Five Things That Keep You From Losing Fat
It is no surprise that fat loss is difficult for most people. A study by the University of Maryland shows that unless steps are taken to prevent it, men gain an average of 17% body fat every 10 years while women gain a whopping 26% over the same period.
There are many reasons for this gain in girth but here are five super-sized ones:
1. The Problem with Eating Out
According to the National Restaurant Association we are spending twice as much eating out as we did 40 years ago. This in itself wouldn’t be bad except that portions are large and contain loads of hidden fat. Because of the higher cost of these meals and our parental training to clean our plates, many of us find it difficult not to finish these meals.
2. The Fat Free Food Trap
It may seem counter-intuitive, but fat free food is contributing to the problem and today you can get everything from soup and lunch meat to cookies and ice cream in a fat free or “low fat” variety. Because it is fat free, we think we can eat more of it. As a result, we are eating more calories.
The real truth is because we are eating more of the fat free stuff, we are not really cutting down on the fat much. One study has shown that the actual fat consumption has only dropped about 6 calories per day – the equivalent of a single drop of corn oil.
3. The Problem with Dieting
It may be hard to believe, but dieting can actually make it harder to lose fat. Drastically reducing calories causes the body to go into starvation mode and store fat as a survival mechanism. In addition, special diets don’t teach you the skills necessary to maintain your new, hard fought weight loss. It has been shown that none out of ten people regain their lost weight within five years of ending these programs.
4. Why Your Daily Routine Keeps You from Losing Weight
Most of us can’t find time to exercise regularly in our busy schedules. In addition, time saving conveniences such as remote controls for appliances, drive thrus for banks, restaurants and dry cleaners and escalators and elevators all keep us from moving while doing our daily activities. As a result it has been estimated that we burn 800 calories per day less than we did in 1970.
5. How Clothing Hurts Your Fat Loss Program
Today we have much more over-sized clothing available to accommodate our growing girth. In addition, designers are adding elastic waistbands and expansion panels to help us feel more comfortable in their clothes. These additions fool people into thinking they are losing weight or at least staying the same when they are not.
