Struggling to shift the calories despite your healthy eating regime? Desperate to quickly lose weight? Follows is some of the unexpected factors that could be sabotaging your diet.
Lack of sleep
If you’re the kind of person who goes to bed late at night then this could be affecting your metabolism. The University of Bristol in England found that people who slept for less than 8 hours a day often tended to be heavier than those who slept for at least 8 hours! Scientists put this down to hormonal changes, people who sleep less than 8 hours have a higher percent of ghrelin which give people the feeling of hunger. On top of this, these people would also have 15 percent less leptin in their bodies which suppresses hunger.
Moral of the story, if your not sleeping for at least 8 hours a night, stop! Turn that TV or computer off and get some sleep!
Stress
Why can I lose weight? Do you find it hard to switch off? If so this could be affecting your body weight and figure.
If you have elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol surging around your body, you could be reaching for comfort foods. I’m sure we’ve all felt like this at some point! Stress also inhibits the feel-good neurotransmitter sertonin this is bad news for your diet as carbohydrates help pump up serotonin levels which produce a calming effect.
You can beat stress by exercising more, any kind of exercising including walking, running, lifting weights or boxing! It can help you take your mind of things like your job or the kids! Everybody needs some me time!
Medication
You might have heard that the pill can increase weight gain in some women. This could be due to water retention or hormonal changes resulting in depression. Don’t fret though; this is not the case for many women, just a minority.
The pill was just an example but there is a host of other medicines that can impact on your weight. Some drugs for heart conditions or anxiety can lower your metabolic rate increasing your chances of putting on weight. They can also bring on fatigue which will feel make you feel less likely to exercise.
If you are concerned at all about any medication you are currently taking then consider talking to your local GP who may be able to recommend other alternatives.
All of these can have a factor on you losing weight. To quickly lose weight, change your lifestyle in a way so that you are not as stressed and sleeping well. From these changes alone, it could make all the difference!
