Just Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Weight loss is a huge sector of the fitness industry, and with good reason. Every year many thousands of people are seeking ways to shave off a few pounds, shed a couple of stone and hopefully tone up in the process. We all know how to do this, it really is as simple as moving more and eating less. If you adjust your diet a sensible amount and make the effort to hit the gym you're bound to lose weight.

Yet despite this, people are always having difficulty and seeking advice. Well there are a few factors which could still be holding you back against your best efforts.

Lack of Sleep

Sleep can often seem like less than a necessity. You may have a job to complete, a family to raise, friends to visit, and a fitness programme to complete. With all these responsibilities to juggle, fitting in a whole eight hours of sleep can easily begin to seem unreasonable. When you're deprived of sleep your metabolism slows as a response, The amount of calories you need to cut down on increases substantially, while you'll feel more intense hunger thanks to increased levels of the hormone ghrelin.

Don't consume caffeine less than two hours before bed, and try to avoid jumping straight from the computer to the bedroom. Bright lights trick your body into thinking it's daytime, and give you a more fitful rest.

Not Paying Attention to Your Nutrients

Even if you're seeing a high calorie burn at the gym, it's not uncommon to find your body failing to shape up. This could easily be due to a lack of nutritional attention. Now, calories are clearly important, and you will lose weight by ingesting less than your base metabolic rate. But it's where you lose this weight that matters. Take protein as an example, if you're not consuming enough to maintain muscle size, your body will burn off muscle instead of fat. Fat is easier to maintain and represents better energy storage, so it makes sense. Check your RDAs for all essential minerals and vitamins, and be sure not to drop below them, even if it means a couple more calories.

You're Too Sedentary

When calculating your BMR few people like to chalk themselves up as entirely sedentary, but it's not uncommon to be far less active than you conservatively assume. A desk-based office job is the death knell for many weight loss plans, with your metabolic rate cutting down considerably with no anticipated exercise, despite sessions at the gym. At the very least try standing up and moving a few times an hour, or consider fidgeting your legs around constantly. If you're moving a little bit regularly you could burn hundreds more calories throughout the day.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mira_Burton