Why You’re Overweight – and What To Do About It! There’s several reasons why controlling body fat can be hard. Those reasons notwithstanding, it ultimately comes down to what you eat and your activity level. Find out the mistakes you need to avoid, and the steps you need to take for successful fat loss!
Glandular Problems
One thing people claim that causes them to be overweight is glandular problems. They believe that they have a metabolic disease that causes them to add weight. Of course, the only real way to determine if this is true is to go to your doctor. In fact, just a simple blood test, which can be easily arranged by a GP, will show if your thyroid gland is under active. In such a case, thyroid hormone replacements can help.
Diabetes and Excess Fat Weight
Diabetes is a more common reason for excess fat weight. Middle-aged and elderly people who are overweight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. That’s non-insulin dependent diabetes. Often, if the individual can drop the excess fat weight, they will gain better control over the disease. Diabetes is not to be taken lightly, it is a serious condition that can dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
But Why Are You Overweight?
Let’s be clear. Despite the trend towards “body positivity”, being excessively overweight is a major health problem. That won’t change no matter how “positive” you try to be about it. If you are overweight, to any degree, and want to lose the excess fat, here are the steps you need to take.
Don’t Starve Yourself!
One of the most common remarks I hear from overweight individuals is: “But I hardly eat anything”, the food I eat does not have an impact on what I weigh. Of course, that is not the case. If you are under eating, you are in effect starving yourself. That means your metabolism slows, and it means you are most likely cannibalizing muscle tissue. What happens is, the body enters “survival mode” to conserve energy. In addition, muscle is called upon to supply missing amino acids. The short answer is, don’t starve yourself. The long answer is coming up!
Get Off The Couch!
During the past several decades we have watched more and more TV. We spend more time in front of our laptops. In addition, we drive instead of walking or riding a bike. We take the elevators instead of the stairs. In other words, we have become less active. So, we are either starving ourself, thereby slowing down our metabolism, or we are consuming far more calories thanks to fast food and high sugar, high fat junk food. Plus, we are far less active.
The Basic Calorie Equation
At its most basic, what we weigh depends on the balance between the calories we consume against the calories we burn.
So What Can You Do About It?
To begin with, the mainstream idea of a “diet” is to go on some kind of goofy fad diet that often makes little sense, looks only at the short-term, and does not provide any nutritional benefit. Sure you will lose weight, but it will be more than just fat weight. That’s not what any lifter wants, and any mainstream dieter should not want that either.
Don’t Diet, Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes!
The only way to “diet” sensibly is to follow a healthy, balanced eating plan. It should be high in protein, with low to moderate carbohydrates (depending on whether or not it’s a workout day), and low to moderate healthy fats. Ond of course, it must be combined with regular exercise (assuming you aren’t working out already).
Take Note!
Note the important features of this approach: a clean, high protein, healthy diet and exercise. Without exercise it is virtually impossible to lose fat weight. Not to mention, it’s impossible to maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining weight is the name of the game. Almost anyone can lose weight. The trick is to keep it off.
For many people, the tendency to be overweight is a lifelong condition. Like diabetes or high blood pressure, you don’t “cure” it – you can only “control” it. Unless you continue to work at it, excess fat weight has an unpleasant habit of coming back. But the process does not have to be unpleasant. Good healthy food and exercise help create a fit, more energetic body. This makes for a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Don’t Neglect Supplements – But Don’t Believe the Hype
Finally, don’t neglect supplements. But let me be clear, learn to look past the hype. That said, let’s break it down. First, adding a quality protein powder is an easy, convenient, low-calorie way to help you meet your daily protein goal. This is especially true if you lead a hectic work schedule, or frequently don’t have time for a full meal. In my working life, I have depended on protein shakes time after time after time. Often, they were my only protein source during my typically long, busy work days.
Next, unless your diet is varied and well balanced, consider a multivitamin/mineral formula to fill in any possible nutritional gaps. For the serious lifters reading this, you know you need a good pre-workout. Finally, everyone can benefit from a thermogenic fat burner. They are not a “miracle in a bottle”, but they can help speed your metabolism, thereby burning more calories. Make sure you choose one that fits your caffeine preferences and tolerance.
Summary
Well, there you have it – why you’re overweight and what you can do about it. Follow these tips, be consistent and dedicated, and you too can drop that unwanted body fat. Why not look your best? Start today and you will!