Are you doing everything right, but still your weighing scale is showing no scope of improvement? The entire focus for weight loss and management trickles down to healthy eating and exercising.
But there are some hidden factors that you may not realise are actively holding you back from reaching your goal weight. It can be frustrating as you keep putting in efforts, like eating healthy and exercising regularly, with no visible changes. Moreover, the lack of results over time may lead you to abandon all efforts as nothing you do makes a difference.
But don't give up! Addressing the minor missteps helps get past this limbo. So how do you break past the weight plateau and finally see results? Dietitian Shweta J Panchal, MSc in clinical nutrition, who regularly shares insights about diet and fitness, shared in a November 23 Instagram post the three common mistakes that could be keeping you stuck at the same weight.
Here are the 3 issues that may be holding you back:
1. Eating too little
Calorie deficit is at the epicentre of any weight loss, as it allows you to burn more calories than you consume. But there has to be a moderation, meaning your deficit plans need to be healthy.
Dietician Shweta revealed that one reason you may not be losing weight is because you are severely restricting calories, which sends your body into survival mode.
She elaborated, “You have been eating too little for far too long, which means that your body has gone into survival mode. It is saving every last calorie you are consuming to the tee, as a result of which you have hit a plateau.” So this means, with extreme restriction, your metabolism also gets negatively impacted.
2. Stressing a lot
How you handle stress reflects on your weighing scale! The dietician cautioned that chronic stress and lack of sleep trigger stress hormones, which can lead to stubborn fat accumulation in areas like the lower belly.
Shweta said, “ There are a lot of late nights, a lot of stress, which increases hormones known as cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol goes on to store fat from anything that you are consuming around your belly region, and this is why you are not seeing that number on the scale move.”
This implies that you need to value your sleep as much as your other prominent frontrunners for weight loss goals, like diet plan and exercise routine. Proper sleep helps to keep stress hormones balanced.
3. Trying random ‘detox’ things
Detox has become the new buzzword lately. Detox is short for detoxification, which is the process of eliminating toxins from the body. Nowadays, various products in markets carry the ‘detox' label, printed in big, fancy font on their packaging. Dietician Shweta advised not to let these fancy detox products sway you.
Calling out the problematic habit of falling prey for these detox products, she said, “You are trying every kind of random detox teas, detox cleanses, detox juices, everything possible in the long run. This leaves you craving for more things in the future, and this actually breaks your health, doesn't help you on any day.”
These detox products are very low in calories and sometimes even lack vital nutrients, which can leave you feeling hungry later in the day. Those who give in to those cravings may unintentionally sabotage their efforts by choosing these so-called marketed healthy products, when it turn they actually undermine weight loss goals.
So what works? Shweta recommended, “What actually works is a balanced diet, strength training, a whole lot cardio and a whole lot of patience.” This suggests an organic route to weight loss is more sustainable.
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.