Losing weight why is it so hard

Drinking water may also increase the number of calories you burn. If you like alcohol but want to lose weight, it may be best to stick to spirits like vodka mixed with a zero-calorie beverage.

Beer, wine , and sugary alcoholic beverages are very high in calories. That being said, studies on alcohol and weight show mixed results. Moderate drinking seems to be fine, while heavy drinking is linked to weight gain Alcoholic beverages are generally high in calories.

If you choose to drink alcohol, spirits mixed with zero-calorie beverages are probably the best options when you are trying to lose weight. It involves slowing down, eating without distraction, savoring and enjoying each bite while listening to the natural signals that tell your brain when your body has had enough.

Numerous studies have shown that mindful eating can cause significant weight loss and reduce the frequency of binge eating 38 , 39 , 40 , Always eat mindfully when trying to lose weight. Mindless eating is one of the main reasons people experience challenges to losing weight. There are some medical conditions that can drive weight gain and make it much harder to lose weight.

These include hypothyroidism , polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS , and sleep apnea. Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, and PCOS may be hindering your weight loss efforts.

According to a study, about If you feel you have a junk food addiction, simply eating less or changing your diet can seem impossible. If you have strong food cravings or food addiction, weight loss can be challenging. Consider seeking professional help. Try increasing your calorie intake by a few hundred calories per day, sleeping more, and lifting weights with the goal of getting stronger and gaining more muscle. Aim to maintain your body fat levels for 1—2 months before you start trying to lose weight again.

If you have reached a weight loss plateau, you may have been dieting too long. Although it is often possible to lose weight fast in the beginning, few people can continue to lose weight at a rate of more than 1—2 pounds per week.

Another challenge can be having unrealistic expectations of what is achievable with a nutrient-dense diet and exercise. The photos you see in magazines and other places are often enhanced. At some point, your weight will reach a set point where your body feels comfortable. Trying to go beyond that may not be worth the effort or realistic, and may even have potentially negative effects on your health. Keep in mind that losing weight takes time and not everyone will look like a fitness model.

Focus on developing an individualized weight loss plan and goal based on your needs. Diets almost never work long term. If anything, studies show that people who diet gain more weight over time Instead of approaching weight loss from a dieting mindset, make adopting health-promoting habits your primary goal.

Examples include eating a nutrient-dense, balanced diet, exercising as much and as often as possible, and doing those things that make you happy on a regular basis. Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it and let weight loss follow as a natural side effect.

Dieting is not a long-term solution. If your goal is to lose weight and keep it off long term, focus on adopting health-promoting lifestyle habits. At the most basic level, not reaching your weight loss goal can occur when calorie intake is equal to or higher than calorie use.

Try strategies such as mindful eating, keeping a food diary, eating more protein, and doing strength exercises. In the end, changing your weight and your lifestyle requires patience, dedication, perseverance, and resilience. If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've likely heard that you must achieve a calorie deficit.

This article explains what a calorie deficit is and…. It's not fun to be ridiculed or scoffed at, especially for things you care about like your health! This is why a solid support system is key to long-term weight loss. Without it, the journey can feel lonely and intimidating. If you currently feel you lack a support system, try having open conversations with your friends, family and partner about it.

You can make it clear that they don't have to change their eating habits if they don't want to, but that your health means a lot to you and you'd appreciate it if they didn't mock or downplay your hard work. If an IRL support system isn't working out, turn to online communities that promote both health and body positivity.

These communities emphasize health without emphasizing weight, which is helpful because when you focus on the health outcomes, you'll reach your happy weight with ease. Exercise is important for an overall healthy lifestyle, but it's hard to lose weight from exercise alone.

If you're at all attuned to the wellness industry, you'll know this saying: " Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. You just can't out-exercise a poor diet. Exercise should definitely be part of your overall approach to weight loss because it's proven to aid weight loss not to mention its long list of other health benefits , but it's difficult to lose weight from exercise alone.

Many people overestimate the number of calories they can burn from their workouts -- it's probably a lot less than you think. For example, a pound man will burn less than calories during an intense, hour-long weight lifting workout.

You can easily cancel that effort out if you don't pay any attention to your diet. The exact number of calories you burn during exercise depends on many factors, including your current weight, the intensity of the activity, the length of the workout, your age and your body composition.

Plus, focusing on only exercise can lead to a destructive cycle of exercising extra to burn off calories you feel you shouldn't have eaten. Or you may end up feeling like you need to "earn" your calories through exercise.

Either way, taking this approach can lead to a strained relationship with food and exercise, as well as stalled weight loss. There are exceptions to all rules. Some people, such as those who have spent years putting on muscle mass, can eat lots of calorie-dense food and not gain weight -- but even if you can eat whatever you want and lose or maintain your weight, that doesn't mean it's healthy for you.

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins and some whole grains will serve you best in terms of sustainable weight loss and health. Combined with a consistent exercise routine , you'll experience sustained weight loss and weight maintenance once you reach your goal weight. Losing weight will be a helluva lot harder if you're chronically stressed , sleep-deprived or overworked. This scenario may sound familiar to you:.

This is OK if it happens occasionally everyone deserves a lazy evening every once in a while , but weight loss will seem impossible if this happens all the time. The truth is, nutrition and exercise are only two components of a healthy life that can lead to weight loss.

While important, too strong of a focus on nutrition and exercise can cause you to overlook other factors that are just as important: sleep and stress management. This hormone imbalance continues long after you succeed at weight loss, making it even harder for you to keep the pounds off, according to the study.

Plus, if you cut too many calories too quickly, your metabolism will slow, says Sabrena Jo , director of science and research content for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego. Muscle is really the engine of metabolism, so that contributes to a lower metabolism," she explains.

Eating too little also makes you more likely to rebound and go in the opposite direction by overeating because you were restricting yourself for so long. Wishing you were 30 pounds lighter in time for your high school reunion next month will not make it so, and there are no magic pills or miracle cures that can make it happen. But avoid the temptation to try something drastic. Since quick starvation diets can wreak havoc on your metabolism , they can damage your weight loss efforts for the long term.

As you start your diet, remember that slow and steady weight loss — or one to two pounds a week — is the easiest to maintain, Dr. Pettus says. Just do the math: A pound person biking 60 minutes at 12 miles an hour will burn calories. You can put all that back on with just a post-workout protein bar.

To lose a pound of fat , you have to burn 3, calories more than you consume, so you can see how hard it is to exercise your way through a poor diet. Instead, you have to watch what you eat and exercise, Pettus says.