If losing weight were easy, we’d all be skinny. Take it from the person who has tried every fad diet and pill out there. They don’t work. The only thing that works is an equal combination of healthy eating and exercise and really taking care of body and mind. Yes, if you restrict your calories without exercise, you will lose weight for a while, but it will quickly be muscle that disappears, not fat. And, if you spend three hours a day in the gym without proper nutrition, you’ll also lose weight initially, but eventually, once again, you’ll just burn through your muscle and your energy levels will be in the toilet. You’re fighting a losing battle in the end if you’re not fueling your body properly and then expending that fuel in a normal amount of exercise, combining both cardio and resistance. Muscle burns fat, and you will get the most out of your cardio workouts if you are also building lean muscle. Just running on the treadmill 5 times a week isn’t enough for maximum fat burning.
There are so many different things that cause people to gain weight. I used to think if someone was fat, it was because they ate too much and weren’t active. I have learned so much over the last year, and one thing that I have learned is that you should never judge a book by its cover when it comes to obesity. Maybe it’s not that they are eating too much, it could be that they are not eating enough. Starvation is just as dangerous as binging. Another cause of weight gain could be stress, or not getting enough sleep, or hormone imbalances. Allergies to gluten or dairy, problems with blood sugar. It’s not all black and white.
Additionally, once someone really starts trying to lose weight, just restricting calories and exercising heavily aren’t going to keep weight off. You have to make sure you’re drinking enough water, watching sodium, staying away from processed foods. The food industry (Yes, another rant from me about the food industry) is famous for taking complete garbage and picking that one teeny, tiny little thing that might be “healthy” and blowing it up to make it seem like it’s messiah of food! Just because a minuscule bag of chocolate chip cookies has only 100 calories, does not make it healthy! Common sense, people! The only difference is the portions are smaller. You’re getting 5 mini cookies instead of 5 big cookies. Take a big cookie and break it in half and it’s the same damn thing! Same ingredients, actually probably worse because there are usually even more chemicals in those types of food, and just as unsatisfying in the end.
Trying to lose weight is discouraging. And, it’s even more frustrating when you really feel like you’ve tried everything and it’s still not coming off. What you really have to do is challenge yourself to look at every single area of your life and how you treat your body and your mind. There is a problem somewhere. Whether it’s your eating habits, your exercise habits, a medical issue, or an emotional issue. The answer is somewhere in your lifestyle. In most normal situations, healthy eating and exercise (both cardio and resistance) will do the trick. But, if that’s not working, look deeper. Be honest with yourself and make sure you really are eating healthy 90% of the time and that you are giving your workouts 100%. If you know you are, then dig even deeper. It’s there. We can help you find it, if you can’t find it on your own! :D
