If you’re not losing fat, high stress could be why. Here are 5 ways stress makes fat loss harder.
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Are you struggling to lose fat? Are you doing all the typical weight loss things like watching your caloric intake, exercising, and drinking water? Is the scale still not moving in the right direction?⠀
5 ways stress makes fat loss harder
Did you know that our level of stress is a major factor determining how much fat we lose (or don’t)? I see it all the time with my nutrition clients. The ones who have stressful lives have the hardest time making progress. Also, cutting calories TOO low and exercising TOO much are stressors on the body, which is why I encourage my clients to fuel their bodies properly and avoid overexercising because it can be an underlying cause of not losing and even gaining weight.
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High levels of stress can:⠀
▪️Make it difficult to keep long-term goals at the front of your mind⠀
▪️Slow your metabolism by suppressing thyroid production⠀
▪️Interfere with sleep⠀
▪️Intensify hunger and cravings⠀
▪️Drain your energy so you’re too tired to workout⠀
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In order to lose fat, you’ve got to manage stress. Here are some ways you can do that:⠀
▪️Prioritize sleep⠀
▪️Drop an activity or two off your plate⠀
▪️Meditate⠀
▪️Swap HIIT for yoga⠀
▪️Listen to soothing music⠀
▪️Set boundaries around your work⠀
▪️Tune out of social media⠀
▪️Say ‘no’ to things that do not bring you joy⠀
Stress is pretty common for most of us, especially right now during a global pandemic, but it’s important to reduce it as much as possible in order to see the fat loss you desire.
What is your number one stressor and how are you working to make changes so that you can experience less stress?
