Can’t Lose Weight? Top 10 Surprising Reasons Why

Ok, so here you are doing everything right, working out, eating healthy, and that darn scale still makes you cry when you look at that number. Then the holidays come around and trying to lose weight is almost impossible. You can take control, however. There are many reasons, as well as destructive habits, that are possibly destroying your good intentions. Here is our list of the top 10 reasons you can’t drop that last 10. 1. Fat You might be eating too much fat. Some high fat diets, like Paleo, work for some people but for most women, your body just doesn’t do that well with them. You need to be super careful about the fats you are consuming. Try adding them to some greens and see if things improve. 2. Estrogen Imbalance There are many women with an overabundance of estrogen. An excess of estrogen usually shows up as excess weight around the hips and the waist, your body’s way of protecting a fetus, should you become pregnant. When you exercise to excess or exercise on a daily basis, you are using up your progesterone and allowing your estrogen to dominate your hormones. Balance your hormones naturally by exercising, but not to excess, or try exercising every other day. Also, avoid those omega-6 fats like peanut, soybean or other vegetable oils, use coconut oil instead and be sure you are getting enough rest. 3. Cruciferous Veggies Sometimes it’s just a matter of not eating enough of these important vegetables. These would include cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Bok choy just to name a few. Not only are they good for you but they help you feel full. They are also a good way to help balance your estrogen. This is the easiest, not to mention the cheapest, way to get your hormones balanced. 4. Non-Alcoholic Drinks Almost no one counts the calories in what they are drinking, unless it’s a milkshake. Don’t be fooled, those liquid calories count and they add up. One innocent looking juice that says 100 calories is 100 calories per serving and that bottle may have 2 or 3 servings which means 300 calories, not 100. Read also about 7 "harmless" drinks you must absolutely avoid. Drop the juice and drink water so you can eat calories and enjoy some food. 5. Breakfast While everyone knows that it’s important to not skip breakfast you need to pay attention to portion sizes. If you eat cereal, read the box, an average serving is a half to two thirds of a cup but the average cereal bowl holds three to four times that much. 6. Vitamin D Because our lives now seem to revolve around computers and video games, not to mention the use of sunscreens, many people now suffer from severe deficiencies of vitamin D. This important vitamin acts like hormones and a lack of it has been linked to fatigue, asthma, allergies, and, of course, weight gain. Find out the content of vitamins in foods. 7. Health Foods Just because a package says natural or healthy, doesn’t mean that it is. Some “health” foods are full of sugar, GMO’s, and excess salt. Read the labels. Just because something says it’s healthy, doesn’t mean it is. Read also about 13 lies media is feeding you about nutrition. 8. Sleep You hear this all the time, but that doesn’t make it any less true. You need a sufficient amount of sleep every night. Sleep is when your body repairs itself and makes important hormones. Two hormones in particular, are important when you want to lose weight, ghrelin and leptin. Leptin tells you when to stop eating and ghrelin tells you to eat. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body makes more ghrelin and you eat more. Aim for a minimum of 7 hours every night. 9. After Exercising Are you eating after every workout session? Yes, exercise can make you hungry but that doesn’t give you the green light to pig out. Most people overestimate how many calories they burn at the gym. Plan on something low cal to munch on after your workout. 10. High Cortisol Levels Cortisol is one reason many women can’t lose weight. When you stay in a continuous level of high stress your body continues increasing your cortisol levels. Learn to control your stress with yoga or meditation. Sources: Womenshealthmag.com Wellnessmama.com Shape.com

Can’t Lose Weight? Top 10 Surprising Reasons Why

10. High Cortisol Levels

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