Many people are trying to lose weight in the run-up to the holidays. We know that acquiring and maintaining a healthy weight is vital for health goals. Our blog always stresses the importance of speaking to a health professional when trying to lose weight. There are good and bad ways to go about doing it!
With the holidays coming up, many people are trying to get in shape to avoid getting a “winter body.” We understand that urge! There’s always the risk that winter can cause you to become more sedentary, and all the holidays can cause you to gain weight.
The most disheartening thing can be when you are trying to lose weight and you plateau. You start stepping on the scale and see that the needle doesn’t budge, your pants aren’t getting any looser and you feel like giving up. But, there are things you can do when that happens to you.
When you start trying to lose weight, you often see a significant loss at first. Changing your eating habits and exercising more can make a big difference if you previously ate poorly and did not exercise at all. But, once you get into a healthy rhythm, it can slow down. The Mayo Clinic says it’s normal to slow down or even stop losing weight for a while — that shouldn’t stop you from making an effort! Your metabolism slows down as you eat less because your body compensates for having fewer calories.
The Mayo Clinic says that you need to either decrease how much you are eating or increase your activity to continue to see results. But, be careful not to dip below 1,200 calories a day without speaking to your doctor. That can set you on a path to binge eating.
However, before doing that, evaluate what you’re doing. Often, as a weight loss plan trudges on, we become laxer. Take a look at your behavior. Have you been sticking to your exercise and diet routine? Many of us start to lose focus and ease up as we see results. It could be that you aren’t losing weight because you aren’t as motivated as you were before and aren’t eating as carefully or moving as much. Instead of needing to work out more or eat less, it could be that you need to recommit yourself to what you were doing before.
There’s also the possibility that you need to shake things up, try out a new workout or try different foods. A diet and exercise routine can become boring; sometimes, changing things up can help you get back on track and start seeing results.
Before taking radical steps, you should speak to the healthcare professional who knows you best to seek guidance. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to lose weight and end up making unhealthy choices. Gradually losing weight is the most sustainable way to do it. It can also be frustrating because we all want to see the pounds “melt away.” A doctor who knows you can tell you what foods would be best for you, if you should be trying to eat more specific types of food and what exercise could be a good fit. The internet has a lot of misinformation that can be dangerous so, before doing something drastic, speak to your doctor.
