Weight gain and obesity are clearly major problems in the United States. Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of Americans are currently overweight or obese, and this number has been trending upwards for decades.

In fact, per a recent report, the number of obese adults (or those with a BMI of 30 or higher) was 42.2% in the U.S. in 2020, which is the first time that the national rate passed the 40 percent mark in history.

As such, it’s understandable why so many folks try to tackle a growing weight problem through:

• Diets
• Lifestyle changes
• Exercise
• Other plans to shed excess pounds

After all, obesity can be tied to a long list of far-reaching health issues, such as:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Mood disorders like depression

So, losing that extra weight can have big health benefits across the board.

Losing Weight Is Not an Easy Endeavor

Many people struggle to lose weight effectively and keep it off. And, per recent statistics, an estimated 95% of diets eventually fail, with individuals gaining back any weight they lost and usually then some.

If you are struggling to lose weight or are tired of a yo-yo cycle of losing and gaining weight that can go on for years, it’s time to think smarter. Your best first step is to reach out to the Lamkin Clinic for a consultation and a medical-based treatment plan that will lead to real and long-lasting results.

The best way to safely shed pounds is to do so with the assistance of a medical professional. At the Lamkin Clinic, we have a team of specialists who can help you identify the best course of action for you from the inside out.

Our experts use intricate diagnostics tools like our DEXA body scan to helpful nutritional classes and consultations to shed light on common diet barriers and issues.

In the meantime, however, there may be a few habits or unintentional mistakes that you are currently making that are derailing your diet efforts before they even begin. So read on to uncover the sneaky things that may make the scale steadily tick upwards and which may be hurting your health without your knowledge.

1. You Don’t Pay Much Attention to Sodium

Most folks on a diet look at nutritional labels to determine calories, fats, or cholesterol, but how often do you examine sodium content? Most Americans consume more than 50% of the daily recommended amount of sodium. This can have an impact on your waistline, as too much salt easily leads to:

• Water retention
• Harmful health conditions
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease

2. Your Sleeping Habits Are Off

If you aren’t getting enough sleep, it can easily alter your diet by making it easier to pack on pounds and causing you to be hungrier throughout the day and night. For example, a recent study by Wake Forest University found that folks who slept less than five hours put on 2.5 times more body fat than dieters who slept for seven hours or more.

3. You Haven’t Checked for Underlying Health Issues

Certain health issues, like thyroid disease, can make losing weight nearly impossible without effective treatment. If you have been dieting unsuccessfully for days, weeks, or even years, it’s time to schedule an appointment with the Lamkin Clinic to see if there are larger health issues at play.

4. You Rush Through Meals

Sometimes, on a busy day, it’s easy to gobble down a quick lunch or dinner so that we can get on with our daily routine, but eating too fast can have negative impacts when it comes to weight loss.

It takes an average of 20 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that it is officially “full,” so when you eat quickly, you may be consuming many more calories than you realize and then you need.

5. You Eat in Front of the TV, in Bed, or Somewhere Besides the Dinner Table

Eating a meal or a snack while doing something else may sound like multitasking. Still, it’s a bad habit that can easily make you eat more throughout the day, simply because you may be “mindless eating” and not paying attention to how much you are consuming.

In fact, a recent study found that folks who ate meals regularly at a dinner table as opposed to in front of the TV consumed an average of 119 calories less daily, without even trying!

6. You Don’t Take Time to Relax

Stress hormones like cortisol can greatly impact your ability to lose weight, as they increase hunger and cravings while lowering your metabolism and making it harder to shed excess pounds. So be sure and find ways to relax to mitigate the sneaky negative effects of stress!

Try incorporating yoga or meditation into your exercise routine, or carve out a few minutes every day to do something relaxing that you enjoy, like taking a bubble bath or reading a book.

7. You Dabble in Extreme Diets

There’s always a new fad diet on the market and in the media. However, many of these diets are not effective for long-term weight loss.

For example, you may be in trouble if you are on a diet that advises you to:

• Cut out large varieties of food
• Drastically reduces calories
• Causes you to make severe changes to your lifestyle

The best diets are the ones you can maintain long after your initial weight loss has been accomplished. And when you embark on a drastic diet, you might hurt your overall health and can more or less expect to gain any excess weight back at some point in the future.

We Can Help

Remember that if you need help, the medical professionals at the Lamkin Clinic are always standing by to help you lose weight effectively and for good.

Better health and a smaller number on the scale is just a phone call away, so get started now on making the effective changes that will improve your:

• Health
• Lifestyle
• Outlook

Resources

• Image attribution
• pritikin.com
• mwlc.com
• obesityaction.org
• niddk.nih.gov
• centerformedicalweightloss.com