So you’d successfully lost the unwanted pounds off yourself, could proudly strut in those desired jeans, your friends could not get enough of how good you looked, and you could finally look in the mirror and feel great!
But it’s hardly been a year and you’re back to where you started.
There’s a chance you’re actually much behind where you started.
You thought this was it… your Everest, your summit!
Why did this happiness not last long? What went wrong?
Let’s analyse:
1. Mindset:
Did you begin the plan with the intention of losing weight? Were you counting days until your ”goal weight” showed up on the scale? Having short-sighted goals and the readiness to do “anything” to achieve them can often lead folks to adopt fad techniques, overdo cardio, and sometimes starve themselves.
If this seems like you, it’s time to opt for a more sustainable way of life.
2. Eating:
Now that you reached a goal weight, you let yourself slack for a bit.
This was a good decision for a month or two, but it snowballed into binge eating sessions, incorrectly eyeballing portions or calories, too many outings, too much slack!
We might not realize the calories we consume unintentionally and still feel like we’re eating healthy.
Drinks, juices, nuts, chocolates, cakes, ice creams have hidden calories that leave you wanting more.
3. Overdoing Activity:
We’ve all been there!
Doing two gym sessions per day, running for 5 miles “atleast”, hopping in and out of HIIT classes seems like the way forward when we have to opt for weight loss.
Once the goal weight is achieved, people might not stick with the activity level that got them there in the first place. This causes a decrease in the calories expended. Simple!
If you do not think that the activity levels you’re at can be sustained for long, try a notch lower.
4. Weight loss instead of FAT loss:
What??? Are they different? Hell, yes! Fat loss is self explanatory, but weight loss is broader. Weight includes not only fat, but components such as muscles, bones, ligaments, water, blood, organs – the works. So if an aggressive weight-loss program has been followed with more calorie restriction, less protein intake, increased activity, then there’s a chance that you’ve lost muscle tissue.
Let’s say you did all the right things and lost weight the right way.
Altered sleep schedules, less hydration, increased stress levels, and hormonal changes can also lead to adding pounds back.
Maintaining weight needs to be taken seriously.
Weight loss is a temporary phase, while maintaining it is a lifelong commitment.
If you thought this was going to be easy, you were right.
You have to consume as much as you expend, right?
Calories in == Calories out (roughly)
But let’s not oversimplify it.
You need to follow the lifestyle that brought you here.
Deviating from the habits is just inviting trouble.
In conclusion, Reevaluate: If any of the above points resonated with you, it’s time to take a closer look into what is going against you.
Rethink: If what you intend to do is a short term goal or a lifestyle change. Assess your next steps accordingly.