Why you are getting fatter: Seven reasons and seven solutions

Reason 1: You are not sleeping enough

In order for ones metabolism to run efficiently the body needs adequate sleep. If you go to bed way after twelve o’clock and you are getting up early anyway, then chances are both your quality of sleep and duration is compromised. As a result your body will slow down and the calories you take in will be more likely stored and not burned. Another factor to consider is the effect being tired has on your mood. If you are lethargic and in a negative space as a result of continuous exhaustion, then the motivation for exercise is all the more unlikely. By choosing high calorie comfort food instead we further exacerbate this negative impact. This cycle makes weight gain a forgone conclusion.

Solution

Get into bed thirty min earlier. It doesn’t seem like enough to make a difference but it will. The sheer act of added discipline will make you more conscious of the value of sleep and will enable you to prioritize it more and more. Once you have done this with consistency add another 30 min. An added hour of rest will not only impact your metabolism positively it will set your day in the right fitness direction, making it more likely that you will succeed in what comes next.

Reason 2: You are not eating a proper breakfast

The body is a machine and like any machine the machine needs fuel to run and quality fuel to run best. By skipping breakfast you are sabotaging what’s called your basal metabolic rate. This is the amount of calories ones body burns at rest. By eating early one gets their metabolism working sooner, enabling the body to be primed throughout the day for calorie burning. What you eat is of paramount importance as well. Typical morning food can be high in sugar and not have enough quality proteins and fats.

Solution

Plan and prepare simple nutritious meals. For most people the morning can be quick and chaotic. Therefore it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to both prepare and consume quality food in a balanced consistent way. An example of simple well rounded meal looks like the following: Low fat cottage cheese on whole wheat toast, with a banana and a handful of nuts. All of these food elements require little time yet provide a good combination of healthy proteins, quality carbs, and ideal fats.

Reason 3: You are not properly hydrated

Many people struggle with not drinking enough water. This puts a major slowdown on ones metabolism and often tricks the body into thinking it’s hungry when more often it’s actually just thirsty. As a result we tend to eat more and what we do eat is not being metabolized as well as it can be and should be.

Solution

Look to your body for your hydration update. When one is drinking enough water there are a few key body reactions. 1. Having more energy and less unwarranted feelings of hunger. 2. Peeing every few hours clear and not bright yellow. 3. Not feeling thirsty.

Having proper body awareness will help insure that you are drinking sufficiently throughout the day every day.

Reason 4: Skipping meals throughout the day

Modern man in his quest to be productive and to save time very often does this at the expense of his fuel supply. The problem is that we have been conditioned to believe the wrong information. This is namely the notion that the journey to weight loss means eating less and going hungry. This might make sense if the body was a simple tank which didn’t have the element of metabolism affecting where nutrients go, what gets burned, and what gets stored. The body does not in fact work that way. In order to maintain energy levels and muscle maintenance we need to eat regularly. That means eating 5-6 meals a day one meal every 3 hours. If we go long hours without eating the body slows down as a result and is more likely to store what you are eating. By eating regularly we create a very different metabolic equation. So the question is now that we know how the body works and why this is important, how do we put it into action?

Solution

Start thinking about food logically and not emotionally. Ever ask yourself the following question: What do I “feel” like eating? It seems innocent enough, but that thought is a major reason why you are currently going about eating all wrong. By eating emotionally one will always find it hard to both eat enough and eat right. Ones feelings about food can be a combination of base likes and clever marketing. Instead we should pose the question as follows: What does my body “need” to be eating right now? By shifting how we think about food we can effect change. As an example your body needs to be eating healthy foods throughout the day. If your body “feels” like skipping meals because either you are too lazy, too busy, or not starving, then the result will be a slow metabolism geared towards fat storage.

Reason 5: You are eating too fast

There are two major casualties that result from this particular behavior. Number one is that by eating fast one does not allow for efficient digestion to occur. A significant amount of digestion happens in the mouth through thorough chewing and the subsequent breaking down of food/nutrients. By rushing this process one is compromising the digestive process. This has a negative effect on ones ability to get the most out of what they are eating. The second casualty is that by eating fast one has a much better chance of eating more then necessary. Ever see a hot dog eating contest? The idea is that by eating fast one can eat more. The reason is that the body doesn’t react to food as fast as you can get it down. So you might feel like you can eat more so therefore you will. A large amount calories being taken in, especially in one sitting equals weight gain.

Solution

Be patient and chew. This is not easy. It doesn’t mean that it is impossible. One trick is to swallow what’s in your mouth before you take another bite. Another trick is to put down your fork after each bite. This will add time and make it easier to slow down the eating process. Lastly, one can focus on the chewing process and work at slowing it down. By slowing the eating process down, one will instill control into the eating process in general. The effect of a more efficient digestive process and better portion control will equal weight loss. The opposite behavior leads to the opposite result → Weight gain.

Reason number 6: Not doing enough physical fitness

You might have the best excuses in the world. You are just too busy, or maybe you are just too tired. Perhaps you are simply lost as to what you should be doing when it comes to your personal fitness. No matter how you slice it these are all just excuses and the end result is a less qualitative you. As we age the metabolism naturally slows down. At the same time as we age our time becomes more limited and our general motivation for fitness wanes. The thing is we are still eating and living the same way as if these changes aren’t happening. This is the wrong way to go. In order to stem the tide of weight gain as we age we need to find ways to be more active not less.

Solution

Prioritize your fitness the same way you prioritize your money. Some people like money. Some people hate money but one thing that is true for everyone is that we all need it. So to this end we spend years trying to figure out how to make it and then how to manage it. We do this because we deem money to be important. Think about it. What else gets a person out of bed when they don’t want to? What else drives a person to sacrifice their family and their sanity quite like the money making process? So I propose that in order to sacrifice our precious time for fitness, we need to start seeing it as something super important. Look at it this way by investing the time to exercise one has much better chance at not only living longer, but living better. That means an easier time making money and a better chance of not wasting it down the line →medical bills.

Reason number 7: You are a prisoner to your unhealthy vices.

What are some common vices that lead to weight gain?

1. Replacing meals with coffee or cigarettes. 2. Drinking alcoholic beverages. 3. Being addicted to sugar in all its forms from chocolate to ice cream.

The results of these habits leads to a slowed metabolism and a caloric intake that is disproportionate to what one can burn/metabolize in the course of an average day. The obvious results are seen in steady weight gain and a whole host of other issues.

Solution

It’s time for honesty. There is a difference between something being less then ideal to being a full blown issue that needs immediate correction. Nobody is fat because of one beer or one piece of cake. People are fat because they have created a consistent negative pattern. So if you are ready to effect change in your life the first step is waging war on your negative habits. One has to decide for themselves if they can minimize these behaviors. Or if the only solution is to discontinue these types of activities all together.

In conclusion none of these seven issues I raised here are to be taken lightly. If they were easy far less people would be overweight. If we are to be successful in achieving our desired fitness goals we need to first figure out where we are failing and strive to right it. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. Our health is worthwhile because without it everything else suffers. The sooner we can begin to see it this way the better off we will all be as life marches on, regardless.

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For help getting started or if you want to take your routine to the next level check out –> www.jerusalemfitness.com or call Michael 054-625-0269 there is a program for everybody.

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