Eating patterns, such as frequency and distribution of eating throughout the day, can have a huge impact on your weight loss progress.
Many people think reducing calorie intake by skipping meals will help speed up weight loss. But in reality, skipping a meal can often lead to overeating at the next meal because you are even hungrier.
Plus, skipping meals can negatively impact your blood sugar level, metabolism and energy level.
A 2003 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggested that eating patterns are associated with obesity even after controlling for total energy intake and physical activity.
Moreover, the risk of obesity was lower among subjects with greater numbers of eating episodes per day. Plus, skipping breakfast was associated with an increased risk of obesity.
In another study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2006, researchers studied 9,919 adolescents up until adulthood and found that the trend of skipping breakfast increased with age and caused an increase in weight gain.
A recent 2015 study publ
Relying on Low-Fat and Diet Foods
diet drinks
When trying to lose weight, many people adopt the habit of looking for ‘low-fat’ or ‘diet’ labels before deciding whether a food is diet-friendly.
Such foods, however, may contain abundant fats and hidden calories as well as artificial sweeteners.
Furthermore, eating such foods can cause sugar cravings, reduce your energy level and lead to weight gain over time.
Foods high in saturated fats should be replaced with foods high in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fats. This means you should focus on eating foods made with liquid vegetable oils but not tropical oils.
A 2006 study published in the International Journal of Obesity reports that a healthy diet can be moderately high in fat, with saturated and trans-fatty acids kept low and the remainder as a mixture of omega-9, omega-6 and omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids.
Just like low-fat foods are not always the best choice for weight loss, switching to diet drinks is more harmful than good.
Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that may trigger your appetite and even inhibit the brain cells that tell you that you are full.
A recent 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reports that diet soda intake is associated with long-term increases in waist circumference.
This escalating abdominal obesity is a potential pathway for cardio-metabolic risk in the aging population.
For weight loss, it is better to follow a low-carbohydrate diet. This type of diet is highly effective, as it helps reduce insulin resistance and even addresses the underlying problem rather than just treating the symptoms.
Being Sleep Deprived
lack of sleep
If you are not losing weight despite exercising a lot and following a strict diet, the reason can be sleep deprivation.
In fact, not paying attention to getting proper sleep is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight.
Sleep levels are linked to our hormone levels. Sleep deprivation leads to an increase in the secretion of the hormone cortisol, which triggers fat storage.
It can also cause fluctuations in the key hunger hormones, leptin (a hunger-inhibiting hormone) and ghrelin (a hunger-inducing hormone).
A 2004 study published in the Annals of Medicine found that sleep restriction caused reduced levels of leptin, increased levels of ghrelin and an overall increase in appetite.
A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that short sleep duration is associated with a modest increase in future weight gain and obesity.
Going Through Stress
stress
Stress is a fact of life, but unfortunately excess stress can prevent you from losing weight. Even worse, it can add some extra pounds despite eating healthy and exercising daily.
During stress, your brain instructs your cells to release cortisol, a hormone that makes you crave sugary and high-fat foods.
A 2007 study published in Nutrition suggests that stress-induced eating may be one factor contributing to obesity. The effect is more common in men than women.
The burst of adrenaline during stress ultimately leads to adrenal fatigue, which causes your body to store more fat. This ultimately results in weight gain.
A 2009 study published in the Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity shows that alterations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis during chronic stress may contribute to an increased risk for obesity as well as metabolic disease.
A recent 2015 study published in Preventive Medicine suggests there is a relationship between long-term exposure to three specific types of family stressors and children becoming obese by the time they turn 18 years old.
Obviously, getting rid of all anxiety and stress is not possible. However, you can manage your stress to keep your cortisol levels and weight under control. Try relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing to help reduce stress.