For many years, society has been growing.
Not only in terms of the world population but as well in terms of one’s own circumvention. The lures of consuming more are surrounding us constantly, and this trend seems to move forward at an unstoppable pace.
Unlike fashion, this trend does not come in waves. It relentlessly dominates the streets and beaches where unwanted bodily rolls catch our attention.
It is almost defined as the new norm.
The knowledge connected to our unwanted kilogrammes is uttered through words and statements when meeting friends or family members. The connection is severed as the meaning of what is said is hardly turned into action. The line “you’re looking good!’ has now somewhat of a dual meaning where it once was connected to a healthier you.
Sadly, and perhaps with a sense of humour, also this line is used when someone is showing signs of being overweight.
While excess weight is attributed primarily to overconsumption and little movement, lifestyle choices unbeknownst to many may just as well be a major contributor to the collection of both subcutaneous (under the skin) and visceral (deep inside one’s body) fat layers. Directly connected to the piling up of one’s unwanted rolls and excess baggage come with less-preferred side effects, such as low energy. A decreased gut health and an increased chance of seeing modern-day diseases pop up like unwanted pimples.
Eliminating certain types of food and moving around more are merely some parts of the puzzle. Weight loss is never a sum of these two elements. It is inaccurately brought forward by society as the culprits for weight gain.
Here are 4 more reasons why you simply are not able to shred.
Stress
We all encounter stress.
It is something we simply cannot avoid. Both good and bad, the stress in its most generic term has a major impact on weight loss when unaware and not intercepted accurately. Driven by the hormone cortisol, stress directly taps into a part of the human’s nervous system controlling the fight, flight and action triggers. We’re ready to battle is what we tell our body when stress arises.
For proper digestion, allowing the sympathetic nervous system to set the scene is not the one system we want to activate. It actually works counter-productive. The alertness we set ourselves up for shuts down essential digestion systems as all our energy is primed to put ourselves into action. A majority of those under stress are known to binge eat, make unhealthy choices (seeking short-term dopamine releases), and are losing awareness of what soon makes its way into the bloodstream.
Sleep
It makes sense in focussing on sleep when you are destined to fit into your new swimming suit without seeing something bulking. In a period where we are absorbed in another state of being – from being completely paralysed to moments of wandering into dreamland – we are also not eating or drinking.
It has proven to be a much desirable practice when wanting to lose some weight with adequate sleep in both volume and quality. A lack of sleep is prone to lead to increased spurts of eating as the neural pathways connecting the release of hunger and satiety hormones will be disrupted. Your metabolism may not work at full capacity when sleeping (hence eating at night should be a big no-no).
It is these disruptions in electrical signals that will exempt you from losing those undesirable kilogrammes.
Not enough water
How often did you listen to your body and take the appropriate action when you felt you needed to eat something?
Ask anyone and we’re bound to hit the cupboard or fridge in search of some chewable. Ever considered that you actually may be thirsty? The part of your brain controlling whether you need to top up does not only control your feelings of being hungry but also when you’re thirsty.
Up to 70% of the human body is water. We lose a lot of H2O through breathing, sweating, and when toilet time has arrived. Not being able to make the distinction between hunger and thirst may result in adding calories when you actually need to refill your tank with water. We can survive without food for days in a row without noticing the effects, or instilling immediate damage to our bodies. But denying your body of water and the less-preferred effects of lack of water may be noticeable within 24 hours.
No support
It is a crucial link in the chain and, again, one left aside. Imagine you have laid out your why and goal clearly in shredding some kilos, but your family or friends move on with their lives like always. As much as your goals are yours, and no one else’s, sitting at the dining table eating your well-balanced meal while other members of the household feast on delicacies you may not see as beneficial. The choice not to join is hard.
Finding a similar group of people, or a coach has proven to pivot you just in the right direction. I Agree that the social aspect of eating is a component one cannot deny. Sitting quietly in a corner, controlling your environment and not being tempted to dig into whatever is served challenges your willpower and awareness.
What I want to sketch here is that the misconceptions surrounding weight loss are there in abundance. Eating too little and exercising more are also precursors not seeing the scale needle move more towards favourable regions. As the world of dieting and diet plans has grown exponentially, combined with some common-sense practices, these 4 fields in our lives are overlooked regularly.
There are more reasons to consider seriously when on your weight loss journey. Some are more obvious than others, yet all these fields of play must be considered.
And when you are a person with your own preferences and unique traits, you understand that the more generic outlines of the path to weight loss will not work.
Tailoring these essentials to your needs and weaving them into who you are and what your values are. This is what distinguishes the path to success in hiring a coach versus going on it alone.
Working out is never convenient. But neither is illness, diabetes and obesity! | Anonymous
