10 Causes Of Slow Weight Loss That Aren’t What You’d Think
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A healthy metabolism is needed to maintain your normal weight, or even to lose weight at a steady pace. Your metabolic rate is the rate at which you can convert nutrients into energy. When you use more energy than the amount of food that you take in, you burn calories.
Many people are quick to blame their metabolism when they are not able to lose weight as quickly as they would like. The truth is, the food that you eat and the amount of exercise that you get is much more integral to your weight loss than your actual metabolism.
If you have struggled to lose weight, then it may help to take a look at factors that could impact your weight loss more than your metabolism. Here are 10 causes of slow weight loss that are not what you think they are.
1. Muscle Mass
Muscle mass plays a larger role in your metabolism than the amount of fat on your body. Your muscle needs more energy than fat requires. This means that the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate needs to be.
2. Body Size
This goes against the common belief that skinny people have the best metabolism. Larger people actually have higher metabolisms. This is due to the larger size of the internal organs, more surface area, and the overall larger mass.
3. Genetics
Genetics could affect your metabolism. As with most aspects of your health, genetics may raise or lower your metabolism, especially if there are any genetic disorders that are affecting your metabolism.
4. Age
When you get older, your metabolism will naturally slow down. This is mostly due to a reduction in muscle mass, along with hormonal and neurological changes. By including some strength training exercises in your daily routine, you can help prevent this natural reduction in your metabolic rate.
5. Gender
There is truth to the commonly believed notion that men often have higher metabolisms, but this not the result of actual physical differences between men and women, other than the fact that men are generally larger than women, comparing genders in the same culture. Remember, larger size can impact your metabolism.
6. Environmental Factors
Environmental factors, such as weather, can strengthen or weaken your metabolism. When it is cold outside, or even in extreme heat, your body has to put in some additional effort to maintain your standard metabolic rate. Make sure that you dress for the weather. Wear comfortable clothing when it is hot and bundle up when it is cold.
7. Physical Activity
Regular exercise will keep your metabolism healthy. It can also help increase your muscle mass and allow you to burn calories, all while boosting your metabolism and allowing to lose more weight.
8. Diet
The food you eat will obviously impact your metabolism, but it may not be what you think. If you do not have enough iodine in your diet, you may not be able to maintain healthy thyroid function—this may slow your metabolic rate.
9. Hormonal Imbalances
If you are dealing with a hormonal imbalance, you may face difficulty losing weight. Certain conditions, such as hyperthyroidism, could cause your metabolism to slow down.
10. Caffeine and Nicotine
Caffeine and nicotine can actually increase your metabolic rate. Other drugs, such as medications, including antidepressants and anabolic steroids can lower your metabolism, which can slow down weight loss.
These 10 factors may be interfering with your weight loss goals. It is easy to point the finger at your metabolism, when you are having trouble losing weight, but why is it that your metabolism is weaker? It may not be from skipping meals or from your existing weight.
Hopefully this list will be able to help you make some simple life changes that will help reach your weight loss goals.
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-12/what-really-affects-your-metabolism/6934608
https://dailyburn.com/life/health/metabolism-myths-weight-loss/
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