MAIN > ARTICLES > Weight Loss Exeter
Losing weight should be very easy. In fact, should in fact be easier than gaining weight. After all you don’t have to do anything to lose weight, to gain it you must eat something.
Let’s have a look at some of the reasons it seems to be more difficult than it is.
1. “Forgetting” calories
The most common problem by far, very frustrating for us trainers as we can’t supervise a client all day long.
To put it plainly most unsuccessful dieters are eating more calories than they realise.
The total amount of calories count, no matter what some shiny new diet says. Small snacks in between meals quickly add up. Slightly larger portion sizes don’t go unnoticed by the scales.
The solution. Keep a food diary. Weigh everything. Put everything you eat down in it. I find this a very effective route to go for many clients.
2. The weekends don’t count
I’ve mentioned this so many times before but it worth repeating, this applies to those who are having a tough time with weight loss:
If you overindulge on the weekend while on a diet you will forever be in dieting hell.
You may have a little leeway, but make sure it is just “a little”
Alcohol counts. And sorry but it really counts. It is very calorific. A couple of glasses of wine can have over 500 calories in (referring back to my first point- make sure you don’t sneakily fill your glass a little more than a standard measure- again the scales will notice)
The solution. If you have a glass of wine make it just the one, and don’t use it as an excuse to break away from your normal diet plan. The opposite is also true- if you deviate from you eating regime forgo the alcohol.
Just do it. Complaining won’t make the seeming injustice go away. Losing weight feels much better than any glass of wine.
3. Your medication is sabotaging your efforts
The first genuine excuse on the list. Most doctors aren’t aware or even care that some medications may cause weight gain. They have to prescribe something, and the side effects are just that- unfortunate side effects.
Some anti- depressants, anti-psychotics, beta blockers and insulin have been linked to weight gain.
The solution. Ask your doctor if there is an alternative- be persistent here and they will be reluctant to change. If not, you can seek help in trying to mange the weight gain, seek a GP referral qualified personal trainer. Also check this list of medications out.
4. Too much good food.
Nearly every week I hear someone say that if you eat good food then you can eat as much as you want without getting fat.
Obviously, this isn’t true. The worst culprit are oil, olive oil in particular. It gets portrayed as some sort of elixir in the media, leading people to consume it by the bottleful. To be clear, it is mainly fat, good fat, but fat none the less. And fat has more than twice as many calories as carbohydrate and protein.
Extremely high calorie salads are being consumed because of this oversight.
The solution. Go easy on the olive oil. And peanut butter (very fattening). And nuts and seeds. Try reading the nutritional breakdown on things and see what the highest macro nutrient is. If it is fat, then eat it in very small amounts.
5. Insulin resistance
Often unknown, but this is a big player in the weight loss game. It is estimated that 30% of adults and 70% of overweight adults have metabolic syndrome, which leads to insulin resistance.
Insulin inhibits the release of stored fat and favours the formation of fat from sugar. Simply put, a person with insulin resistance will be prone to storing fat and have a tough time losing it.
The solution. Women with a waist size of 35inches or more and men with a waist size of 40 inches or more should speak with their doctor about checking for insulin resistance and making the dietary changes necessary, plus introducing medication if needed.
So there you have it. Other things can come into play too- lack of sleep, stress, too much processed food and being ultra-sedentary. Check if any of these apply to you. Don’t hide from them or will weight the same for a long time to come.
Mark H. 2021