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Losing weight can seem like an impossible task for many people. Despite good intentions and efforts, many people struggle to see results and often give up on their weight loss journey. Understanding the science behind weight loss can help you overcome the barriers that are preventing you from reaching your goals.
What is Metabolism and How Does it Affect Weight Loss?
People say the darndest things like: “I’d lose weight if my metabolism wasn’t so slow.” But what does that even mean? Most of the time these people couldn’t even explain what a metabolism is or does. Your metabolism is a combination of all the processes that keep your body alive. Breathing, moving, and eating all fall into this category.
Your metabolism is crucial to losing weight. There’s a certain number of calories your metabolism burns each day, and if you want to lose fat you need to know what that number is. By knowing how many calories you burn each day you can lose fat via a caloric deficit.
There’s no such thing as a fast or slow metabolism. Think back to the definition, do you know somebody whose body is living faster than yours? Instead, your metabolism is unique from person to person.
Hormonal Imbalance and Weight Loss
Another key topic when it comes to weight loss and gain is hormones. One of the most important hormones, cortisol, is a hormone released in response to stress. When released it makes you eat more, holds onto fat, and lose muscle. So in order to lose fat managing your stress is extremely important.
One more set of important hormones is leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel full, and ghrelin is the hormone that makes you hungry. When trying to lose weight there are important strategies you need to use to manipulate these hormones. Such as eating nutrient-dense foods instead of calorie-dense foods. This can trick your body into staying full for longer.
Imbalances in your hormones can make it extremely difficult to not only lose weight but to keep it off as well. By understanding the role hormones play in fat loss you can deploy strategies that will help you overcome obstacles you’ll face in your transformative journey.
The Importance of Sleep and Weight Loss
Sleep is the most overlooked topic when it comes to weight loss, but it’s a crucial factor. Lack of sleep will cause hormonal imbalances that will slow down your metabolism AND make you eat more. Studies found that those who don’t get adequate levels of sleep lose less fat and gain less muscle. Studies found those who didn’t sleep enough lost 50% less fat!
Having a sleep regimen is important for balancing your hormones, and making sure you have enough energy to push yourself in your workouts. By sleeping enough it will become much easier to lose weight.
The Impact of Stress on Weight Loss
Earlier, we talked about cortisol, the stress hormone, and how it can slow down your metabolism. When you are chronically stressed from things like work or family, you will find it much harder to lose weight. That stress puts your body into fight or flight, so your body will focus on surviving instead of losing weight.
You will need to combat that stress by incorporating tactics like exercise, meditation, reading, and other healthy coping mechanisms that will help your body to relax. By relaxing you can lower your cortisol levels and lose weight much easier.
The Role of Diet in Weight Loss
Dieting is the factor that will make or break your weight loss. If you aren’t in a caloric deficit (calories in < calories out), then you will not lose weight. It’s the #1 rule of weight loss. Make sure to eat a balanaced and sustainable diet that helps you lose weight and keep it off.
Exercise and Weight Loss
If you want to lose fat, then exercise plays a massive role. Strength training is the most important to add for a weight loss program. By adding muscle and strength you’ll:
- Boost your metabolism
- Gain muscle & looked tone
- Lose more fat
- Improve long term health
Be sure that you include a routine that you both enjoy and find challenging. What will keep you working out for a long time is that you enjoy what you do. It shouldn’t be miserable, otherwise you’re more likely to quit.
Overcoming Emotional Eating and Fat Loss
I personally struggled with emotional eating, and that’s what contributed to my obesity. A lot of people eat their feelings. What’s important is to find a positive outlet for those feelings. I’ve always believed you have positive and negative outlets.
Negative outlets – help us get our emotions out, but it hurts our bodies and minds. Think drugs, food, gambling, sometimes gaming, etc.
Positive outlets – help us get our emotions out through positive means. Great examples are painting, creating, and exercising.
You’ll have to face those hard feelings head on. It starts by recognizing they exist, and then directing them towards a positive outlet.
Instead of channeling your energy into more negativity, transform it into positive energy. Dump your energy into chasing your goals & doing things that are good for you.
In conclusion, losing weight can seem like an impossible task, but understanding the science behind weight loss can help you overcome the barriers that are preventing you from reaching your goals. Whether it’s addressing hormonal imbalances, getting enough quality sleep, managing stress, making healthy food choices, or incorporating regular physical activity, taking a science-based approach to weight loss can help you achieve the results you want.
Jacob is an in-home personal trainer serving St. Charles County, MO. He lost 55 lbs through personal training and built Fenix Fitness to help others do the same. He specializes in fat loss, functional fitness, and nutrition coaching.