9 Reasons Why Women Struggle to Lose Weight & Solutions
The same occurrence keeps cropping up every time. The couple gained some weight when they began snacking after supper. They make a commitment to begin a healthy eating plan with the goal of losing weight quickly. After two months on a diet of kale salads and grilled chicken breast, the husband has dropped a lot of weight and looks much healthier, but the wife hasn’t noticed much of a difference on the bathroom scale.
Is it a familiar tune? Any person can attest to the fact that losing weight is a challenge, but women may have unique difficulties in this area for a number of different reasons. It’s true that women have accomplished something, but it’s not a very joyous landmark. According to the statistics, 35% of men and 40% of women are overweight. Obesity rates among males stayed about the same from 2005 to 2014, while those among women rose slowly but steadily.
Many factors outside one’s physical appearance contribute to how one feels about themselves, and being overweight may have a negative impact on this. You needn’t worry, in fact. As a result of an increased risk of developing age- and mortality-causing diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, obesity is a leading cause of premature aging and death.
Although it may be unpleasant to think about, women who are overweight need to take action and benefit from the most effective weight loss solutions. After all, your present and future health depend on your ability to keep your weight in check.
Why so many ladies have such a hard time losing weight?
Like a lot of other people, you may have tried several times to lose weight but haven't had much success. At times, you may feel like giving up and asking yourself why you even try. You are not alone in feeling these feelings and frustrations, and you may be missing out on some essential weight loss tactics specific to women that might make all the difference.
In this article, we will discuss the nine most common reasons why women have difficulty losing weight and will also look at ways to overcome this obstacle.
Reason #1: You need to change your diet since it’s unhealthy
The store is a real avalanche of low-fat and no-fat foods, “healthy” chips and cookies, and many juices and drinks. You undoubtedly already know that avoiding processed foods and sugary foods is the first and most evident step in getting in shape. However, it’s possible that even the “healthy” options aren’t really beneficial for you.
Food makers often use additional additives to make low- and no-fat products taste the same as their full-fat equivalents. While the new ingredients may taste good, they do nothing to make up for the nutrients that were eliminated. As a result, you continue to feel hungry even after eating. Cutting down on fat may lead to increased calorie consumption compared to sticking with the original, full-fat version.
Another villainous ingredient in seemingly healthful meals is sugar. Many supposedly healthy foods, such as yogurt, salad dressings, and tomato sauce, are really rather high in sugar, which may contribute to increased hunger and other unpleasant side effects. It’s also a contributing factor to your weight loss difficulties.
Find out how!
Look at your food storage options. Instead of relying on processed meals found in cans, cartons, and bags, consider shopping for and preparing more whole foods. It’s smart to check over the packaging, too.
- What’s the sugar content of your preferred spaghetti sauce brand and size?
- Do you think those crackers contain a lot of preservatives?
How to Use It?
To start, you need to abstain from or greatly minimize your consumption of processed, artificial foods. It’s best to eat unprocessed, natural foods wherever possible. Those in need of losing weight might benefit greatly from knowing this little-known fact. You’ll have to settle with an apple instead of apple juice and orange slices instead of anything orange-flavored. Use portion control to enjoy your food without overindulging in the fat-free variety, which will just make you hungry again.
Before making a purchase of any snacks or fast meals like salad dressings, be sure to read the label to learn more about the ingredients and nutritional content. Buy products with labels stating they contain no preservatives or pesticides. Making yogurt at home and flavoring it with things like fresh fruit and honey is a great way to save money. Whenever possible, prepare meals at home. Prep healthful condiments, dressings, and grab-and-go snacks on the weekend so you can rely on them throughout the week.
Reason #3: You have an issue with your thyroid.
It’s a universal truth that harmony in all spheres of life is necessary for physical well-being. The ability of the human body to respond correctly and in a reversible manner is crucial to our existence. T3 and T4, commonly known as triiodothyronine and thyroxine, are two of the most important hormones in controlling appetite and energy expenditure.
Hormonal disruption may be caused by a wide range of medical issues. Thyroid function and T4 production may be impacted by dietary iodine excess or deficit, the presence of dangerous amalgam fillings, or an unidentified medical disease.
Find out how!
Hyperthyroidism (high T4 levels) may manifest with the following symptoms:
- Nervousness and anxiety
- Insomnia or irregular sleep order
- high heart rate
- Unexplained weight loss
- High amounts of perspiration
- Muscle weakness
- Continuous bowel relief efforts
- Dull fragile hair
The following are symptoms that may result from hypothyroidism or low T4 levels:
- Tiredness
- Hair and skin dryness
- Weight gain for no discernible reason
- Constipation
- Illness and muscle fatigue
Make an appointment with a doctor or nurse if you experience any of these signs. Thyroid disorders are often diagnosed using a combination of blood tests, thyroid imaging, and radioactive iodine uptake tests. Your doctor will know which option is ideal for you after considering all of your individual circumstances.
How to Use It?
Nutritional deficiencies, such as iodine insufficiency, or toxicity from environmental factors, such as mercury amalgam fillings in the teeth, should be ruled out before resorting to hormone replacement therapy such as pharmaceuticals, natural hormones derived from animal hormones, or, in severe circumstances, surgery.
Reason #2: You’re doing the wrong type of exercise.
If you’re going to the gym regularly but seeing no results, your training routine may be flawed. Most women’s fitness attempts focus on the cardiovascular activity of moderate intensity. Although cardiovascular exercise has many positive health effects, it is not sufficient for weight loss if you are also trying to increase your metabolism and reduce your calorie intake.
There’s no need to squeeze in any extra workout time here, which is great news. Conversely, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) methods may shorten workouts without sacrificing effectiveness. Intense exercise intervals are alternated with less taxing rest intervals during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) regimens, which normally last about 20 minutes. It has been demonstrated to help in fat reduction after the fact despite the fact that fewer calories are burned during the exercise (due to the shorter duration). This is because, unlike regular cardio, these workouts aim to build muscle rather than tear it down.
Forget about reducing weight if you avoid weight training at the gym. Unfortunately, the fear of seeming overly muscular is a major deterrent for many women when it comes to strength training. You wouldn’t undertake strength training unless you were a professional bodybuilder, and that’s how you get those defined muscles.
There are also tremendous health advantages to strength training. Important because bone density decreases with age, making osteoporosis more probable, and it helps strengthen bones. Eighty percent of the 10 million people who have the disease are women. Strength training for muscle gain is a potent method for decreasing overall body fat and especially belly fat. Moreover, it reduces the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Find out how!
Your gym experience has given you a head start in understanding this.
How to Use It?
You can’t call yourself really fit if you aren’t doing things like high-intensity interval training and weightlifting. Try running or sprinting at intervals followed by a cooldown on the treadmill instead of merely jogging or walking. One example is to go full speed ahead for 30 seconds, then stroll for two minutes, and then crank back up for another 30 seconds. Proceed for another 10 to 20 minutes. If the gym you frequent offers Tabata workouts, you may want to give them a go.
If you’ve never done any kind of strength training before, it could be a good idea to schedule a few sessions with a trainer so that you can learn how to use dumbbells and what exercises you can perform with them. There’s no need to pile on the pounds. If you want to trim down, try including push-ups and lunges in your workout program. Excellent, since they can be done anywhere and need no unique tools. Pilates and more rigorous yoga programs are also excellent substitutes.
Reason #4: You have a hormone imbalance.
Thyroid hormones aren’t the only thing that may affect your metabolism and weight.
Your efforts to lose weight might be thwarted by cortisol, the stress hormone.
In addition to making it more challenging to lose weight, feeling more hungry, and having a greater need for carbs, the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol also hinders your overall progress toward your weight loss goals.
Find out how!
Blood tests can tell you how much cortisol is circulating in your system, but only you know how stressed you really are. Reflect on whether or not you are in a condition of continual (or near-constant) tension. It’s also possible for your blood pressure to rise, your anxiety to increase, your mood to fluctuate wildly, your sleep to become disrupted, your exhaustion to prevent you from resting, and your stress levels to rise.
The use of corticosteroid medicines such as hydrocortisone and prednisone, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, nutritional deficiencies, and hyperthyroidism, may all contribute to a cortisol imbalance, in addition to increased stress.
How to Use It?
Lowering cortisol levels is best accomplished by decreasing stress. It’s easier said than done to prioritize yourself and your health, but it’s necessary if you want to lose weight by following the recommendations in this article. It’s crucial to learn how to say “no” to activities and things that you know will produce stress and to recognize when you’re feeling especially weary and in need of a break.
Reason #5: You’re gaining weight due to the drugs your doctor prescribed.
Have you ever been administered any kind of medication? They may be the reason you are unable to lose weight. Fluid retention, changes in appetite, and hormonal increases may all contribute to drug-induced weight gain. There are many harmful medications, but some of the worst are contraceptives, antidepressants, medicines that block the angiotensin receptor, and steroids.
Find out how!
A trip to the doctor is warranted if you are on one of these medications and are still unable to lose weight despite your best efforts.
How to Use It?
For best results, record your weight the day before beginning a new medication and again two weeks later. Early detection of weight gain aids in its prevention. Furthermore, see your doctor about alternatives if you are concerned that a medicine you are presently taking is obstructing your efforts to lose weight. Using a natural form of birth control, gradually weaning off medication, or trying a new activity are all strategies that may help you avoid gaining weight.
Reason #6: You need to get more sleep.
How often do you allow yourself to lie in bed for too long or press the snooze button before getting out of bed? Cutting into your sleep time will not only make you drowsy all day, but will also hinder your attempts to shed pounds.
Recent research has shown that persons who receive just 3.5-5.5 hours of sleep each night consume 385 more calories than those who get 7-10 hours of sleep. Sleep is essential for our health because it gives our bodies the time they need to repair and return to normal operation. Consistent sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of weight gain, along with a variety of other unfavorable health effects such as anxiety, irritability, and impaired cognitive performance.
Find out how!
Keep track of your bedtime, wake time, and the overall quality of your sleep. Regularly getting less than 7 hours of sleep indicates a need for improvement.
How to Use It?
This list of 20 sleep techniques may assist if you’re having difficulties winding down for the night. This advice for getting a good night’s rest may also be seen as advice for losing weight. In order to achieve a good night’s sleep, try turning off all gadgets at least an hour before bedtime, cutting down on coffee in the afternoon, avoiding simple carbohydrates in the evening, and keeping a diary. Sleep aids that aren’t synthetic may help you go to sleep and stay asleep.
Reason #7: You are literally consuming your feelings.
To unwind at the end of the day, do you like a glass of wine? Do you ever want to eat an entire pint of ice cream because you’ve had such a bad day? The inability to rein in emotional eating is a certain recipe for weight loss failure.
When people are trying to alleviate distressing feelings like anxiety, tension, or melancholy by eating, they are more likely to grab carbohydrates, processed foods, and even alcohol rather than fresh produce. You will always struggle with your weight and never learn to cope with life’s ups and downs in this manner. In this situation, it’s probable that both sides will lose.
Find out how!
Keep in mind the times when you gorge on junk food. Are you really bored, or is your mind racing? It’s possible that you’re engaging in emotional eating.
How to Use It?
Mindful eating might help if you normally comfort yourself with food whenever you’re feeling upset. Just be sure you’re really hungry before you use food as a distraction from dealing with a pressing deadline or important assignment. If you’re going to be there anyhow, you may as well eat in peace. They are not safe to eat straight from the bag. Have a chip-eating contest and see how many you can eat without feeling bad. It might help you control your hunger pangs.
You want to know what’s up with your crappy mood, of course. Over the course of three months, those who regularly used relaxation methods saw significant improvements in their mood and anxiety levels in addition to weight loss. Emotional eating is not a healthy coping mechanism, and there are better alternatives.
Another research discovered that when women worked out more often, they were able to better control their eating habits, feel better about themselves, and even push themselves to greater physical exertion. Try going to a yoga class or taking a long walk instead of pouring a drink of wine or munching all night.
Reason #8: You’re eating too many healthy foods.
Even while healthy meals taste great, it is easy to eat too much of a good thing. Although full-fat dairy products, avocados, and nuts are all beneficial to your health, they also tend to be very rich in calories. It’s possible that you’re eating more calories than you realize if you often indulge in these items.
Meals on a high-fat diet, such as the ketogenic diet, will naturally be high in fat content. When I say “normal diet,” I mean one that includes plenty of high-fat options.
Find out how!
If you’re attempting to lose weight but not reducing carbohydrates, eating a lot of eggs, avocados, butter, and oil might be a sign that you’re eating too much fat.
How to Use It?
In some cases, the ketogenic diet may seem like the next logical step for those who like and regularly eat high-fat, high-protein meals. More weight is lost on this plan than on a low-fat diet, and you should find the transition to be rather easy. I think the ketogenic diet would be a good choice for you if you want to reduce weight rapidly and healthily.
Otherwise, there’s no need to cut out these nutritious options. Instead, pay attention to portion proportions and eat just one or two of these items every day. If you like to start your day with a smoothie and a scoop of almond butter, try switching out the almonds for something different in the afternoon.
Reason #9: You have a food allergy.
Do you have unexplained symptoms such as chronic bloating, skin problems, or an uneasy stomach? You can be sensitive to or allergic to certain foods.
The prevalence of food allergies affects around 5.9 million children and 9.1 million women. It’s probable that the actual number is significantly higher since it doesn’t account for those who are allergic to certain foods, have food intolerances, or don’t know they have a problem.
It might be difficult to lose weight if you have food sensitivities or allergies and continue to consume the offending food. The body’s immune response to the meal causes inflammation. You will become much more sensitive to gaining weight and other health concerns if you keep eating the same foods that are making you sick.
Find out how!
A food allergy or sensitivity might be to blame for your unresolved skin disease, digestive problems, or overall malaise.
How to Use It?
To determine whether you have a food allergy, an elimination diet is recommended. The most common allergenic foods—eggs, soy, gluten, dairy, and nuts—are avoided on an elimination diet.
Many women have tried and failed to lose weight for the nine reasons listed above. If you want to feel better, it would be wise to investigate these potential reasons and make any necessary alterations to your lifestyle. Remember that your doctor is the only one who can really diagnose and treat your condition. After 30 days on the program, you may see how your body reacts by slowly reintroducing one of the restricted foods. Keep avoiding the things you suspect are allergens, or see an allergy specialist to confirm your suspicions and learn what else you could be allergic to.
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