Weight loss is about more than just exercising consistently. It is about a whole lifestyle shift, making sure that you are really focused on taking care of yourself.
1. What you're eating
What you are eating has a huge impact on whether or not you are going to successfully lose weight. What you put into your body matters just as much, if not more, than if you are working out or not. You simply cannot outrun a bad diet.
2. How much water you're drinking
Drinking enough water will aid in your weight loss. Being thirsty is triggered by mild dehydration, which can be mistaken as hunger. Drinking enough water also stimulates your metabolism, helps your body remove waste, and your body even needs water to burn fat. Drinking enough water is vitally important when it comes to losing weight.
3. The amount of sleep you get
Not getting enough sleep each night leads to plenty of issues. Sleep deprivation changes the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. I don't know about you, but I am way more likely to snack on junk food on days where the night before I didn't get enough sleep. I know that I am at my best when I get enough sleep.
4. Stress
Our friendly little stress hormone, cortisol, triggers excessive abdominal fat deposits in both men and women. The short version? Stress makes you gain weight and can make it harder to lose weight.
5. Your age
The older you get, the more your body changes. We all know that — there is no denying it. But did you know that the amount of body fat you have actually goes up when you hit 30? This basically just means that the older you get, the more challenging it can be to lose weight. I am in no way saying that if you are over 30 you won't lose weight, because that is just not the case, but I won't deny the impact age has on weight loss either.
6. Plain ole genetics
Genetics affects weight loss. Maybe not directly, but someone's genes could affect their appetite, therefore, affecting their weight loss.
7. Medications you might be on
Medications can affect your weight in many different ways. Medications can impact your metabolism, which in turn affects how your body burns calories or even how your body stores things. Talking to your doctor about the potential side effects can be a huge help.
8. Where you live
Living in areas where there are plenty of grocery stores and lots of green areas can encourage the purchasing of healthier foods, because of the variety, and living in areas where there is a lot of space will encourage physical activity. A prime example of this is that I go on more walks now at my new place than I did at my old place, simply because there is a walking area that surrounds a pond right where I live.
9.Where you work and go to church
Your work and your church are places where it could become easier to eat unhealthily. Leftovers in the break room and coming together as a church community and socializing and eating food together may not always mean healthy food options.
10. Your hormonal health
Sometimes you can have a hormone that functions incorrectly, which can cause you to gain weight instead of losing it.
