13 barriers to weight loss and effective ways to overcome them
You may want to lose weight, but no matter how hard you try, you will not succeed. One reason for this may be that you are unaware of the obstacles to losing weight and inadvertently do things and eat things that cause you to gain weight.
To have a moral weight loss, you need to identify and combat the factors that prevent you from losing weight.
Less water
Dehydration prevents weight loss because when the body is dehydrated, the speed of various chemical reactions in the body, including fat burning, decreases. That is why drinking two liters of water (or 8 glasses) a day is essential for the body’s proper functioning. We usually replace plain water with high-calorie juices and drinks.
Instead of hydrating the body, these drinks cause dehydration and create extra calories converted and stored in fat inside the cells. Dehydration also affects the secretion of growth hormone, and growth hormone breaks down stored fat.
Also, the enzyme “lipase activity,” which is essential for fat metabolism, decreases with dehydration.
Because the body can not distinguish between the symptoms of hunger and thirst, we often confuse the feeling of thirst with the feeling of hunger and add unnecessary calories to our body. It isn’t easy to burn those extra calories during the day.
Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to combat dehydration.
After waking up, drink a glass of water and hydrate your body enough during the day. Put a bottle of water in your hand so that you can quickly quench your thirst whenever you are very thirsty.
If you can not detect thirst or hunger, drink one to two glasses of water. If your hunger does not go away, you are hungry.
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Refined carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential part of a balanced diet because they are the primary fuel source for the brain and body energy. However, refined carbohydrates are unhealthy and can lead to adverse effects such as for overweight.
So instead of eliminating carbohydrates, you can eat foods that have good carbohydrates. Sources of healthy carbohydrates, which are essential for the body, include whole grains and vegetables rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
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Trans fat
If you want to lose weight, you should avoid eating trans fat foods because studies have shown that trans fat transports fat from other parts of the body to the abdomen.
Trans fat is created through a process called “hydrogenation,” in which hydrogen molecules are added to vegetable oil. This is to increase the shelf life of the oil, solidify it, make it tastier and suitable for frying.
Trans fat is a cheap way to add flavor to the oil. Still, it is very harmful to the body because it contains lousy cholesterol (LDL), which increases the risk of serious complications such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
Trans fats are commonly found in fried foods, packaged snacks, and even margarine. Eating foods that are high in trans fats not only endangers your health but also prevents weight loss. Avoid foods that contain this type of fat.
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Overeating
You may not know this, but it takes 20 minutes for the brain to send a satiety message to the abdomen.
If you continue to eat even after receiving this message, you are overeating. When you overeat, your stomach will increase in size to accommodate extra food. Overeating creates extra calories in the body.
When the body burns more calories than it needs daily, various functions of the body are disrupted. Excessive daily calorie intake stores fat stores, which in turn leads to overweight. Being overweight is a significant cause of serious complications such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and stroke.
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High sodium intake
Most people are aware of the amount of salt they consume, but unfortunately, they are unaware of the sodium in processed foods, fast food. According to studies, excess salt can lead to water retention in the body and fat cells’ growth. To overcome this weight loss barrier, you must be careful not to exceed the recommended amount of sodium.
Avoid processed and packaged foods and check food labels carefully to determine the amount of sodium in them. Processed foods and ready-to-eat snacks are high in sodium and calories. So be careful not to overeat.
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Nervous overeating
Bulimia nervosa is a condition in which the goal of eating is not to satisfy hunger but to feel good, cope and reduce stress. Foods consumed in overeating usually contain large amounts of fat, sugar, calories, trans fat, and other harmful compounds.
These compounds are very harmful to the body and lead to rapid weight gain. People often become addicted to foods that contain these harmful compounds to reduce stress.
These unhealthy foods release a lot of “dopamine” compared to healthy foods, making you feel good. To counteract this barrier to weight loss, you should use the available methods to reduce bulimia nervosa or replace healthy foods with the foods you eat in such situations.
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Heavy stress
Stress can be the cause of many diseases and problems, one of which is obesity. Stress is caused by increased levels of the hormone “cortisol” and can ultimately delay the fat burning process.
Stress increases the hunger hormone called ghrelin, which delays the rate of fat-burning hormones. To overcome this weight loss barrier, reduce your stress levels and engage in relaxing activities such as meditation and yoga.
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Not paying attention to the calories of liquids (drinks)
Liquid calories are easily digested and make you crave faster. This leads to more calories.
It is a mistake to think that drinks such as fruit juices are healthy and do not increase your calorie intake. The calories in liquids are easily digested and make you want to eat more quickly. This leads to more calories in the diet and consequently weight gain.
Calculating fluid calories and controlling consumption is problematic. Always eat raw fruits instead of fruit juices. Try to record your calorie intake with the help of available programs not to exceed your allowable amount.
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Lack of sleep
There is a direct relationship between insomnia and overweight. If you do not get enough sleep, you will not achieve the desired weight loss. Inadequate sleep increases cortisol and decreases the activity of enzymes and fat-burning hormones.
If you do not get enough sleep, your efforts to lose weight will be in vain because your body’s metabolism slows down, and the process of burning calories is prevented. Inadequate sleep also raises hormone ghrelin levels (the hunger hormone), making you feel hungry in the morning.
Insomnia is directly related to weight gain, so sleeping at least 7 hours a night is essential for health and weight loss. If you have trouble sleeping, you can use the available solutions such as drinking chamomile tea, doing breathing techniques, etc., to overcome this obstacle in losing weight.
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Extremist and stubborn regimes
Severe calorie restriction can prevent the body from functioning correctly. If you follow stubborn diets, you will also be deprived of the nutrients your body needs, leading to dry skin, hair loss, and dark spots.
These diets do not have much energy for exercise. Never follow these diets, because it reduces the process of fat burning.
To help you lose weight, consult a nutritionist and get a proper diet to provide the nutrients your body needs and lose weight.
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Chronic inflammation
Inflammation makes the body resistant to insulin. Insulin stimulates the formation of new cells. Inflammation stimulates insulin resistance, leading to more insulin production and the formation of larger fat cells. This converts all the extra calories. This fat is usually stored around the abdomen.
Belly fat is dangerous because it increases the production of “cytokines” secreted by the immune system in response and keeps the body in an inflammatory state. The secretion of cytokines increases the risk of heart disease and even cancer. Also, chronic inflammation affects leptin, the hormone satiety.
This means that even if you eat enough, the hormone leptin can not send a satiety message to the brain. Leptin resistance can slow down the body’s metabolism and increase hunger hormone levels. All of these factors prevent you from losing weight and make you eat more at each meal.
Some foods, such as vegetable oils, sugars, food colors, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners, cause inflammation. Avoid eating these foods. Also, getting enough sleep, reducing stress levels, drinking plenty of water, and sun exposure can reduce inflammation.
immobility
If you are not active enough, dieting will not help you. A sedentary lifestyle allows you to regain all your lost weight. After losing weight, you should increase your physical activity to keep your current weight constant and not gain weight again. Try adding morning walking, jogging, yoga, and aerobics to your daily routine.
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Do not eat fattening foods.
You may not know it yourself, but some of the foods you eat every day can make you obese. Here are some of these snacks and drinks:
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Energy drinks
Energy drinks contain calories, carbohydrates, and fats, all of which prevent weight loss. These drinks are not satisfying and make you eat more.
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Tomato sauce (ketchup sauce)
It is interesting to know that only two tablespoons of tomato sauce contain 40 calories. Tomato sauce contains substances that increase appetite and, over time, obesity and diabetes.
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Juice
Lack of water in fruits causes them to lose fiber. For this reason, it is recommended that you eat fruit instead of fruit juice. Eating fruit is not harmful, but excessive consumption of fruit juice can hurt health and body composition.
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Ice cream
Ice cream prevents weight loss.
Ice cream is made from sugar and fat. Because ice cream is usually eaten as a dessert or snack, it can add many calories to your meal. So it is better to limit eating ice cream.
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Biscuits and donuts
Biscuits and donuts contain a lot of sugar, refined flour, and extra fats. These two foods are high in calories. To prevent weight gain, limit the consumption of these two foods that prevent weight loss. Donuts, in particular, are high in calories. An average donut has more than 200 calories. So avoid donuts as much as possible.
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French fries and chips
French fries and chips are high in salt and fat, both of which increase the risk of overeating.
These foods prevent weight loss because they are high in salt and fat, increasing overheating risk. Many studies have linked eating French fries to weight gain. If you want to eat potatoes, boil them.
Other fattening foods include:
- Processed foods
- chocolate milk
- peanut butter
- Pizza
- Sweet coffee with sugar
- Nutella
- Granola
- Soup ready
- breakfast cereal
- White sugar and artificial sweeteners
- Cheese
- Foods that are high in gluten.
- White carbohydrates
- Processed meat
The final point
Some of the things you do every day can prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals. In this article, we introduced 13 barriers to weight loss. Try to avoid these obstacles and avoid unhealthy habits that lead to obesity.
also read:
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The best and most important properties of avocado for body health
