Why You're Not Losing Weight
Men's Health, June 2001

Diet and exercise to lose weight, they say. So why isn't it working? Here are a few reasons.
1.
 You're starving yourself. If you don't eat enough calories, your body conserves what it gets. In addition, your body breaks down muscle tissue for energy, to make up for the lack of calories. While you do need to cut calories to lose weight, you need to eat at least 1,600 to 1,800 a day to lose weight. And never cut protein, especially if you're exercising in addition to dieting.
2.
You eat too fast. If you eat too fast, your stomach doesn't have time to send a message to the brain that it's full, so you end up eating more. To slow down, put down your fork and take a sip of water between bites. And turn off the TV.
3.
 You eat refined foods. White bread, processed cereals, and other refined foods don't have enough fiber (which fills you up). Those foods, as well as potatoes, snack chips, breakfast bars, etc., raise blood glucose levels. Try whole-grain cereals, nuts, and beans instead.)
4.
 You don't get enough sleep. Lack of sleep raises blood glucose and insulin levels, which wreaks havoc with your metabolism. Plus, extra insulin increases how much fat your body stores. Try to get eight hours of sleep a night.
5.
 You exercise--only exercise. Despite popular opinion, if you just exercise and don't watch what you eat, you could eat more, making up for the calories you burned off or, worse, eat more calories than you burned off exercising. Make a point of watching your portion size; those super size meals add hundreds of calories.
6.
 You haven't mastered preparing your own food. Skip the junk food and takeout and try making a meal using the frozen or canned vegetables, low-fat soups, slow-cooking oats, and dried and frozen fruit in your kitchen.
7.
 You don't drink enough...water. When you're dieting, you need to drink water to flush waste products from your body, transport nutrients to muscles, digest food, and keep your metabolism working. Aim for 64 ounces for a day.
8.
 You quit when you're ahead. You may lose pounds, but that doesn't mean you can relax. Once you lose weight, you have to make the commitment to either lose more or maintain your new weight, so keep an eye on your diet and exercise program, and adjust it if necessary to reach your new goals.