Are you the person who is “doing EVERYTHING right” with clean eating, lots of water but you’re still not seeing the results you thought you’d get?
I FEEL YOUR PAIN! It can be incredibly frustrating day in and day out and not seeing results. In these situations, it is common to hear the advice of “eat less and exercise more”. But that solution may be contradicting. Let’s take a look at some reasons why you may not be losing body fat and what you can do about them.
1.YOU’RE NOT IN A CALORIC DEFICIT LIKE YOU THINK YOU ARE.
This can be the very most important reason so let’s start here. YOU MUST BE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT IN ORDER TO LOSE WEIGHT.
This is commonly referred to as the law of thermodynamics. Every diet book or weight loss guru who claims this isn’t true is probably telling you a line of bull. Pretty much all studies performed on the subject of weight loss/gain and calories show that this is the single most important factor.
2.YOU’RE NOT EATING ENOUGH PROTEIN
The food reward system has a strong appetite for protein and thereby is described as the “the most satiating macronutrient” by researchers. In fact, protein is so satiating that whenever individuals increase their intake they automatically consume fewer calories.
This was shown by a study from the university of Seattle in which the total caloric percentage of protein in their testing subjects was increased from 15% to 30%.
As a result, their total caloric intake dropped by an average of 441 calories per day, unconsciously.
While there are quite a few reasons this happens, the most important is that protein makes you fell less hungry by keeping you fuller longer. Protein increases the levels of peptide and cholecystokinin while reducing the hunger hormone ghrelin. Protein has a high thermic value, meaning that a greater deal of calories gets “lost” during the digestion process. Another benefit of protein is that is prevents muscle loss during a caloric deficit. This is extremely beneficial because muscle mass is a major determinant of metabolic rate. Crave Whey protein shake will give you what you need. And now you can get Crave at a competitive price of $32.99 for a 2 pound container. That equals out to be $1.09 a meal!
3.YOU’RE EATING TOO MUCH FAT.
Currently many people ride on the low carb train. They believe as long as they consume very low amounts of carbs they are good to go and will not gain fat. Fat contains calories. Fat contains 8.7 calories per gram to be exact. That is more than double the amounts of calories one gram protein or carb contains. A great reference point for most people is to consume 20-30% of your daily caloric intake from fat. The majority of those calories should come from nutrient-rich sources like wild caught salmon, eggs, fish oil, avocados, beef, etc.
4.YOU’RE NOT LIFTING WEIGHTS
One crucial thing you have to do when trying to lose weight is being involved in some sort of resistance training. Weight training or resistance training will prevent muscle loss during a calorie restriction. This will ensure that the weight loss comes from body fat and not your muscle tissues. Weight training or resistance training will help you maintain your ideal weight in the long run since muscle mass increases your metabolic rate.
5.YOU’RE PRIORITIZING CARDIO OVER INTERVAL TRAINING.
One of the most common training mistakes people make when trying to lose body fat is prioritizing steady state cardio. While steady state cardio may burn more calories during training than other methods, it is not the most effective way to lose body fat. A study by Laval University was done recently. They had 27 individuals either follow a steady state cardio program for 20 weeks or a HIIT program for 15 weeks consisting of 15 sprints lasting 30 seconds.
At the end of the study, the HIIT group lost 9 times more body fat and 12% more visceral belly fat compared to the steady state cardio group, even though their training routine was 5 weeks shorter.
What should you do? 4-6 sprints of 30 second burns. Why? Because it burns more fat than 60 seconds of incline treadmill walking!
What are the reasons for interval training being superior?
- HIIT increases metabolic rate up to 24 hours after the workout
- HIIT improves insulin sensitivity
- HIIT results in higher levels of fat oxidation
- HIIT significantly spikes the powerful fat-burning growth hormone
- HIIIT suppresses appetite post-workout
6.YOU’RE SEDENTARY EVEN THOUGH YOU WORK OUT
A recent survey conducted by Career Builder showed that the single biggest complaint amongst desk workers is the lack of exercise physically. Whenever you sit for long periods of time your insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance start to drop. This causes your body to burn energy less effectively and you’ll bemore likely to store excess carbs as fat instead of glucose.
This is why you should make a continuous effort to be active throughout the day. Implement the following tips will get you started.
- Limit screen time and perform activities that require movement instead.
- For every hour spent seated, take at least a few minutes to get up and move.
- Buy a pedometer and track steps. Shoot for at least 10k steps a day.
- Take stairs instead of the elevator.
- Take a bike or walk instead of a car.
7.YOU’RE STILL CONSUMING TOO MANY SUGARY DRINKS!
If you want to lose fat or improve body composition and health in general, the first thing you should do is obtain from or drastically reduce your intake of sugary drinks. Besides the fact that they provide no nutritional value, its way to easy to consume massive amounts of calories from sugary drinks. Liquid calories can make you more hungry by causing a severe insulin spike.
8.YOU’RE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER.
The fact that the human body consist on average about 55% water say enough about the importance of staying hydrated for general health. But staying hydrated can also help you lose weight. They found that people lose on average 44% more weight when they drink half a liter (17oz) of water 30 minutes before a meal.
9.YOU’RE NOT MANAGING STRESS PROPERLY.
Reducing the stress in your life is crucial for reaching your body composition and athletic potential. By constantly being under severe stress, your body enters a mode called “fight or flight” which elevates stress hormones like cortisol. When your levels are elevated, conditions like insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia can follow. This in turn increases your cravings for food and increases ghrelin levels, the hormone that stimulates appetite which can cause you to overeat and binge.
**BXT’s Blackout is the #1 seller for helping to fight insomnia and cortisol levels. If you’re under a lot of stress and it’s affecting your sleep, check out this aid that will not only help you fall asleep but stay asleep, lowering cortisol levels at night.***
10.YOU’RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP.
Sleep is absolutely crucial for overall health and body composition and is one of the biggest risk factors for obesity. One meta-analysis showed that adults with poor sleep have a 55% higher risk of becoming obese and children a 89% rate of becoming obese! It increases the risk of obesity by making you feel more hungry and less motivated to exercise and eat healthy. Poor sleep also slows down weight loss, can lead to weight gain and muscle loss, and increase visceral body fat.
These are the top 10 reasons why “I” have a hard time losing body fat. Studies are being conducted as we speak on the effects of our behaviors and weight loss. This will BE CONTINUED.
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Toni Sweeney is a Triple Certified Ketogenic Diet and Primal Health Coach and weight loss expert who personally lost 80 pounds while making a total lifestyle change. The founder of TS Transformations, her formulas and plans has helped thousands of women lose weight and keep it off forever.