BATTLING the bulge is a constant struggle. Sometimes we think we are doing all the right things but continue to pack on the pounds. Here are five reasons why you may be gaining weight.
You’re getting older—After we hit our 30s, it’s a biological reality that we start to lose muscle mass. This leads to a slowing down of our metabolism. What this means is that the same amount of food we consume in our younger days may have a different effect on our bodies. The number of our maintenance calories decreases. Eating the same amount of food may lead to weight gain, simple as that. What to do? Exercise more or eat less, preferably a combination of both.
Liquid calories—Bottomless ice teas fruit juices, mocha frapuccinos and sodas all go down easy. Sip after sip, gulp after gulp of unadulterated sweetness. A sweet liquid treat once in a while is fine. But if you regularly make them a part of your diet, these liquid calories add up and find a home in your belly. While seemingly harmless, sugared drinks are high in empty calories that our bodies can do without.
Excessive, unhealthy snacking—A healthy low-calorie snack in between meals may keep hunger pangs away and may be part of an effective weight-loss strategy. Think one hard-boiled egg, or a slice of whole-grain bread with cottage cheese. But when our snacks consist of chips, chocolate bars and other types of junk food, this is when we start to pack on the pounds.
Weekend bingeing—You survived the week by doing all the right things. Clean, balanced eating, check. Exercise, check. Then comes the weekend and you decide to have a cheat day—which turns into cheat days. Then, voila, all the progress you made during the week disappears. It’s ok to treat yourself to some food that lifts your mood, or have a drink with friends. What we should avoid are those bar-chow and alcohol-filled all-nighters that have us crawling on the floor by night’s end.
Sedentary lifestyle—Perhaps your job has you sitting long on hours on a desk. At the day’s end, you are too mentally exhausted to get some exercise in. This doesn’t help you fitness-wise, and you end up gaining weight. Schedule permitting, break the monotony of desk confinement by standing up every hour, doing some stretching, walk around the office or doing some jumping jacks to get your heart rate up. The extra calories burned may make a big difference.
Let’s be keenly aware of these things, as well as other factors that may contribute to our weight gain. Never be discouraged and stay focused on doing the right things, and taking the right steps in your fitness journey.
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