When you are determined to lose weight, there are several factors that can make weight loss difficult without the proper knowledge and work ethic.
Losing weight may turn out to be more complicated than you initially anticipate. There are numerous factors that can make weight loss difficult, and these considerations can be all too easy to miss if you are not looking for them. They can be things beyond your control, or it can just be an issue of how you are going about your dieting and exercise regime.
Once you decide to start getting into shape, you need to be aware of the circumstances surrounding you that can affect how you lose weight.
Family History
You need to look at your family and see if they have had a history of weight issues. Being overweight or obese can be passed on through genes, and if your parents are both overweight, then the likelihood of you having weight-loss issues increases. However, this does not mean that weight loss is impossible; it simply means that your body stores more fat and that some areas will carry more than others.
Family Habits Around Food
Beyond the genetic makeup of your family, what can affect you is how food has been seen and treated in your household growing up. If your family has a history of weight problems, it may not be an issue in genetics but a problem with the amount of food consumed and choosing unhealthy foods. These habits may have been passed on to you through experience and may distort how you view unhealthy meals or serving sizes.
Learn Better Habits
Learned behaviors from your parents can be hard to dispel from your mind, and information could have been taught to you that is wildly inaccurate without you realizing it. If you come from a background that did not emphasize the importance of food choice, then you may need to spend some time researching diets, exercises, and common food myths. You do not know how many misconceptions have been taught to you and how that false information can be holding you back from losing the weight you need to.
How You Set Goals
The problem can also rest in how you are currently approaching your weight-loss routine. Before setting out on your weight-loss journey, you need to define a clear plan of action along with meticulous record keeping. Without such a plan in place, your efforts will be disorganized and can lack consistency. You may know what you want to accomplish, but it will be far more difficult if you don’t have a solid plan in place.
Plan Everything
Plan out your meals, know how many calories you need to consume in order to lose weight, and pick your meals accordingly. If you decide to add exercise to your weight-loss plan, then know what exercises you plan to do, how many repetitions you want to complete, and how many sets you aim to complete. Having this record will show you, week-by-week, how you have improved and the progress you have made.
Tangible Results
Keeping track of your diet and exercise routine will not only give you a clear picture of what you are doing, but will serve as motivation to spur you forward. Without keeping a record of your weight-loss progress, it can seem abstract and that no real progress is being made. But if you have a physical piece of paper that states how much you have lost each week or how much more exercise you can do in the gym, then that will prove to you that there are accomplishments being achieved.
Your Location
Where you live and the general locations that are available to you can play a role in how easy or difficult your weight loss will be. For example, if you live in an area that has more fast-food options than grocery stores with healthy options, then you may be more inclined to pick the fast-food. Or, if you live in an area that is separated from towns and stores, then you will need to drive places instead of having the opportunity to walk or ride a bike.
Look for Available Opportunities
If where you live does not have immediate or convenient access to fresh and healthy foods, then you will have to go out of your way to purchase the healthier option. Moving to a new location that has better options is impractical, so you will need to search out places that have what you are looking for.
Medical Reason
You can also be experiencing medical conditions that can slow down the rate at which your body burns fat or symptoms that make your body store more fat. There are several common conditions that can cause you to stagnate in your weight loss routine. These conditions include:
- Chronic Stress – Due to the chemical changes brought on by anxiety, stress, or grief, this can increase the production of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol can make your body store more fat than typical and can pose several other health risks.
- Cushing’s Syndrome – This condition occurs when the adrenal glands produce too much cortisol. While it is the same chemical found in chronically stressed individuals, it has several other symptoms, some of which are weakness or loss of muscle, hair loss, potbelly, and a round face.
- Hypothyroidism – Due to an underactive thyroid, your body may not produce enough of the hormone thyroid to burn off fat. This slows down your metabolism resulting in you storing more fat than you burn.
Identify What Is Holding You Back
Knowing what factors are making your weight loss difficult is a necessary step in your journey to your ideal weight, whether it be family genetics, traditions that are passed down to you, or a lack of planning.
But when you rule out all those options, you may be left with a medical explanation for why you are having trouble in your exercise and diet routines. These conditions you may face will require the expertise of an endocrinologist. Dr. Philip Rabito is one such endocrinologist in New York City and can help you identify hormone imbalances and put you on track to achieve your weight-loss goals.
