone balance, make sure you’re getting regular exercise, and as little stress as possible as all these will also impact your weight.

Choose a healthy diet that will give you good nutrition and support such as the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the diet to beat oestrogen dominance to help with hormonal weight gain.

Stress too is definitely a factor, so have a look at his article:

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/stress-weight-and-oestrogen-dominance/