5 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight: Break the Habit

Everyone knows the feeling of aiming to lose weight but not really feeling the benefits of the latest fad diet or work out. There are 5 pretty simple ways to help you lose weight, and then keep it off. They're largely rooted in day to day habits, which is why we never notice gaining the weight in the first place.

1) You're still drinking alcohol
A glass of wine has about 125 calories, a pint of beer has 250. That glass or two of wine after work and the few pints over the weekend easily add up to make you pile on the pounds. A lot of people find it difficult to consider the number of calories in drinks due to our associations when we hear the word 'calorie' (ie. we tend to think of fatty foods as having a lot of calories, not drinks) but that pint of beer has the same number of calories as a slice of pizza!. Cutting out alcohol has many health benefits - a lower calorie intake is just one of them.

2) You're losing track of what you're eating
When you have a busy schedule, didn't manage to get a lunch break at work and just feel peckish when you come home, it's very easy to lose track of what you're eating (and how healthy it is). It's especially easy to start grazing on junk like crisps since you can buy them more easily than fruit. What did you eat today - can you remember everything? If not, it may be worth keeping a food diary to get a realistic look at what you eat, and what you need to cut out. There's no point having a salad for lunch if you have crisps during a break and a chocolate bar the moment you come home.

3) You're not drinking enough water
Drink water with your meals and you will fill up faster, Drink it to stay hydrated so your body keeps functioning properly. Drink it because it has less calories than soft drinks or juice....just drink lots of water.

4) You're not eating often enough
A lot of people cut down what they eat and how often they eat when they're dieting - there are a lot of terrible diets out there like the master cleanse, which will work for a short period of time but actually slow down your metabolism, so you will gain weight then you start eating properly again, and it will be harder to shift it. Ideally, try to eat about 4-5 times a day - they don't need to be large meals (it's better that they aren't), but this will improve your metabolism and ensure that your body doesn't hold on to fat unnecessarily. Pack nuts in your bag to graze on, bring fruit, eat a lighter lunch and have a mid-afternoon snack as well. But remember - every single time you put something in your mouth you are making a choice, you are either choosing to make your body and overall health better, or to just eat something that's convenient. Healthy eating does take more planning, but it's definitely worth it.


5) You're not eating at the right times
Unfortunately, modern life means that we are usually rushed in the morning and have time to relax in the evening, which impacts our meals. A lot of people have a tiny breakfast (just cereal really doesn't cut it) and then have a comparatively huge dinner, with a medium lunch in between. Try to balance out your meal sizes so that you aren't taking in the most calories just before you go to bed.

I'll be posting more about properly tiering your meals soon. If you'd like to receive posts direct via email, just subscribe using the box at the top right of this blog.