Tips to Stop Weight Gain in its Tracks

Unfortunately, gaining weight, or should we say, gaining fat, is much easier than losing it, which is why so many people all over the world are struggling with their weight every single day. Despite what others may say to you, losing weight is difficult, and so is maintaining your current weight for that matter. If it really was as simple as some people would have you believe, everybody would be in shape and the world wouldn’t be suffering an obesity pandemic as it currently is. Though difficult, losing weight, maintaining your weight, and stopping weight gain in its tracks is not impossible, you just need to know a few tips and tricks of the trade.

Cut out the junk food! – This should really be a no-brainer but you’d be surprised by just how many people attempt to lose weight or maintain their weight whilst still gorging on processed junk food several times per week. If you’re looking at taking control of your weight, junk food does not belong as part of your daily diet. The odd treat every now and then is ok, in fact it can be beneficial, but certainly not every day, and certainly not in such vast quantities.

Calorie rotation – If you’ve been dieting for a while, you’ll notice that at first, the weight will come off pretty quickly, and in large quantities. As time goes by however, you’ll notice the weight loss slow down. This is because your body is now used to the calorie deficit you’ve created, and is therefore used to functioning on less calories. You may even notice your weight starting to creep up. A great way around this is to try rotating your calories, which means rather than consuming 500 calories below maintenance every day, try mixing things up, so if you require 2000 calories per day, try 1500 one day, 1200 the next, 1800 the next, 1300 the next, and so on. This is a great way of keeping your body guessing and preventing it from getting too comfortable with certain amounts of calories.

Make sure you do your cardio – If you’re struggling to lose weight, or worse, if you’re actually gaining weight, then cardio exercise is hugely beneficial as it will allow you to burn hundreds of calories off in a matter of minutes. You can go walking, play sports, hiking, the gym, hop on the treadmill or exercise bike, pretty much anything, and best of all is that they’re all effective in one way or another. Aim for at least three hours worth of cardio each week, and make sure you really get stuck in to maximize your results.

Increase protein consumption – People think that protein is just for bodybuilders and people looking to build muscle, but in reality, protein is an essential macronutrient for a number of different reasons, including weight control. Protein is thermogenic, which means that the body struggles to digest it and break it down, so it requires more energy, which it gets via the metabolism burning off calories and converting them to glucose. That means that just by digesting your food, you are burning calories. Also, as it takes so long to digest, it remains in the stomach for longer, and so you feel full for longer, making it a great appetite suppressant.