Diet, cutting down in calories & high fat food, exercise are the focus areas when it comes to losing weight. Weight loss cannot be achieved overnight. It is a process in which other lifestyle parameters have a crucial role which cannot be neglected. Let’s have a look on some of these parameters:
Diet: Check proportion of macros from your diet. Plan & consume right proportion of complex carbs, lean proteins & good fats in your daily diet.
Body Composition: More the muscle mass more will be weight loss.Muscles help us burn more calories. Generally men tend to lose weight at faster rate than women because they do possess more muscle mass than women. Try to increase your muscle mass by changing exercise schedule. Include strength training in your regime at least 3 times a week. This will help you build muscle mass & burn more calories.
Stress: You will struggle for weight loss if you are under stress. Research shows that cortisol- a stress hormone,increases your appetite & cravings for carbs thereby increasing your food intake & thus calorie intake. In this way it could become an obstacle in weightloss attempt. It is observed that women are more prone to high levels of stress than men. Most of the times dealing with demands from family life &professional commitments put women under tremendous physical & mental stress. This stress factor should not be neglected in assessment of weightloss. Decreasing stress levels is the only way to reduce cortisol levels. Practicing any relaxation technique like deep breathing, yoga, regular exercising, and involvement in any recreational activity or developing a hobby will be of immense help.
Lack of Sleep: Irregularity in sleep pattern or inconsistent sleep (you need atleast 7 hrs a day) affects weight loss negatively. Compromising on sleep pattern will cause your appetite and hunger hormones to get disturbed and force you to overeat. Reschedule your activities to get necessary sleep. Avoid use of gadgets 1 hr prior bed time, avoid excessive intake of caffeine, eat wisely and destress yourself before going to bed.
Emotional Eating: People tend to eat high calorie foods,carbohydrates, alcohol or processed food when dealing with emotions. Check if you are really hungry or trying to manage your emotions. If any emotion is ruling you and you are craving for junk or sweets try to divert your mind in some positive / relaxation activity. This will help you avoid consuming extra calories.
Thyroid: Under-active thyroid causes weight gain. If you are feeling sluggish, not losing weight after sincere attempts, get your thyroid levels tested.
Medication: Certain medications may cause weight gain. It may be a side effect of the medicine. Medicine may increase appetite, water retention or change in hormones thereby increasing body weight. If the medication is for long duration, consult your physician.