You wake up in the morning and enthusiastically head towards the shower room to prepare for the day. As you do, you engage in a pep-talk with yourself?this is it, this is the day you conquer the world. The world is your oyster!
For a brief moment, at least, until you see your reflection in the mirror, and realize how much you’ve been loathing yourself for the past few months, or years, of your life for gaining those extra pounds.
What should have been a great day is now a whole one of self-doubt and repulsion.
Listen. We know that feeling. You are not alone.
Millions of people experience having to force themselves into thinking that they are happy with their figure when clearly, they?re not. They ponder to themselves why that?s the case when they believe they?ve tried everything, yet no matter how much they do, they still can?t keep the unnecessary weight off.
There are, however, many factors to consider when dealing with weight gain or trying to shred those percentages of extra body fat, and although there are a lot of specifics to hinder this, sometimes the problem comes with overlooking the basics.
With that being said, here are the 5 main reasons why you keep gaining the extra weight and just can?t seem to stay away from you.
- You?re biting more than you SHOULD chew
Ah yes, calories?that one word you see or hear in every fitness article, program, or even on your super slim and fit co-worker?s Instagram posts of her diet-meal plan throughout the day (Yes, I?m talking about you, Jessica)?but your eyebrows just rise in confusion at the mention of the word.
But calorie management isn?t as complex as it seems.
Basically, a calorie is a unit of energy and it doesn?t measure weight or length, but the amount of energy your body obtains from drinking or eating something.
Let?s say, for instance, if you eat an apple for breakfast and you knew that a 100-gram serving of it contains 52 calories, then your body will acquire the same amount ready to be converted into energy at any given point during the day.
Calorie-intake, in simple terms, is what fuels our body and keeps it moving for our daily activities.
However, much-unused calories get converted into fat.
According to a study conducted in 2015, women are likely to need?between 1,600 and 2,400 calories?a day, and men from 2,000 to 3,000?depending on other factors such as age, size, height, lifestyle, etc.
Calorie-management shouldn?t be as daunting as it seems. Ask your local nutritionist for a personalized diet-meal plan and be familiarized with the concept of calories and the management of your intake.
- You like to move it move it?but not that much
Lifestyle is probably the most obvious reason to weight-gain but it?s also the hardest one to change. Relating to calorie-management, lesser activity still amounts the same as exceeding your daily calorie-intake limit.
A sedentary lifestyle pertains to one which involves little to no physical activity at all. Living this type of lifestyle often roots from one?s own volition, condition, or work category. Most work environments nowadays require minimal energy output from employees, leading to a lifestyle of sedentary nature.
Despite that, there are many ways to deal with it?enrolling in a gym membership, playing sports, taking routinary morning runs.
But we totally understand. Watching your favorite drama series on Netflix, reading your favorite romance novels, playing video games, or just browsing through the inter-webs is much more fun than exercise, right?
However, you just wouldn?t know if you don?t try. Try to look into activities that pique your interest. Gather your friends and take part in exercise during your free time. Try some sports such as basketball or volleyball with the local community.
Who knows? You might even discover a new hobby and a passion for it which is more exciting than just doing nothing.
- Sleep is for the weak! And the healthy!
Of course, sleep deprivation or sleeplessness can contribute to gaining those extra pounds.
The average adult requires 7 to 9 hours of sleep to function properly on a daily basis. Any less than 6 hours can lead to cases of being irate, lack of motivation, nausea, and others.
Getting a sufficient amount of rest shouldn?t be taken for granted. Did you know that your body even burns calories as you sleep? For each hour of sleep, a person burns about 0.40 calories per pound, which means if you weigh 200 lbs, you burn 640 calories for a full 8-hour sleep. That?s like two small bags of Flamin? Hot Cheetos!
If you have trouble getting a full night’s rest, then the problem lies with your sleep discipline. Set a sleep schedule, and allow your body to transition into a proper and more optimal circadian cycle.
Don?t force your body from sleeping at 3 or 4 a.m. to just straight up catching z?s at 9 p.m. the next day. For most people, it just wouldn?t work.
Take the time, relax, and remind yourself that you?re doing a great job implementing changes in your life for the better. The day will come that your body naturally follows your new sleep cycle, and you won?t even have to worry about counting sheep ever again.
- You?re doing it for the wrong reasons
Most of the time, whenever we do something and we set our mind into achieving a goal, we succeed.
However, when we do something for the wrong reasons, we just fail to achieve anything at all.
In the case of trying to lose weight, it?s basically the same. It?s all about the power of the mind and the endurance to overcome every obstacle, yet when done for the wrong reasons, no progress, whatsoever, is achieved.
Most people try to lose weight just because they want to have a good figure and be more attractive.
Though, that?s not to say it?s not good for motivation, doing it solely for vanity will not amount to anything at all as often times, you give up easily when faced with harder trials.
Instead of thinking about that slim and sexy figure you need to have before the start of summer because you want to fit in that cute Hawaiian bikini you just bought, try to incorporate fitness into your life as a habit and lifestyle.
Trying to achieve weight-loss because you want to be healthy is the best fuel to the fire. It keeps you going further as you have a deeper motivation and a more reasonable notion.
- Genetics
Genetics must be the last thing that comes to mind when dealing with weight-gain, but indeed, it is one of the main factors why some people just can?t keep those extra love handles away.
According to a recent study, the children of obese parents are more likely to end up the same compared to those whose parents are not.
Genetics as a driving factor of weight-gain has become more obvious throughout years of evolution and industrialization, amplified by today?s commonplace sedentary lifestyle.
Over many years of progress, a gene among women which contributes to fat accumulation for purposes of adapting to situations such as pregnancy, menstruation, and the like, has also been exposed.
On the flip side, science has discovered a fat-burning gene which addresses the problem of unnecessary weight gain through natural functions of the body.
In conclusion, genetics does not predetermine obesity or weight gain. Basically, our bodies? genetic components only contribute to our susceptibility to gaining weight, and what we eat only affects which genes are expressed and not.
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Finally, as we?ve mentioned above, there are still more factors to consider when dealing with weight-loss. Try to conduct more research and be mindful about the specifics of what could be hindering you from getting that super attractive Instagram-model figure.
To summarize, try to not see weight-loss as a chore, but as a fun life-changing process. After all, it takes time and ample preparation to succeed in everything. Same goes for this. Remember to go out there, try some sports, eat a balanced diet, and remember to keep doing it because you want to be healthy.
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