There are several reasons why your weight can hit a plateau, including:
- Fast weight loss. Losing weight too quickly causes your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories) to slow down because your body senses it is starving.
- Losing muscle. When you lose weight, up to 25% can come from muscle tissue. Losing muscle can hinder weight loss because muscle is metabolically active tissue that burns calories and helps maintain your metabolism.
- Decreasing your physical activity and/or increasing your caloric intake.
- Reaching your body's particular set point -- the weight and metabolic rate your body is genetically programmed to be. Once you reach that point, it's more difficult to lose weight and even if you do, you're likely to regain it.
- Other health factors, including thyroid problems; medications; quitting smoking; menopause; and pregnancy.
The bottom line to losing weight is consuming fewer calories than you expend. Studies show that people almost always underestimate how many calories they're eating. So if you're struggling with weight loss, you're still exercising, and you've ruled out any of the above reasons for weight plateaus, look at your calorie intake or change your exercise routine.
Happy Tails Yoga is a fundraising event for the New Jersey Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA), uniting yoga teachers and students for the benefit of animal welfare. During the month of May 2010, we are asking yoga teachers and studios throughout New Jersey to donate their time, talent and location while attendees donate money for taking the class.
Animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment by the hands of humans; therefore, we are asking all yoga teachers in NJ to help us stop animal cruelty and neglect by teaching/hosting a donation-only Happy Tails Yoga Class. We are working closely with NJSPCA and will have a lot of media coverage for participating yoga teachers and studios.
The more money we raise, the more animals we save! All the information, necessary forms, and how to register can be found on the website http://www.happytailsyoga.org/. Because of teachers like you, we were able to donate almost $4,000 to the NJSPCA last year! We are hoping to surpass that number this year.
If you know anyone who would be interested in teaching/hosting a class or helping out in some other way, please forward this information on.
Do you ever feel as though your weight loss efforts are being sabotaged despite your best efforts? It could be ingredients added to your food you aren't aware about ("Your Diet on Trial: 5 Lessons From Food Lawsuits") or even the kind of light bulbs you have in your kitchen ("Chubby? Blame Your Kitchen"). These two great articles provide a lot of insight and great information to help you be smarter in your healthy life.
Finally, we love hearing from you! If you wonder about something and have questions, chances are our readers do too. We welcome you to submit any questions you have...whether it's about weight loss, exercise, food, nutrition or the best books and videos to purchase. Shoot us an email and you may see your question answered next month.'Energy in Motion - 7 Steps to Heart Health'
