We all know that person who seems to eat whatever they want, and yet never gains a pound. “It’s just my metabolism,” they explain. “I have a fast metabolism and I simply never have to worry about it.”
Must be nice! But for the rest of us mere mortals, weight gain seems to happen much more easily. And because we have relatively normal metabolisms, a weight loss plan can sometimes feel frustratingly slow.
But is your metabolism really all that normal? Or is it perhaps running a bit too slowly? If it seems as though your weight loss plan has stalled out lately, and you’re just not getting the results you expect, check to be sure you’re not engaging in any of these common practices. They can slow down your metabolism and make it much more difficult to shed unwanted pounds.
- Too much sedentary activity without movement breaks
- No strength training (to build muscle) in your workout routine
- You’re more stressed than usual and not addressing it
- You’re not drinking enough water
- Eating refined carbs like sugar, white flour, white rice, etc
- Sleeping in a room that is too warm
- Not getting enough sleep
- You never eat dairy (yes really!)
- Skipping breakfast or eating the wrong breakfast (too much sugar)
- Not eating enough protein
- Eating high-fat, processed fast food
Examine your habits closely, and decide if there’s anything you can change. What most people don’t know that is that you’re not simply blessed or cursed with the metabolism you have. You can and do have the power to support a healthy metabolism, and get it running a bit faster! And yes, that means you burn more calories around the clock, even when you’re at rest, so that you can meet your weight loss plan goals more quickly.
