After a couple months of hard work – hitting the gym and maintaining a healthy diet – for some reason, you’re not seeing a drop in weight. If you’re exercising and eating right, the pounds should be falling off, right? Well, it depends.
There are several reasons why the weight may be sticking around. Weight loss is a complex undertaking, especially if you’re older or have underlying health concerns. It may take a medical professional’s guidance to create a successful approach. Here are some tips that may help.
Keep It Consistent
One problem many people run into is consistency with their weight management plan. For example, not having a routine but instead flying by the seat of your pants isn’t as successful as being consistent with your exercise and eating right.
Work out every day at the same time so you are less likely to come up with excuses to slack, such as having a full belly or needing to run errands or get the kids. Set time aside every day and stick to the plan. Try to adhere to the same schedule when eating – and do not “reward” yourself with food.
You should be fully committed to your plan. Try to be boringly predictable for the foreseeable future and do not allow the plan to vary.
Sleeping and Rest Are Crucial
Simply because it’s possible to soldier on and get less sleep than recommended, keep your ultimate goal in mind and maintain proper sleeping habits to ensure your body has ample time to rest, recover, and rejuvenate.
Inadequate sleep results in less time for the body to repair itself, plus it may give you a craving for carbohydrates, a dieter’s worst enemy. Also, when the body is at rest, it manufactures hormones that are critical to help burn fat. To prevent inadequate downtime, schedule your sleep time and plan everything else around that.
What, How & When You’re Eating
A diet low in fat and centered around protein is one of the best ways to lose weight. If a quarter of your diet is protein-based, it can boost your metabolism as well as reduce cravings between meals. Avoid carbohydrate loading.
Don’t ignore your nutritional needs. Trying to lose weight involves more than just focusing on a balanced diet – you may require nutritional supplements, too. Some once-a-day vitamins may meet your nutritional needs better than food.
Finally, avoid eating after 7 pm. Meals that are consumed late in the day or immediately prior to sleeping is a surefire way to pack the pounds back on.
Cardio, Cardio, Cardio
Getting enough cardiovascular exercise is critical to any successful weight loss program. Choose cardio exercises that you enjoy and those that can intermittently raise your heart rate to a range that results in burning fat instead of muscle. This type of exercise should be done five days a week for a half hour or longer each session.
To identify your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from either 226 (for women) or 220 (for men). The resulting number is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Your ideal fat-burning range is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For example, a woman who is 45 years old has a maximum heart rate of 181 BPM (226-45 = 181) and her target fat-burning heart rate is 108 – 126.
Cutting fat, eating protein, getting proper rest, and hitting your target workout heart rate are just the beginning. Losing weight and getting into better shape is not easy. It takes long-term commitment and willpower to accomplish noticeable results. Many people require help to nail down a proper dietary plan and exercise guidelines before they are able to lose weight and keep it off.
If you wish someone could help guide you with the right exercise routines and diet for you, then set up your appointment today with Dr. Catherine Oseni at the AlphaCare Wellness Center at (817) 550-6332 and let her help you create a lifestyle plan you can stick to. You can also use the convenient appointment request form to let Dr. Oseni help you keep this New Year’s resolution.
