There are many people who may think they are doing everything right, but are still unable to lose weight. Their weight has stagnated and can’t be reduced further. In such conditions, think back of what you may be doing wrong because of which your weight loss process is hampered. Here are a few check points to keep in mind for a smooth weight loss journey.
A major cause of weight gain can be because is skipping meals because we think this will cut down on our calories. But it is always the other way round where if we skip meals our body starts producing more digestive acids, further sinking the metabolism and zapping our strength. Plus whatever food you eat later will get stored as fat as the body goes into flight or fight mode.
Inordinate gaps between meals (more than five hours) leas to increased acidity and weight gain. It’s almost impractical to look at reducing weight with an acidic body. Fat burn or inch loss, as well as weight loss, is very slow and there is never a quick fix.
Meals that are too frequent (with less than two hours of gap) causes indigestion and thus weight gain.
Constipation is nothing but a body brimming with toxins and in such cases weight loss is impossible. Look at fixing the stomach and overcoming constipation by increasing your water intake or finding out the trigger.
Stay off aerated drinks as they are phosphorylated and keep your body acidic, which may lead to weight gain.
Frequently eating out and eating refined carbs daily (sugar, maida, baked and processed goods, fried food, junk food) also adds empty calories and slows down our metabolism.
It’s always better to check if one’s hormones are in good condition because hormonal imbalance affects our metabolism making it sluggish and therefore making the weight loss journey really difficult.
Avoid diet foods because they might be low in fat but high in sugars to enhance the taste.
Keep a check on your water intake and the way you drink it. Try to get three litres of water per day. Sit and sip slowly for proper absorption in the body and removal of toxins.
Keep a close watch on your alcohol intake and reduce or quit smoking as well. The liver plays a vital role in fat metabolism. If you load it with toxins from alcohol and smoking, it’ll only focus on detoxification and the fat metabolism would go for a toss. So, you decide whether you want to improve your metabolism or want to keep your liver busy dealing with the side effects of alcohol.
Stress is a big hurdle in your weight loss journey, you might be thinking, “oh, I’m not at all stressed”. Wait and think again. Thoughts like: ‘I got stuck in traffic! How will I reach early?’ or ‘Aah! The maid is not coming today as well, so have to do everything by myself’ are all small things but contribute to your daily stress. This also creates a sense of negativity around us. So, to reduce stress, vitamin O is always handy. Oxygen not only suppresses cortisol but also helps burn fat better. Just take a breath and feel the difference.
Movement is really important for reducing weight and inches but over exercising is also a kind of stress to the body. When we do strenuous and rigorous exercise for hours, it acts as a major stressor to the body, increases our cortisol levels and then weight loss becomes difficult.
Catch up with your sleep and try to get your seven to eight hours of sound sleep daily as this helps in the body’s cleansing and recovery process. Once your sleep falls in place, you may improve your weight loss.
Check if you are deficient in any vitamins, especially B12 and D3 as these are required by the body for their varied functions. Deficiency can lead to weight gain.
The writer is the Chief Nutrition Officer, Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems. She is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on healthy lifestyle choices.
Photos courtesy: Bill Oxford and I Yunmai on Unsplash