If you have ever tried losing weight, you know it can be very challenging. Everyone experiences challenges that are specific to their unique circumstances. These range from a lack of time, to genetics, stress, and unmet expectations from trying more than once. Most people can encounter these roadblocks, but that does not mean that they cannot be overcome. We will look at some challenges you might encounter on your weight loss journey plus some tips to help you conquer them.
Physical Barriers
Physical barriers manifest in many different ways and can include fatigue, medical issues, discomfort, and more. Other issues like lack of sleep and dehydration can also make it harder to lose weight. One of the solutions to these physical barriers is talking to your physician to find out if any medications you are taking or any lifestyle changes you have made might be affecting your ability to lose weight.
Certain medications like steroids, medications for depression as well as birth control pills can all cause weight gain. Hormonal changes in women can also cause weight gain and should be discussed with a physician so that a solution can be found.
Age
As we age, we gain weight due to several reasons, a common one being a decline in physical activity. For men, it happens due to lower levels of testosterone, which makes it harder for men to convert fat into muscles. A tailored exercise plan should be put in place to help older people lose weight.
Strength training is an excellent option as it helps convert fat into muscle. Muscles are a lot more metabolically active than fat cells, so they burn more calories and can make losing weight through exercise easier for older people. If you are just starting, don’t forget to use a pre-workout routine to get you up to speed before undertaking any strenuous exercises.
Lethargy
Lethargy is another common weight loss challenge. Lethargy can be caused by a lot of things including stress and lack of sleep. If you think you are stressed, try to spend a few minutes every day doing simple things that can help you reduce stress. Yoga is a very good option as it helps reduce stress while helping you stay in shape. Short of that, you should try meditation as that will help lower your stress levels. If you can, try to go for short walks outside to remove yourself from stressful environments and situations.
If you are not getting enough sleep, you could find yourself overeating because lack of sleep messes with your appetite hormones. Lack of sleep also makes you feel like you do not have the energy to exercise. To remedy this, try to get as many hours of meaningful sleep as you can. That might require that you get a new mattress, ensure your bedroom is dark enough or even establish a sleep routine so that you fall asleep as soon as you get into bed.
Lack of Self Confidence
There are a lot of stories, images, magazines, and websites that make you feel like you are overweight or you do not fit a certain mold of what beauty looks like. This can demotivate you as you might feel like you will never get to those unrealistic levels of fitness. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy because when you feel like this, you do not work out, you do not lose any weight, and you end up thinking you cannot do it.
Be kind to yourself and understand that those are unrealistic levels of fitness. Everyone is different and your definition of fitness or your ideal weight does not have to fit in with anyone else’s opinion of what you should look like or what weight you should be. Give yourself enough time to work through it and see results. Take your time and learn to get back into a weight loss routine should you ever slip up.
Your Work Environment
Most of us spend most of our workdays sitting at a desk. This reduces our level of physical activity which means we eat more calories than we use. This can cause weight gain and undo any exercises or diets you do to lose weight.
Try to take some time to exercise for ten to thirty minutes every day. If you cannot, try to get up from your desk and move around the office every hour or so. Getting a standing desk is another great way of burning fat passively as your body needs to burn calories to give you the energy to stay standing. Just remember to not use a standing desk as an excuse to not get your body moving.
Everybody’s weight loss journey is different, and so are the challenges each one us face as we try to lose weight. These challenges can be overcome, with the first step of doing this being finding out what challenges are unique to us and working on overcoming them.
Author’s Bio
Jessica Peters is a freelance writer from Melbourne who blogs about health and fitness. Jessica is an avid traveler and regularly crosses the globe to learn about other cultures while blogging from her laptop.