Why is it so hard to lose weight? Because weight loss takes more than counting calories and exercising regularly. Achieving your weight loss goals involves knowing about the effects of age, weight set point, and genetics.
If you're finding it hard to lose weight, you're not alone. It's not easy for the majority of us to achieve our weight loss goals, especially when we're on a structured diet. Losing weight often involves more than self-discipline, exercise and counting calories. There are other things that affect our size and shape – things that are impossible to control. Knowing how hunger works can also help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Here's why it's so hard to lose weight.
Three Factors that Contribute to Your Body Shape and Size (and make weight loss difficult)
1. Age. Most people round out a little as they get older, as a result of a decreased metabolism and less movement. Menopause can cause women to suddenly gain weight, and both men and women find that they can't eat as much as they did a few years back without gaining a few pounds! This makes it hard to lose weight.
2. Set point and metabolism. The set point of your weight is predetermined, which means that your body stubbornly clings to a certain amount of weight. For instance my husband's set point dictates that he won't gain an ounce no matter what or how much he eats. My set point, on the other hand, is set a little higher than I'd like, causing me to gain pounds when I catch a whiff of French fries and bacon cheeseburgers. Physiological forces can prevent weight loss. Though I know it's possible to be thinner than I am now because I once upon a time I weighed less – but it was a real struggle staying at my lowest weight. Perhaps that's the secret behind set points: it's still possible to lose weight, but just a little more difficult.
3. Genetics. Your body shape, weight, and size is affected by your genes, making it hard to lose weight. Studies show that adopted children are most similar in body shape and weight to their biological parents. You see examples all around you, every day, of people looking exactly like their parents or grandparents – for better or for worse. I have my mom's curves and tendency towards the bulge; my half-sisters have their mother's lean silhouette and long, slim limbs.
Food and Fitness Level Counts
Watching what you eat, exercising, and keeping informed of health tips and low-fat recipes are still extremely important in losing weight and keeping it off. Remember to strike a balance between accepting and loving your body the way it is, and striving for health and wellness. You can have a healthy body image without being super skinny.
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