Weight Loss: The Struggle and What To Do About It

Most of us, despite our best efforts, will struggle when trying to shed the pounds. Week after week we’ll step onto the scale to, to our despair, see the number go down half a pound or less per week. Things get even worse once we hit the plateau! After this point, we’re lucky to see a one-pound loss every few weeks. Yikes!

Despite popular belief, however, this isn’t due to laziness or greed but is more likely to be linked to metabolism. A slow metabolism can hinder weight loss efforts in a number of ways. Of course, it affects weight loss in a physical way when it slows the breakdown of food and fat, but it also affects the journey by impacting one’s perception of food, weight loss, and themselves.

So, how is a slow metabolism overcome? Below are a few easy ways to give your metabolism the boost it needs to help you reach your weight loss goals. Following these steps can help you understand how to eat 500 calories a day and feel full, giving you the boost your diet needs.

Tea

Tea is an all-around better choice than the majority of the liquids we consume on a daily basis. It is low in calories and fat, but, surprisingly, it’s also a good metabolism booster. Teas such as green and oolong have been found to aid the body in the conversion of fat stores into fatty acids, which is thought to increase the body’s metabolic rate by 10-17%.

Coffee

Enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning? Good news! Coffee may boost metabolism. The caffeine content in a cup of coffee has been proven to boost metabolic rates by 3-11%.

However, this also seems to be more applicable to those who are already lean and muscular in build. In a study, researchers made notes that the fat burning brought on by coffee was increased by 29% for lean women, but only 10% for their obese counterparts.

To benefit from all that coffee can potentially offer, have a cup or two a day, ideally without a ton of sugar and cream.

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Sleep More

Although sleeping more is easier said than done, sleeping better is relatively easy to do. Lack of sleep and lack of quality sleep are both linked to a higher risk of obesity. A poor night’s sleep can mean a decrease in the hormone responsible for feeling full after a meal and an increase in the hormone responsible for hunger.

In addition, when your body is suffering from a lack of sleep, it doesn’t function as well, which means that your metabolism may slow down- especially if you go for long periods of time without restful sleep.

To remedy this, consider taking an afternoon nap that is roughly 45 minutes long (this length of time decreases the likelihood that you will be woken up during REM sleep) or going to bed as little as one hour earlier. If you have trouble sleeping, consider meditation or light exercise during the day, as well as ditching the electronics an hour before bedtime.

There you have it – three easy ways to boost your metabolism and kickstart your weight loss journey.