Frustrated With Your Weight Loss? Try These Tips!

Wallace Bishop I.N.H.C, C.N.C.

Do you dread getting on the scale?  It will become the enemy when you visit it too often. Your weight is not the problem. Your problem is a diet and lifestyle that promotes weight gain. Change the behavior and the weight will change.  Quit weighing every day and only weigh once every two weeks. What you eat or do for one day reflects little on any part of your health. What you do consistently for weeks and months is what effects your health and weight loss  Your weight can shift multiple pounds from one day to the next, weighing everyday is not a good way to measure your weight loss success. Eventually it is going to show no loss or weight gain and you will be disappointed, frustrated and question your ability to lose the weight.

At some point in your weight loss journey you will hit a wall and the weight loss you have been enjoying stops.  This happens to anyone that diets.  So why does this happen you ask?  There are several reasons, lets explore them. Dieting; diets do not work. If you want permanent weight loss, change your life style and dietary habits forever. If you don’t, you will go back to the old behavior that made you fat.

  1. Skipping meals.  When you skip meals it leads to overeating later due to increased hunger. In addition it can cause craving due to a drop in blood sugar levels. Aim for 3 snacks and 3 meals per day.  DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST!
  2. Lack of enough sound sleep.  Most people never realize how important to your overall health including weight loss.  With out adequate sleep your hormonal system is out of balance, you are under stress and releasing fat building hormones.  Your need 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep every night.
  3. Lack of water.  Without enough water (body fluids) your metabolism is lowered and you do not burn as many calories. You just can’t make as much energy without the water.
  4. Doing the same exercise routine. You body will figure out how to do your routine very efficiently and you will burn fewer calories.  Change your routine and include strength training and interval training.  Keep your body guessing.
  5. Eating the same foods every day. This is very common. Many of us like certain foods and we like the same ones for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The problem is again our body gets to comfortable because it now has learned how many calories and what nutrients to expect.  Vary your calories from day to day.  If your calorie budget is 2000 calories shoot for 1800 one day, 2200 one day, 2000 one day and even 1600 one day. The important part is averaging 2000 calories over several days.  One day at 2400 calories is not going to effect your weight however a week of 2400 calorie days will.
  6. Under consuming calories. Everyone thinks that if you eat less you will lose more weight. Wrong!  For most people if you consume less than 1200 calories per day your body is going to think it is starving. As a result it will lower your metabolism drastically and will even want to turn what you eat into fat for later energy when there is no food available.   You must eat enough to cover your Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR).
  7. Nutrient deficiency.  You should complement your diet with super nutrition. Even eating health is not enough with today’s foods. Your body can’t make energy, build muscle, make enzymes, red blood cells,  hemoglobin etc… without an abundance of nutrients.  Your mitochondria ( cellular power plants) are highly dependent on nutrients to burn carbohydrates and stored fats.
  8. Consuming too many calories.  Everyone has a calorie budget. If you exceed it consistently you will gain weight. It is important to know yours.  Eat 500 calories less per day that your burn and you will lose 1 pound per week of  hydrolyzed fat.  Never attempt to lose more than 2 pounds per week.  Eat less calories ( however not to few) and exercise more to increase your weight loss rate.
  9. Forgetting to adjust calorie intake when weight is being lost.  As the pounds come off you have to adjust your calorie intake.  If you continue eating the same calories that you did 20 pounds ago the weight loss is going to stop.
  10. Stress!  Stress releases hormones that build abdominal fat.  Find ways to add relaxation into your life. Make life fun!
  11. Lack of exercise. Everyone needs to exercise.  Exercise not only burns fat, it also detoxes the body, forces the body to repair itself and make more energy producing compounds and tissues. If you are morbidly obese you may lose weight for a while without exercising. However at some point the weight loss will stop if you do not include some form of exercise.
  12. Lack of real commitment. Are you so tired of being over weight that absolutely nothing is going to stop you. If you aren’t willing to tell your friends or even ask them to support you in your efforts then I question if you are really committed to your weight loss.  It is important to let friends and family know so they can help reinforce good behavior and not tempt you will fattening foods. Your friends will want to help and not sabotage your efforts.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you get over the hump when you hit the weight loss wall.  Change your foods regularly, change your calories daily and vary your exercise routine.  In some cases, if you have exercised regularly, you may need a week off.  If you have given your body a break you may want to increase your intensity to jump-start the metabolic engine again.

Healthy Wishes

Wally Bishop C.N.C.

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The contents of this blog is not and should not be  considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.

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Published by Wallace Bishop I.N.H.C, C.N.C.

In 2006, Wally was a morbidly obese man who weighed over 450 pounds and had many health problems. By improving his nutrition and adopting holistic healthy living principles, Wally was able to lose more than 220 pounds. By adopting these natural holistic principles he reversed many health problems including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, lymphedema, arthritis and sleep apnea. Today, Wally is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Certified Nutritional and Wellness Consultant and is the owner of Wellness With Wally, a Nutrition and Health Coaching Service. Wally is actively involved in local and national health promotion efforts. In addition, he works with community organizations and corporations as a speaker and educator. Wally’s Achievements • Author of over 300 articles on diet, nutrition, weight loss, sports nutrition and healthy living principles. • Regular contributor to local and national magazines and health related blog sites. • Author of “Maximize Your Life, Renew Your Mind, Body, and Spirit.” • Creator of the 12-week health and wellness course, “Unlock Your Health Potential,” which has been taught at local companies over the past 4 years. • Wally has given over 250 presentations regarding health, fitness, wellness and nutrition. • Wally has been a featured guest on NPR, CBS and Fox News stations. As well as being invited to provide expert health opinions on various radio programs. • Wally has been instrumental in the development and implementation of Health and Wellness programs for companies including a Fortune 500 company. Additionally, Wally provides a variety of class formats (ranging from thirty minute to one-hour classes to full 12-week courses) for businesses that are looking for ways to encourage their employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. Improved employee health and wellness has a positive impact on employee attendance, work efficiency, quality of work, lower health care cost and overall associate happiness thus increasing a companies overall bottom line.

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