Have you tried cutting out certain foods from your diet? Do you hit the gym or workout hard and still not seeing results?

Fitness journeys are hard work and take a lot more than just working out.

Although you may be seemingly be doing the work you think you need to be doing to drop weight, there may be some key factors that are preventing you from losing the pounds.

The following are 13 reasons as to why you may not be losing weight.

Theses require small easy changes to the way you are doing things.

1. You Don?t Have Realistic Expectations.

When I haven?t had the right expectations or been in the right frame of mind I have failed miserably.

We all want to be happy and for many us that involves having the body that we want.

There were many times that I reached my weight goal.

However I? soon piled it back on.

Why?

Because? I was losing weight for the wrong reasons, I was looking a short term goals like trying to get into that dress or comparing myself to others and I had to go back to the question:

WHY do I want to lose weight.

Once I realised it was because I wanted to be a healthier, happier me for both my children and I, I didn?t want my body to prevent me from doing the things that I wanted to do.

If you want to lose weight you need to approach it with the right mind set and the right reasons why.

2. You Eat Ready Meals

Ready meals are great for convenience?but at what cost?

It?s not always clear what ingreadiants or nutrienst ready meals contain.

The mass production processes can?strip vitamins and minerals, and too many chemicals.

Most ready meals are notoriously?high in salt and sugar.?

About 70% of the sodium in the standard American diet (SAD) comes from ready meals.

Studies discovered that every extra gram of salt?increases the risk of obesity by a staggering 25%.?

Research now shows that it is sugar that makes us fat.

Try to prepare your meals using fresh, whole ingredients that have not been altered in any way.

Check out this?7 day keto meal plan ? perfect for the busy lifestyle without compromising on health.

3. You Are Stressed Out

When we?re stressed, our body prepares for an emergency.? It floods our system with cortisol, the stress (and fat-storage) hormone.

Excess cortisol can cause raised blood sugar level and make your body to hold onto excess fat. ?

This hormone causes us to opt for high-fat, high-sugar foods.

So what?s the answer?

Firstly recognize what leads to making you feel stressed.

You can then take steps to avoid these situations or develop better coping strategies.

Here are some other ways to REDUCE stress and lower cortisol levels:

• Mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises and yoga.
• Spending time ?with family and friends
• Watching comedies and laughing out loud.
• Listening to relaxing music or sounds of nature.

4. You Think You Can Beat the Carbs

The quickest way to lose weight is to simply cut your carb consumption.

Yet people mistakenly think that one cookie or some chips isn?t going to affect them that much.

It might not but it certainly isn?t helping you to achieve your goal of losing weight.Sugar is a substance that just isn?t good for you, studies show its addictive, causes cancer and WILL make you fat!

If you have a sweet tooth like me than why not make some sugar-free treats.

?And the best thing they all fit within my diet.

Once I adopted the?Ketogenic lifestyle?I found that I not only lost weight quickly but I never had to worry about gaining it back.

5. You Don?t Practice Mindful Eating

I used to love sitting on my couch and eating my dinner in front of the TV with my favourite show playing.

This was until I realised I was not losing weight.

Eating when I distracted by TV or social media lead me to?overeat.

Once I started being more mindful how I ate I started to lose weight.

Research shows that?mindful eating can help you lose weight, change your eating behaviors and even reduce psychological distress

It encourages eating with purpose and intention whilst enjoying each mouthful.

So how does it make you lose weight?

Eating more slowly means?you?re more likely to eat fewer calories.

To become a mindful eater, chew slowly, put your cutlery down between mouthfuls, take your time and avoid distractions.

So turn off the TV and look away from your smart phone and start enjoying your meals.

6. You?re Not Eating Enough Fat

Yes you read that right!

HEALTHY fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and those found in oily fish and eggs will actually boost your weight loss.

Contrary to what most of us were taught in the 80?s and 90?s fat will not make you fat.

Healthy fats are vital to weight loss, because they help lower insulin levels, keep you feeling fuller for longer and banishing cravings.

Make sure you include healthy fats with every meal.

Related: Ketogenic Diet: Your Ultimate Keto Guide

7. Relying on Exercise?

Everyone knows that exercise burns calories?

Guess what?

It doesn?t burn as many calories as you think!

For example, an average person who runs for 30mins will only burn 300 calories!

Many people also overeat before and after a workout and assume that their workout will burn off these extra calories.

We make poor judgments when it comes to exercise and vastly overestimate the number of?calories burned.

Like it or not, exercise doesn?t burn as many calories as we?d like it to.

8. Not Sleeping Enough.

Lack of sleep can?contribute to weight gain. One research?study found that women who slept 5 hours a night were more likely to gain weight than women who slept 7 hours a night

Not having enough sleep affect the secretion of cortisol, one of the hormones that regulates appetite.

When you’re tired, you may skip exercise or simply move around less, which means burning fewer calories.

Getting enough sleep is crucial if you’re trying to lose weight, not just because of how it affects you physically, but mentally as well.

Sleep deprivation makes you cranky, confused, and can even make you feel depressed or angry.

9.?You?re Not Hydrated.

Drinking water and staying hydrated is something you should be doing regardless of the type of lifestyle you want to be living.

Water plays a significant role when it comes to weight loss.

Being hydrated and having that water in your system when you start eating will help you eat less and make you feel fuller for longer.

When you?re hydrated, your metabolism speeds up and a faster metabolism makes burning fat and losing weight much easier

A large number of people also confuse thirst for hunger. So next time grab a glass of water instead when you fell peckish.

Related: Detox Drink: Cucumber Water

10. Exercising Makes You Eat More

When people exercise too intensely? they tend to eat back all of the calories if not more that they just burned.

You?re left feeling?utterly famished?and like you ?deserve? a snack.

This means that you might not be creating the?calorie deficit that your body needs?to lose weight.

Don?t look at exercise as a free pass to eat more; weight loss happens?primarily as a result of your diet.

11. You?re Eating Fake Sugar.

Your body doesn?t just need calories.

Your brain is responsible for setting your body up to?receive and process nutrients.

Researchers tell us that when you trick your brain into thinking it will be getting sugar by eating calorie-free sweeteners, you set off?physical and hormonal responses that make you gain weight.

Even if you substitute sugar for artificial sugar?does not help?you?solve the underlying problem,?which is your?behavior.

A detox from sugar?helps to?change these eating habits?and is another key concept in our?diet plan.

Related:?10 Reasons Why You Should Stop Eating Sugar TODAY!

12. Overeating Healthy Foods

It?s a simple fact:

Eating?more calories than you burn?leads to weight gain.

And it doesn?t matter?where?those calories come from.

Overeating healthy food is just as bad as overeating junk food when it comes to gaining weight.

Many healthy, whole foods are also calorie dense.

For example a medium avocado contains?250 calories?and 23 grams of fat.? Whilst a serving of almonds packs?162 calories?and 14 grams of fat.

Don?t be discouraged from eating these foods though.? They provide?healthy?fats and?micronutrients.

Just try to limit healthy snacking and make sure you?keep track of portion size?by using scales to measure out weights.

13. You?re drinking your calories

Just because your?smoothie?is made from fruits and vegetables doesn’t mean it’s low in calories or good for you.

Even?green smoothies?can cause you to gain weight if you aren’t careful.

It’s too big:

Smoothies can contain a pound or more of fruit or veg than you would ever eat raw. All of that adds up to extra calories, carbohydrates, and sugar

It’s more calories than you realize:

Even low-calorie foods?like fruits and vegetables?add up.

Many smoothies include ingredients like yogurt,?sweeteners, sorbet,?nut butter, milk, or even ice cream that increase the calories.

Store bought smoothies can easily pack in 300 to 600 calories in 16 ounces.

It contains excessive sugar:

If your smoothie tastes sweet, it’s likely full of sugar?many store-bought options have almost as much sugar as a can of soda.

While there many, many health benefits in smoothies including fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, that much sugar; even from fruit just isn’t good for you.

It leaves you hungry:

The sugar rush from a smoothie spikes your blood sugar and leaves you feeling tired and hungry just hours later.

And a lack of protein?and healthy fats, which help keep you full, also means you get hunger pangs sooner.

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