7 Reasons You’re Not Getting It Done In the Gym
7 Reasons You’re Still Not Getting It Done In the Gym – Part 1
by Braxton Cosby
Is the Gym Your Best Idea for Losing Weight?
In today’s microwave society, there’s nothing more satisfying than the feeling of self-gratification. Most of us do it in grandiose fashion by posting great news to social media or we hang banners outside out house or subdivision. While others are more private. Whichever way you slice it the simple truth is that we all love to get what we want when we want it. But unfortunately, it just doesn’t always work like that. Actually, maybe 90% of the time, we just don’t get what we want at all. Unless you go to one of those burger joints and sometimes that still forget to give you a straw for your drink or ketchup for your fries.
When it comes to losing weight, the idea of instant really only applies to something you can zap in the microwave; losing weight especially. So why are you still struggling? I’ve got some insight to help realign your focus a bit, and hone in on some things you may be doing wrong and can tweak to help you meet you weight loss goals, now!
1. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein
Protein is the single most important nutrient for losing weight and muscle building. Eating protein at 25-30% of calories can boost metabolism by close to 100 calories per day. In fact, eating more protein and fiber sources can help drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking; the place we normally lose the battle. This is due to protein’s effect on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin. Reduce the appetite, reduce the eating, and reduce the calories – simple. Simple Truth: Make sure to start your day with a healthy, high protein meal. Breakfast has been and always will be considered the most important meal of the day and it serves as a great place to load up on the protein. Studies show that those who eat a high-protein breakfast are less hungry.
2. You’re Eating Too Many Calories
Here’s the truth behind calories and weight loss. The more you eat, the more you impede your success at losing weight. Simple Truth: You’re probably consuming way more than you need to. A large percentage of people who have trouble losing weight are simply eating too many calories. You may think that this does not apply to you, but honestly, people tend to underestimate their calorie intake by a significant amount and you’re probably one of them. Most of us are, so don’t feel bad about it. Just start doing a more diligent job of taking care of business. Rule of thumb: 3500 calories equals a pound of fat. Burn 3500, lose a pound. Consume 3500, gain a pound. This counts over days, not just one day.
3. You’re Not Lifting Weights
This is my favorite way to cheat the scale. I’m not a huge cardio person. Never have been! I ran like a dog for the greater part of my athletic career, from high school and into college. Running hurts and it’s not easy to do – right. So for the most part, I’ve put in my time on the track. But one of the most important things you can do when losing weight is to do some form of resistance training, like lifting weights. This can help you hold on to your precious muscle mass, which helps to gobble up calories during great bouts of exercise. Simple Truth: You can burn more calories at night in your sleep than when you exercise if you put on enough lean muscle mass. This is due to spikes in metabolism from the body needing to repair itself and requiring excessive amounts of energy to do so. Besides, lean muscle makes you look better. It would be a shame to lose weight and look too skinny. Muscle fills in the gaps and angles of your body quite nicely.
We are halfway there–stay tuned for Part 2 of my 7 Reasons You’re Still Not Getting It Done In the Gym.
