6 reasons you're not losing weight
Feel like you've tried everything to lose weight and nothing is working? Check out these barriers to weight loss and find out if one of them is getting in your way
ou’re not getting enough sleep
Not only do we crave unhealthy comfort foods when we’re tired, but our sleep levels are linked to our hormone levels, says Joey Shulman, the Thornhill, Ont.-based author of The Last 15—A Weight Loss Breakthrough. “People who are sleep-deprived tend to have more secretions of the hormone cortisol, so they’re more stressed out. And that’s going to trigger fat storage as well,” she says. Lack of sleep also causes fluctuations in the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, which indicate whether you’re full or hungry.
8 unique weight-loss vacations
Tired of lay-about vacations? Drop some weight, eat gourmet fare and take in a treatment or two with these alternative approaches to going away
Have an active vacation
Going on vacation to lounge on the beach? So 2011. One of the biggest trends for travellers right now is getting away to shed some weight, cultivate better nutritional habits and maybe enjoy a bit of spa time in the process. Here are eight destinations garnering praise for their ability to help visitors shape up.
8 ways to avoid newlywed weight gain
Being a newlywed can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to mean weight gain. Prevent the dreaded love chub with these simple tips
1. Don’t diet for your wedding
It’s normal to want to look your best for your wedding day, but altering your diet in an extreme way can come back to haunt you once the honeymoon is over. “Many soon-to-be-brides go on massive diets,” says registered holistic nutritionist Bree Burnett of Nutritional Balance. “When they try to go back to their regular eating habits, the healthy habits fly out the window.” Instead of focusing on your wedding as an end date, think of the new eating habits you’re adapting as part of an overall lifestyle change.
The worst weight-loss resolutions
You may have the best of intentions, but when it comes to setting weight-loss goals, it's important to be realistic. Here are the worst resolutions you can make when your goal is to lose weight
1. Banning all 'bad' foods
The diet you’re following bans all your favourite foods (chocolate, cheese, ice cream, chips…) and you feel deprived. You might last a couple of weeks, feeling more and more bored with the monotony of your regime—but then you’ll crack. And when you do give in, you end up stuffing yourself with those forbidden foods to make up for days of self-denial.
10 weight-loss tricks you haven't tried
Think you've tried everything to lose weight and you're still struggling? Think again. We've got 10 tricks you probably haven't tried yet
10 weight-loss tricks you haven't tried
Think you've tried everything to lose weight and you're still struggling? Think again. We've got 10 tricks you probably haven't tried yet
10 sneaky ways to lose weight
Need some help losing those last few pounds? Try these 10 simple tips to achieve your weight-loss goal
Keep portions in check
It’s a simple fact: Eat less and you’ll lose weight. There’s good evidence that over the past 50 years, restaurant portions have “super-sized,” and our waistlines have grown along with them. We’ve become accustomed to eating larger servings to the detriment of our health.
To combat this habit, use a smaller plate for your meals. Less space on the plate means automatic portion control. And when ordering or buying food, choose the smallest size of any high-calorie items.
5 diets that don't work
5 diets that don't work
From South Beach to the Master Cleanse, diets that help you drop pounds in a hurry may seem appealing—but will set you up for failure. Here are five quick-fix diets that don't work
For anyone who has ever struggled with their weight, there is always a new diet readily available, offering quick results. But what many don’t realize is that these fad diets are often just quick fixes that don’t set the dieter up for long-term success. Thus begins the wicked pendulum swing of yo-yo dieting. “Diets that don’t target an individual’s eating habits and behaviour and give them the tools to change, that by definition is an unfair approach and an unfair diet,” says Dr. David Macklin, a family physician as well as the founder and president of Weightcare, a company that tailors weight-loss programs for clients using a multi-disciplinary approach.
One commonality many of these fad diets share is that they don’t focus on long-term change. “People want a quick fix and easy strategies for weight loss, and worry about changing their habits later,” says Toronto-based registered dietitian Stefanie Senior.
As you start to delve into diets both new and old, most fall into one of five categories: very low-calories diets (VLCDs), low-carb diets, cleanses, delivery diets and supplements. Here’s a breakdown of each of these diets to help you understand why they don’t work.
1. Very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs)
VLCDs are diets that only let you consume 500 to 800 calories a day. According to Macklin, they take advantage of a unique mechanism built into humans that is based upon a million years of evolution. This mechanism allows us to shed muscle and fat and turn down the amount of energy we’re using to survive an upcoming famine.
Why they don’t work: The weight may come off quickly, but the problem is our metabolism is driven down by not eating enough food and thus our eating habits are made stronger. Instead of regaining muscle and fat, you just regain the fat. “A lot of these fad diets set you up for failure,” says Senior. "As a dietitian, there are certain elements that you recognize there is no way anybody could stick to," she says.
Examples of VLCDs: The Cabbage Soup Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cookie Diet
2. Low-carb diets
Low-carbohydrate diets restrict foods high in digestible carbs, such as breads and pasta. As Macklin explains, low-carb diets put the body into a state called ketosis, which is how our body breaks down muscle and protein and uses it as fuel. The reason people lose is weight is that entering into ketosis is a strong appetite suppressant and food choices are very restricted—you also lose a large amount of water weight in those first days. “A healthy rate of weight loss would be one to two pounds per week,” says Senior.
Why they don’t work: Low-carb and low-calorie diets are pretty similar as they both deny the body the same types of food. It’s a hook that’s meant to give an initial rush of excitement that is based on water loss, says Macklin.
Examples of low-carb diets: The Atkins Diet, the South Beach diet
3. Cleanses
We’ve all heard about how Beyonce used the Master Cleanse to shed pounds quickly while filming Dream Girls. But most cleanses are comprised of liquid-based diets that were created to detoxify the body—not to be quick weight-loss solutions.
Why they don’t work: This is another quick fix that doesn’t set you up for long-term success. Weight loss is a process and people should be encouraged to make small, achievable goals instead of drastic changes, warns Senior.
Examples of cleanses: The Master Cleanse/The Lemonade Diet, The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox
4. Delivery diets
Diets that preach portion control and that have a service in place to deliver your meals—or that sell special foods—are initially successful because they take away choice, which, as Macklin explains, is a habit-based process. “If you take away choice, it’s a very powerful and effective method of creating temporary weight loss.”
Why they don’t work: The danger here is that when the food stops being provided, the dieter has not developed the skills necessary to prevent weight loss over the long term. As the saying goes, “old habits die hard,” and the dieter may simply return to their previous, unhealthy eating habits.
Examples of delivery diets: Jenny Craig, NutriSystem
5. Supplement-based diets
5 reasons most diets fail
Do diet pills really work?
The complete diet makeover
While many people use natural supplements to boost vitamin or mineral deficiencies, there are supplement-based diets that provide pills which are meant to boost your metabolism or suppress your appetite. “There’s a very strong case to be said about supplements being provided to people under the guise of helping them to lose weight,” warns Macklin.
Why they don’t work: Because health claims can be made in Canada with unsubstantiated medical evidence, Canadians will be subject to health supplements that haven’t gone through a level of rigourous testing for safety and effectiveness, says Macklin. “I can’t recommend that type of approach.”
Examples of supplement-based diets: Herbal Magic, Hydroxycut
So, how should you lose the weight?
The main thread that ties all these different types of diets together is the fact that while they may provide quick, rapid weight loss, they are only short-term solutions. “Studies have shown when people lose weight very fast, they’re more likely to put it back on fast,” says Senior, who is the clinical dietitian educator and coordinator of the Steps to Less program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. This is what creates that inevitable yo-yo of feeling success and then failure.
Senior’s program brings together the services of a registered dietitian, a psychotherapist, a certified yoga instructor, a certified fitness consultant and an executive chef. “Our whole philosophy is we take a step-by-step approach to weight loss,” she says. Over 12 weeks, these professionals help clients tailor and develop a weight loss plan that works for them. “The people who are willing to put in the work and put in long-term behaviour changes are successful,” says Senior.
we assembles healthcare professionals to help clients set reasonable goals and support those changes over time. This is the future of weight loss, he says.
One of the biggest challenges people have when dealing with weight loss is breaking bad habits, says Macklin, who likens sugar and fat dependency to heroin and cocaine addiction. “One reason people have difficulty breaking unhealthy eating habits is because it’s really difficult to do—they’ve been taking it in all their lives.” This makes the habit very powerful and rewarding, but difficult to change, he says.
lossThree keys to weight are eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting a decent amount of exercise and focusing on identifying and changing negative eating patterns, step by step.
Five Tips to Speedy Weight Loss
If you eat healthy and exercise consistently, you will lose weight. However, it can be a slow and difficult process. This is especially true if you have a lot to lose. These healthy weight loss tips will help speed up the process so your body will be fit and slim in no time.
1. Avoid Fats and Oils
If you eat a lot of fatty foods or cook your vegetables in oil, it’ll be more difficult to trim extra pounds. If there’s too much fat and oil in your system, your body will use that for fuel rather than what’s already stored in your gut, butt and arms.
It’s important to fulfill your dietary needs. Eat as much fat and oil as you need in one day, but don’t go overboard or you won’t burn what you already have.
2. Eat Organic and Whole Foods
Non organic foods are processed with bad chemicals and contain pesticides that are toxic to your body and contribute to weight gain. Avoid ingredients such as artificial flavors and colors, corn syrup and chemicals.
It’s important to fulfill your nutritional needs. Whole foods give your body what it needs, such as fiber, protein, vitamins and more. Starving your body of nutrients is the worst way to lose weight.
3. Eat Spicy Food
Spices improve the body’s metabolism, immune system and insulin levels. Add spices such as cayenne pepper, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger and turmeric to meals. Use salsa in salads and wraps and eat hot peppers such as jalapenos.
4. Sleep and Eat at the Right Time
Eating after dinner or too late at night encourages insulin build up in the body. Midnight snacks are a huge culprit in thwarting even the most effective of diet plans.
The body burns the most fat when it’s asleep from 10 PM to 2 AM. If you stay up during this time, your body will continue to produce insulin and you won’t lose weight.
Night owls need to train themselves to sleep and wake up earlier. Avoid television and computers late at night. Electronic activity keeps the brain alert and unable to sleep.
If you wake up and eat breakfast in the morning, your metabolism will be off to an early start as well.
5. Drink Water
Drink lots of water throughout the day to hydrate your body. This is the hardest and most important step towards a healthy body. You should always drink the daily water requirements for your weight. Requirements are calculated by drinking about 50% of your weight in ounces. For example, a person weighing 180 pounds would drink 90oz of water a day.
Avoid coffee, soft drinks, sodas and other sugary or carbonated drinks. Herbal tea is good for you and counts as water if you wish to drink it instead. Every ounce of coffee takes away an ounce of water.
Toxins from processed food and chemicals are stored away from the essential, internal organs. This means they go to your stomach, arms and butt. Water will flush the body of toxins and reduce fat build up in those hard to work areas.