Carole Carson: National Coach for the AARP Fat to Fit Community Challenge,

Carole Carson--

Are Any of These 12 Obstacles Keeping You from Losing Weight?

If you began your effort to get fit and lose weight with good intentions but have stalled, you may be tempted to abandon your dream. But don’t quit. Recommit.

Here’s a checklist to help you figure out what is holding you back. The insights come from Susan Kraus, MS, RD,(1) a registered dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and my own experience:

1. Not getting enough sleep. When we don't get enough sleep, our hormonal balance changes. One side effect is increased appetite. Try this: Get adequate rest.

2. Skipping meals. When we starve our bodies, we overcompensate later. We also teach our bodies to hoard calories as fat. Try this: Eat at regular intervals.

3. Overestimating calories burned during exercise. Exercise is wonderful for our bodies in many ways, but most of us would have to exercise every day all day to burn off all our surplus calories. To lose weight, we have to exercise as well as change how we eat. Try this: Treat exercise as conditioning for your body, not as a calorie-burning strategy.

4. Underestimating the calories we are consuming. Even professional nutritionists underestimate calories by 20-30 percent. Oversized portions distort our judgment. Also, extra calories sneak in (cream in coffee, butter on toast, cheese or a creamy dressing on a salad and so on). Try this: Keep an honest, detailed food journal.

5. Being constantly stressed. Stress triggers the accumulation of fat, especially around the belly. It also triggers the impulse to eat for emotional reasons rather than from hunger. Stress also focuses our attention on our affairs rather than on our personal goals of health and fitness. Try this: Find healthful ways to de-stress.

6. Consuming liquid calories. Smoothies, sugared drinks and specialty coffee drinks are loaded with calories. Liquid drinks also do not have staying power. Perhaps because we don't chew anything, we still crave solid food. Try this: Eat real food with essential nutrients to satisfy your hunger and sustain your energy.

7. Ignoring calories consumed in alcohol. A glass of wine with dinner may benefit our health, but the calories still count. Consider also the calories in other forms of alcohol (beer, hard liquor) and the calories in mixers. Try this: If you intend to indulge, budget all calories.

8. Taking offsetting actions. For instance, you may walk two miles. Later, when you eat, you may feel entitled to a second helping or a rich dessert because you’ve exercised. Or to eat more healthfully, you order fish—but it comes deep-fried with a pile of french fries. Try this: Remind yourself that all your actions contribute to the outcome, and fitness is its own reward.

9. Taking weekend vacations. When Friday night begins, our eating and exercise plans often take a leave of absence. The weekend days are filled with "exceptional" eating—that is, we make exceptions to our weekday rules. Try this: Adopt a no-matter-what approach to your new lifestyle.

10. Taking medications or treating conditions that interfere with weight loss. Some prescription drugs trigger weight gain, and some medical conditions make exercise difficult. Recovering from injuries and surgeries also makes weight loss more difficult. Try this: Work with your doctor and other healthcare professionals to make necessary adjustments, including prescription changes or safe exercise routines during recovery.

11. Becoming impatient. It took awhile for the surplus pounds to accumulate, so we need to be reassuringly patient with our forgiving bodies. Expecting magical weight loss sets us up for disappointment. Try this: Set realistic goals and take measurements. (Inches drop faster than pounds.)

12. Trying to go too low. Our bodies have a natural weight where we are healthy, trim and fit. To lose another 10 or 20 pounds may require such a stringent eating and exercise program that our bodies are strained. Try this: Appreciate your unique body and ignore the skinny models who are presented to us as the ideal.

Once you recognize the obstacles that are holding you back, you may be able to remove some. Others you can work around or manage. Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn. And always remember that success is not about what works for others, it’s about what works for you.

1) http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight-pictures/12-reasons-youre-not-losing-weight.aspx?xid=nl_MyCalorieCounterNewsletter_20100826

Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson was the inspiration behind the Nevada County Meltdown, where more than 1,000 people lost nearly 8,000 pounds. Carole is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction and serves as the national coach for the AARP Fat to Fit Community Challenge, a free weight-loss program welcoming all ages.

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