We are almost two weeks into 2018, you have picked out the best workout from bodybuilding.com, fresh gear, new gym membership and a head full of confidence as you prepare to embrace life with the same old new years resolution. You have been following the plan step-by-step and you are following the diet as best as you can…but cant seem to shed a pound of fat, no matter how hard you work, and if you do it seems to come right back within a day. Below may be reasons why you are currently losing the war on fat:
Lack of Sleep
Trying to write that 10 page paper the night before its due? Frantically trying to meet numerous deadlines for work and haven’t been able to get an appropriate amount of sleep? You are sabotaging your reservoir of energy. According to a case study developed at Marshall University “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Individual Productivity”, lack of sleep impairs motor functioning by 10 percent when participants didn’t get at least 6 hours of sleep.
This dip in motor functioning could decrease motivation to finish workout or could lead to injury during the workout. Get an appropriate amount of sleep!!!!
All That Sugar
It’s not necessarily about the sugar but the calories that come with it. According to bodybuilding.com “What’s worst about these calories is that they’re basically empty. By this I mean that sugar has been shown to have very little effect on satiety, or how full you feel from the calories you eat. Taking in lots of extra calories but not getting full?”
Also, remember to read any supplements ingredients you are taking (i.e. pre-workout, protein, BCAA supplements etc.), especially with a high focus on promotional ads for their products, as these products are none for containing high amounts of fillers, sugars and empty calories.
Dehydration
Not drinking enough water has been scientifically proven to dramatically slow down a persons metabolism, which in turns slows down your bodies “fat burning machine.”
How much water do you drink a day? A cup? A gallon? Either way, according to registered dietitian and nutrition counselor, Joanne Larsen, shortly after drinking water your body begins to work to heat the water you just consumed, therefore increasing your metabolism slightly for up to 30 minutes. Also the average adult loses 2.5 liters of water a day due to urination. An appropriate amount to drink is two liters a day.
Not Eating Breakfast
Life can be very busy and fast paced sometimes, I have known myself to conviently forget to eat breakfast, due to being occupied with completing the numerous task I have for the day. Research shows that this type of lifestyle encourages uncontrollable fat growth that would be hard to maintain if gone unnoticed for too long.
According to Dr. Shavon Jackson-Michel of Bridgeport College, skipping breakfast encourages you to intake more calories during lunch and dinner, which promotes higher chance for fat storage by 45% due to your higher caloric intake in a shorter period of time.
Alcohol Consumption
You and your friends just got off work, pre-gaming for the party of the night and you grab a beer….since we have been harping on calories during this article, lets just make it simple:
Calories in one can of Bud Light: 110
Steps it takes an average size person (150 pounds) to burn 100 calories: Roughly 2000 steps = 1 mile
Beer is known for its empty sugary calories, so to burn off one beer you need to walk a mile or you are guaranteed to have fat stored in your body. Imagine how much working out you have to do if you go through a case of beer. That’s a lot of steps.
Social influence
The old saying “birds of a feather flock together” rings true according to a story published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2011 stating that in a case study of 1700 people, you are more than likely to gain weight if close friends, family or colleagues or overweight. Those who are around us influence our decision making more than we know it.
If you want to lose weight, the people who are the most influential to you should push you towards your goal, or you become the influence to those around you. Either way, the mentality of your circle has to change.
Thanks for reading.
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Razhede Highsmith
