Whaaaat… you’ve done so well, so why has the weight crept back on? It happens to the best of us.
Don’t lose heart – here are 12 possible culprits, and what to do about them!
Stress
Increased levels of stress can bring about many triggers. These include elevated levels of cortisol ( stress hormone which can encourage weight gain ), lack of sleep and foggy decision making.
Stagnant training regime
Sticking to a mundane approach to training and not challenging yourself during workouts can often mean that the potential for weight gain is higher, due to fewer calories being burned, less effort being made and drops in motivation through boredom.
Reverting back to old choices
It’s imperative that lifestyle factors and better choices are implemented into a sustainable ongoing approach.
Going back to the old way of thinking can lead to gaining back the weight that these choices brought about to begin with.
Also read: This One Phrase May Change Your Life
Emotional eating
Falling into the trap of ‘rewarding’ good work can look like way more food being consumed as you feel as if you deserve a ‘treat’.
Shame, guilt and failure to follow through.. before you know it, you’re right back on that same wagon.
Convenience food
Making your meal prep/planning as a priority for the long haul is a must for successful weight management.
Planning your meals carefully, preparing as many of them yourself as possible and tackling potential red flags ahead of time offers powerful decision making and better energy levels.
There’s a reason that weight gain was a problem while not being armed with your own meals, so why even go back there!
Macros out of whack
It’s important to stay consistent with a daily intake of what our bodies need and falling out of synch with correct nutrition upsets the flow of the metabolism doing its thing.
You do not need to start adding a zillion calories back in, as you were always eating well while you were working on optimum weight., so be smart and increase this to a reasonable level.
Not tracking
It’s easy to start to let things slip after reaching the goal and not remaining accountable can result in missed workouts, reduced effort during sessions and poor food choices.
Portions
Losing sight of a sensible serve is a common trap to blow out your calories!
Do a quick refresh each month by weighing your food to remind yourself of what a real serving size looks like.
Goals
Not having non-weight loss focused goals can place too much energy on weight itself.
Once you have reached your goal, aim to manage to maintain this by working on other goals instead and shifting focus from ‘weight’.
Hormones
The different hormones that we produce throughout any weight management cycle can vary quite a bit.
Some hormones can trigger the emotion/ desire to eat more and it’s important to stay aware of the head chatter that attempts to suck you into sabotage.
Have your checklist in place to ensure that you’re not falling victim to false signals.
Digestive issues
Over time, gut health can be compromised with less healthy food choices and losing weight does not necessarily mean that your digestion is back on top form.
If these issues are not remedied, the balance of good bacteria that regulates your hunger can still play havoc with your appetite.
Decreased sleep
If your sleep is under, even just a touch, the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin can go into overdrive while simultaneously reducing levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite.
This stimulates hunger even when you’re full which can lead to overeating and weight gain.
A good way to view a new chapter in health and fitness is that it’s a new way of life.
Quick fix/short term solutions to losing weight are rarely permanent shifts and it’s worth working on the mindset stuff just as much as the physical to cement these results.
The truth is, we all benefit from regular exercise and healthy food, so to view this as only a temporary project to shift some weight will have you right back on the wheel of frustration when reverting back to old ways.
