If there was a Santa Claus for grown women, all the letters he’d receive would be from women of all shapes and sizes, colours, ages and nationalities, asking to be thinner. He’d probably slide down chimneys delivering weight loss diet plans for women, fat burners for women and (tasty) weight loss foods for women and he’d be given a protein shake and granola bar instead of cookies and milk. Poor Santa.
That analogy admittedly got a little extreme. But the fact is that women who are obsese, women who are overweight, women who are healthy, and even some women who are underweight, want to lose weight.
For some, genuine health concerns are the reason for pursuing weight loss and for others, it may be social or cultural pressure, maybe even occupational pressure and of course we cannot undermine the role of social media in elevating the physically impossible Barbie body.
Don’t get us wrong. Women aren’t trying to be stick thin or “heroin chic” as was the fashion norm in the 80s. Women want generous curves with slender waists and athletic limbs. Hence there’s a huge demand for targeted weight loss exercises for women at home, especially exercises to lose belly fat.
10 obstacles to weight loss
1. Poor digestion: Healthy digestion means that your body absorbs all the nutrients that it requires and properly and efficiently excretes whatever is deemed unnecessary for its proper functioning.
If you have poor digestion which means (but is not restricted to) irregular bowel movements, bloating, gas or flatulence, acidity and acid reflux, heartburn, frequent nausea and vomiting, how can you expect to maintain a healthy weight?
Fix your digestive issues before you attempt to lose weight because for all you know, your digestive issues are acting as a barrier to weight loss and proper nutrition.
Consider the interactions between different foods (like fresh fruit and cooked food), gaps between exercise and meals as well as gaps between showers and meals, the health of your gut (probiotics, perhaps?), peaceful bathroom time and so on.
2. Stress: Surely you’ve heard some women say that they gain weight by just looking at an ice-cream. Maybe you laughed this off; maybe you say this yourself in jest, but there might just be some truth to it.
The body behaves abnormally when under stress and this might mean that it goes into survival mode and starts retaining fat instead of burning it.
Quick science spiel: when your body goes into crisis mode or survival mode, it taps into the most primitive instincts of preventing starvation and death and therefore starts trying to “save you” by storing fat.
So whether it is workplace stress, relationship anxiety or the increased cortisol that comes from depriving yourself of proper meals, this is probably a huge obstacle to your weight loss.
3. PCOS and PCOD: Gynecological issues like PCOS and PCOD result in swollen ovaries that obviously contribute to a larger belly or the appearance of belly fat. These disorders also result in hormonal imbalances that contribute to weight gain despite daily exercises to lose belly fat for women.
Women suffering from PCOS and PCOD commonly witness drastic weight gain and always complain that they have a very hard time losing the weight.
Treatment and exercise are integral to keeping both in control, as is reducing your stress levels.
It definitely makes better sense to deal with PCOS/ PCOD before you try to lose weight because you don’t want to risk getting demotivated. Additionally, PCOS and PCOd are infamous for affecting your appearance with abnormal hair growth and acne.
Painful period, abnormal (or never-ending) and heavy bleeding are symptoms of PCOS and PCOD – visit a gynecologist.
4. Thyroid issues: The thyroid gland controls weight and weight gain. Unexplained weight gain can simply be linked to an underactive thyroid gland underproducing hormones. This is known as hypothyroidism and it is a very commonly overlooked obstacle to weight loss. It is fairly easy to test, diagnose and treat – see a doctor.
5. Water retention: All those bags of chips and namkeen don’t just make you gain weight by the fats and carbs that they contain, but also because the salt content results in high fluid retention or water retention. That goes for anything with a high volume sodium (must you really salt your slices of cucumber? Do you really need that much salt with your eggs/ corn on the cob).
6. Hereditary: Our bodily dimensions are – unfortunately or fortunately – inherited. If you look at global supermodels like Gigi Hadid, her mother (whom she is the splitting image of) was also a supermodel. Just like you get your eye colour and height and intelligence from your genes, you do also inherit your propensity to lose weight, or the lack of it.
7. Unrealistic expectations:
Repeat after me:
- Your internal organs need space.
- Barbie’s body is not actually sustainable.
- Metabolism cannot scientifically be instructed to trim the belly and thighs but not the butt and breasts.
- BBLs and surgical fat reduction are real things that influencers, actresses and models conceal their usage of.
- Facetune, lighting and angles can work magic and you can’t judge your real self based on photos and videos that are crafted with such modern magic.
8. Incorrect advice: Visit nutritionists and get into the science of nutrition. Steer clear of unhealthy “instant” hacks and the typical internet-propagated “instant diet plans for weight loss for females” and use your inherent logic to sift through silly claims like “veg diet keeps you slim” and “green tea is a fat burner for women”.
9. Poor lifestyle: Lack of sleep puts your body in survival mode. Alcohol is sugar and therefore, yes, makes you gain weight.
Irregular meals cause your body to store fat because it is not sure when it will be fed nextm
10. Low metabolism from deficiencies: Deficiencies in vitamin D and vitamin B12 can cause low metabolism. Meanwhile, B12 needs B6 and B6 to work properly. Ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins you need if you want to lose weight.
Conclusion
Weight loss should be a holistic exercise, rooted in a pursuit of optimal health and not part of an unhealthy mind-set rooted in feelings of unworthiness.
