Like so many of us with a inch (or two) to grab around the waist line, I have every intention of losing weight. In fact I have almost starting a new diet and exercise plan a few times. But I haven’t. Like all of us, I’m just full of excuses for not losing weight, but at least after a bit of research and a discussion with a nutritionist, I’m reasonably sure that my excuses bear at least a bit of truth. Like most of us, I plan to lose weight and I’m going to get to it soon. But in the meantime, we can at least use some decent excuses for not losing weight.
“I get too tired when I’m dieting so I’m not losing weight!”
Let’s do a bit of science review, shall we? Calories are units of energy. In order to get through each day you have to burn calories. You burn them when you sleep, and when you walk, and when you sit at the computer to read this. The more you move around and the longer you stay awake during the day, the more calories you’re burning. Because the calories are essentially energy in a capsule form, getting fewer calories means you’re getting less energy.
Source : flickr
In theory, you’re supposed to burn off the excess calories stored in your body as fat, but this doesn’t always work out just right for everyone. In fact, it’s not uncommon to be tired and irritable the whole time you’re dieting because you are depriving yourself of the amount of calories your body needs to maintain equilibrium. It’s a fact of life. If you’re going to lose weight, you need to consume less calories or burn more. In either case, you’re going to feel hungry and be tired because you’re depriving yourself of energy.
If you’re trying to diet while also boosting your exercise, you might be feeling the effects in the afternoon and evening. It’s a balancing act when you’re cutting back calories. Eating certain foods will release calories to burn more slowly giving you more of a steady stream of energy over time, but until your body needs fewer calories, you can expect to feel more tired and sluggish at times during your diet. It’s part of the process in many cases.
“I’m up at dawn exercising, but I’m not losing weight!”
If you’re up at dawn exercising, what time are you going to bed every night? If it’s not at least seven or eight hours before that early morning appointment with the treadmill, you’re fighting a losing battle. Your body does its healing and processing while you’re sleeping. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, your body can’t do all of the behind-the-scenes magic it needs to do in order for you to actually lose weight and build muscle. You can exercise all day long, but if you’re not giving your body time to heal properly while you sleep between seven and nine hours every night; you’re working against your own efforts.
Not only are you going to have a significant amount of trouble losing weight, you’re also going to be putting yourself at a greater risk of injury. Tired muscles aren’t ready for serious exercise, and if you’re exercising while work out every morning, you’re looking for trouble. A lack of sleep is also tied to an excessive intake of calories. If you work out and burn 300 calories in the morning, but then you’re awake a total of 18 hours instead of 16, all it takes is one Coke or a taco during those extra two hours to negate anything you burned off in the morning.
“I’m eating a low-fat diet, but I’m not losing weight!”
Low-fat, no sugar added and diet foods are so appealing for us. They gleam out as healthy choices when it’s time for a snack or meal, and we gobble them right up feeling just a wee bit righteous for our good choices. Unfortunately, it’s not always that great of a choice to eat low-fat foods. The truth is ‘no sugar’ or ‘no fat’ doesn’t mean ‘no calorie.’ When something is labeled as a diet food, you feel more justified in eating more of it – after all it’s a diet food!
Source : wikipedia
In fact, when you’re eating the low fat foods, you’re still consuming close to the same number of calories as you would with the real thing in many cases. Additionally, with a lot of the processed snacks and meal bars, you’re also ingesting a lot of chemicals you wouldn’t have to worry about as much if you were eating the real thing.
Unfortunately, the low fat and low sugar foods that are available don’t have the satisfying fats and true sweetness that the regular items would have. When you eat a low fat cookie, you’re not satisfied in many cases, and you crave more. Often these cravings eventually lead you back to the real cookies you were trying to avoid in the first place!
“My will power is too weak, so I’m not losing weight.”
A champion of the excuses for not losing weight, will power plays a very important part of the process – in your mind. In the real world, will power isn’t as important as you might think. It’s far more important to have a regular routine and plan than will power. If you’re put in a room with cookies and cake and use your will power to avoid them, you’re going to crack eventually. Or you’ll be so focused on NOT eating the sweets you’re unable to do much else.
Instead of counting on will power to save you and help you lose weight, stop making excuses for not losing weight and come up with a plan for losing weight instead. Make a menu plan and grocery list. Shop only off that list. Don’t buy things on impulse and replace bad habits with good habits.
For example, if you’re used to eating ice cream every evening while watching your show, make yourself a treat with skim-milk and sugar-free chocolate syrup instead. Sip that while watching your show instead of lamenting the lack of ice cream as you would if your hands were empty. The more replacements and organized elements you’re able to put into place, the fewer excuses you’ll need for not losing weight. You’ll actually start losing it!
Tags: diet foods, dieting, excuses for not losing weight, losing weight, low-fat foods, not losing weight
