10 Reasons You’re Holding on to Body Fat

You’re Eating Too Much

This should be pretty obvious to most people by now. Most people do not know how many macros (protein, carbs, fat) come with the food they are eating and simply measure it out by sight. They believe what you see is what you probably get but don’t take into consideration simple things like sauces which add calories to the food.

Sometimes you think you are making a healthy choice by ordering a salad at the airport or your favorite restaurant but you could be getting a 600-calorie meal without even realizing it. At the end of the day you should not be consuming more calories than what you’re using because this will, over time, add unwanted weight and inches to your body.

Not Eating Enough Protein

Protein has a lot more functions than repairing and growing muscle tissue. It’s mainly women who don’t follow this rule but there are some guys out there as well. Protein increases satiety at meals, which can lead to overall decreased calorie consumption.

Drinking Too Many Meals

Convenience is a huge factor, so many decide that shakes are the best route for them. When you want to get ripped it’s always better to chew as many of your calories as possible.

The very act of chewing and digesting solid food burns more calories than drinking shakes does. Of course, you should avoid drinking sodas that contain high amounts of sugar as they too will increase your caloric intake for the day. And regular diet soda consumption has been shown to lead to caloric over-indulgences elsewhere. 

You Think You’re Eating Healthy

How many times have you heard that eating fruits or nuts is great for you? Well, technically they are fantastic for you as the omegas in nuts and seeds and the micronutrients and phytogens that come with fruit are awesome for your health. But guess what? In excess, they carry sugars and higher calories than you think. Remember, one gram of fat contains nine calories.

Now when you pick up some almonds and start snacking on them most of the time you don’t measure them, you simply estimate what an ounce or gram looks like (if you estimate at all). Don’t get carried away as these seeds and nuts are high density source of calories and could jack up your total for the day

You’re Not Training Intense Enough

As you become better trained, you need to start pushing your body harder to elicit the same results. You need to push yourself hard at the gym every time you go so that you are actually creating a demand for your body to have to use its energy to push beyond it’s max. 

Journaling can help you avoid the certain plateaus that come with normal, repetitive training. Challenge yourself to do more work in less time, more weight for the same amount of reps, etc. 

Too Much Cardio

So many people spend countless hours doing cardio and yet still achieve no results. Excessive amounts of cardio lead to an overproduction of cortisol, which leads to more abdominal fat and numerous health problems. 

Start with one or two sessions per week, then add time to each session, throw in an extra interval or add an additional cardio workout if results start to slow.

Not Managing Your Stress

When you get stressed out your body produces a hormone known as cortisol. This increases the storage of body fat if it’s not controlled. Most people are stressed out all day long, which means their cortisol levels are always high.

That leads to an increase in bodyfat even if their diet and training are perfect.

Lack of Sleep and Rest

Going back to the previous post about stress, lack of sleep and rest will raise cortisol levels too and your body will never fully recover. 

When you’re short on sleep your insulin sensitivity decreases, which means that your body is more likely to store fat, and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to less than optimal fat loss environment. Make it a priority in your lifestyle to get more sleep! Studies show that getting at least seven straight hours is optimal.

Not Drinking Enough Water

Did you know that drinking water helps boost your metabolism, cleanses your body of waste and acts as an appetite suppressant? Your body requires water for all of its metabolic processes and functions. A well-hydrated body will function towards fat loss faster and more efficiently.

No Consistency

You would think this is a clear one, but consistency is the glue that holds the previous nine reasons together. If you are not consistent with your lifestyle and your fat loss goals, your body will not change on it’s own.

You need to be consistent with all the nine points mentioned previously in order to achieve your dream body.