Getting fitter and maintaining an ideal weight is a dream for many. It is easy to plan and aim for it every single day. But is it as easy to shed those extra pounds? Let’s throw some light on the common barriers to weight loss and how to manage them.
Weight loss seems so easy for others but so difficult for ourselves, doesn’t it? Anyone who has planned and tried to lose weight at some point in life and struggled with it is aware of the challenges faced while trying to shed those extra pounds.
But why exactly does it seem so hard? Let’s throw some light on the common barriers to weight loss and how to manage them.
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What is a Healthy Weight Range?
Maintaining an ideal body weight is more than just about how you look. A higher than normal weight can invite a lot of health issues into your life. Apart from helping you to fit into your favourite clothes, a healthy weight is beneficial in preventing chronic medical conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes or hypertension. Here, let’s understand what a healthy weight range is and how to measure it. BMI or Body Mass Index is a scale generally used to diagnose overweight or obesity.
BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres (Body Mass Index = Weight in kilograms ÷ Height in meters²). A high BMI indicates that you have a high-fat percentage in the body. Let’s look at what each range on the BMI scale signifies.
| BMI Range | Weight Type |
| Less than 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 to 24.9 | Healthy Weight |
| 25.0 to 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30.0 or Higher | Obese |
Why is it Important to Maintain Weight in a Healthy Range?
Staying fit and maintaining an ideal weight benefits your overall health. Being overweight or obese can affect the quality of your life in a big way. It puts you at risk of chronic health conditions, causes sleep problems, and even affects your mood. Staying fit helps lower the risk of health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke.
Maintaining an ideal weight thus contributes to your overall health and wellness. Following a healthy lifestyle where you eat healthily and stay active is key to weight loss and helps you prevent weight gain. But it is often frustrating when you do not get the desired results from your weight loss regime.
You may feel like you are doing everything correctly, and still not seeing the expected outcomes. Read on to understand the common barriers to weight loss and how to manage them.
What are the Common Weight Loss Barriers?
Barriers to weight loss can include both physiological and psychological factors.
- Physiological barriers to weight loss include health conditions that form an obstacle to weight loss. It includes conditions such as thyroid disorders or adrenal gland disorders that can affect your metabolism and body weight.
- Psychological factors are emotional barriers that can influence your mind and be a roadblock in your weight loss journey. They include issues such as anxiety and self-criticism.
Tips to Overcome the Weight Loss Barriers
Having several barriers to weight loss does not mean that you need to give up on attaining a healthy body weight. There are a lot of things you can do. Tips to overcome these barriers include the following.
Set Realistic Goals
While starting your weight loss regime you tend to aim for too much too soon like you might want to lose 2 to 3 kgs in the first week, which is unrealistic. Set goals that are realistic, specific, and attainable.
It is always better to set practical goals that would fit these parameters than to plan to achieve something that is ideal but abstract and unrealistic. The ideal way is to plan on losing not more than 1 to 2 kgs a week.
Proceed Slowly and Steadily
If you are new to diet plans and workouts, then start slow. Initially, make small changes to your diet and activity plans and progress gradually.
For example, add 10 minutes more to your workout routine in one week. Plan for a slow and steady weight loss where you aim to lose one to two kgs a week.
Make Yourself Accountable
Once you make a commitment, make sure you stick to it. One way to ensure this is to articulate your plan to others who can motivate you.
You can also set reminders or hang up a motivating sign in the room which can remind you of your goals. You can also schedule workouts with a partner every day and they can help you stick to your plans.
Challenge Your Thoughts
Avoid honing on negative or unproductive thoughts that could hinder your goals. Try to keep a positive attitude and constantly challenge your thoughts. This will help you bring in thoughts that would reflect self-compassion.
Whenever your mind tells you that you cannot do something or that you will not achieve your goals, stop your thought process right there and think of small achievements along your fitness journey.
Learn to Manage Stress
Weight loss and the barriers to it can add to your stress. Making stress management techniques a part of your daily routine will help you both physically and mentally. Managing stress can help in avoiding emotional eating and will help you focus better on your weight loss goals.
Make sure to set aside some time every day for self-care just like you would for exercise. Practising yoga, deep breathing, meditation or journaling regularly will help you manage stress better.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting adequate sleep is important to rejuvenate your body and mind. Good sleep is necessary for the normal functioning of your body and aids in proper metabolism and weight loss too.
Studies have shown that proper sleep plays a role in stress reduction and fat loss and thus promotes weight loss. It is important to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Getting your workouts done but sacrificing your sleep for it may be doing more harm on your weight loss journey than you realise.
Considering and resolving these factors will help you make progress in your weight loss journey. If you suspect that a health condition is hindering your weight loss, make sure to consult your doctor and take appropriate treatment.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Maintaining an ideal body weight is beneficial in preventing chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension.
- Though it sounds so, losing weight or staying fit is not an easy job. It is challenging, needs consistency and discipline, and you may end up facing several barriers in your weight loss journey.
- Barriers to weight loss can include both physiological and psychological factors. While physiological factors include health conditions such as thyroid disorders and adrenal gland disorders, physiological factors include emotional problems and self-criticism.
- Few tips to overcome the barriers to weight loss include setting realistic goals, proceeding slowly and steady, making yourself accountable, challenging negative thoughts, managing stress, and getting enough sleep.
- If you suspect that a chronic health condition is hindering your weight loss, make sure you consult your doctor and take appropriate treatment.
- Use the Phable Care App to consult India’s leading nutritionists and dieticians to get real-time remote care from the comfort of your home. Check out our store to order healthy treats, weighing scales, fitness bands, and more! We also have a Weight Management Program which provides 360º care. Start your weight management journey with Phable.
Friendly Asked Questions
When you plan a weight loss regime, one major mental block is wanting too much too soon. You tend to lose interest when you do not get the desired results in a short period of time. What you need to do is to start slow and expect gradual but steady progress. With hard work and consistency, you will definitely get the desired results.
Your weight might fluctuate slightly on a daily basis depending on your diet and activities. It is recommended that you check your weight once every week. Weighing yourself once every week at the same time will give you an accurate picture of your progress.
While planning a healthy diet, the key is to find your version of a diet that is healthy yet sustainable. Instead of blindly following a particular trending diet, you can find a healthy eating pattern that works for you. Choose local, easy-to-cook ingredients and opt for quick family recipes. You can start by eating mindfully and enjoying and experiencing the flavour and texture of your food. This will help you focus on your well-being and health.
If your weight loss plans aren’t working, it is obvious that you need to reassess them. Take a look back at your diet and activity records. Analyse what needs to be changed. Make sure that you stick to a healthy diet and plan exercises through which you burn more calories than you consume in a day. Also, make sure that you do not have any health issues that may hinder your weight loss journey. If you are unable to pinpoint a cause for hitting a plateau in your weight loss journey, consult your doctor, and if needed, diet and fitness professionals.