20 reasons why you can't lose weight
Experts say all you have to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise more. But it's not always as simple as that. We've got 20 surprising reasons why you might not be losing weight.
1. You can't stop snacking. This is probably boredom and not hunger. Fill up on raw veggies like carrots and cucumber, and hot drinks - they're more filling. Drinking a glass of water with your meals will help fill you lose weight too.
2. You're being generous with your portion sizes. You might be eating the right foods but just too much of them. Experts say that protein (meat, fish, chicken, soya products) should be the size of your palm. A serving of salad and vegetables should be as much as two cupped hands. A portion of cheese needs to be the size of a matchbox.
3. You're actually thirsty not hungry. Many of us mistake hunger for being thirsty, so whenever you think you want more food have a drink first, then see how you feel.
4. You're eating late at night. If you're juggling a job and a family it's hard to eat at regular times. But eating late at night means that whatever you eat isn't given a chance to be burnt off, so it turns to fat. Sit down to eat with your family or eat something before everyone else has their dinner.
5. You're eating the kids' leftovers. No-one likes waste but finishing off everyone else's dinner will give you a waist you don't like! Instead of throwing food away make a bit less than usual, start a compost heap for your leftovers or see our leftover recipes for ideas.
6. It's your age. After the age of 35 our metabolism slows down and our hormones change which results in fat accumulating in different places such as around our middle and hips, thighs and bum. Recent research has shown that low-fat dairy products and soya can help to beat weight gain after the age of 35.
7. You're doing it alone. Having a friend to motivate you and share those times when you're feeling down can make all the difference. Join a club or ask a friend if she'll be your diet buddy.
8. Staying motivated is key. If you haven't set yourself a realistic goal then you'll easily feel down when you don't reach it and give up. Start off with a small goal, even just a pound, and you'll soon feel more able to stick to your diet.
9. You're not eating enough. Your body thinks you're starving it so it holds on to fat to survive. Then when you start eating again it's so confused that it keeps hold of any fat that you eat, and then you put on more weight than you lost originally. Stick to a balanced diet and lose weight
10. Stress is making you fat. There are two ways stress can make you fat: you eat more when you're worried about something. And when you're stressed your body makes more of a hormone that actually stores fat. There's nothing like gentle exercise to help beat the blues and burn calories.
By Louise O'Connell
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Sarah, about 1 year
It is a complete myth (exploded by several scientific studies) that eating late at night makes you any fatter than eating at any other time. There have been trials done at the British Centre for Nutrition and Health in Cambridge, on both monkeys and humans that have conclusively proved that eating your supper at 11pm makes no difference to, say, eating it at 7. Please don't continue to perpetuate such rubbish. Thank you
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Jenny, 4 months
This is a pretty good list of reasons why people can't lose weight, but a few important ones are missing. I just read another post about this here "<a href="http://www.weight-loss-center.net/weight-loss-blog/2009/07/top-reasons-cannot-lose-weight/">Top Reasons Why You Cannot Lose Weight</a>" and it was very thorough. We cannot overlook the impact that some health conditions, such as insulin resistance and hypothyroidism play in weight gain and weight loss struggles as well.
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