Some Reasons Why You Cannot Lose Weight

There are medical conditions and medications that could be some reasons why you cannot lose weight. A possibility is a sluggish metabolism. Not only does a slow metabolism prevent you from losing weight, but it can cause weight gain, chronic illnesses, and aging quicker than you normally would age.

Reasons why your metabolism is sluggish:

* skipping meals
* emotional stress
* too low calorie diet
* not enough sleep
* eating too many bad carbs
* not enough protein
* not balancing proteins with the good fats and vegetables
* eating disorders
* eating too much sugar
* no exercise
* digestive problems

Those might be some reasons why you cannot lose weight. There are symptoms you may have that will let you know if you are possibly dealing with a slow metabolism and they are:

* always tired and dragging
* candida
* chronic insomnia
* crave sugar
* having allergies
* autoimmune diseases such as eczema, Chron's disease, arthritis and lupus
* depression
* diabetes
* inflammation and pain
* heart disease
* high blood pressure
* long lasting pms

Some reasons why you cannot lose weight might be that you are a yo-yo dieter. It's best to stay consistent with eating healthy foods and getting some type of daily physical activity. There are the little things that will prevent you from losing weight, for instance, ordering a huge healthy salad, but then you add tons of fat-filled, high calorie dressing. That salad can end up having more calories than a burger with fries.

Perhaps you don't exercise. Not only is exercising excellent for your health on every level, but it will speed up your metabolism and you'll burn calories. Even walking at a normal pace for thirty minutes will help, but you will need to be very consistent and don't stop because you don't see the number on the scale going down. It takes time to get your metabolism working at its best.

Begin an exercise program every day and include a healthy diet that consists of protein with each meal, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and avoid junk food. A food journal is helpful, because you would be surprised at the calories in some of the foods you may eat, even just a bite of something. It all adds up. There is a great diet plan that is healthy and figures out the menu for you and it also has a free weight loss calculator that will let you know how much weight you can lose on the plan. Also, it's beneficial to get in the habit of weighing yourself every day so you can keep your weight in check.

Green Tea Fights Fat

Need another healthy reason to drink green tea? Aside from fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, a new study shows that drinking green tea may also fight fat.

The study showed that people who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract every day for three months lost more body fat than those who drank a bottle of regular oolong tea.

Researchers say the results indicate that substances found in green tea known as catechins may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat.

The findings appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Green Tea: Fat Fighter?

Black tea, oolong tea, and green tea come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. But unlike the other two varieties, green tea leaves are not fermented before steaming and drying.

Most teas contain large amounts of polyphenols, which are plant-based substances that have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties.

However, green tea is particularly rich in a type of polyphenols called catechins. These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, but recent research in animals show that catechins may also affect body fat accumulation and cholesterol levels.

In this study, researchers looked at the effects of catechins on body fat reduction and weight loss in a group of 35 Japanese men. The men had similar weights based on theirBMI (body mass index, an indicator of body fat) and waist sizes.

The men were divided into two groups. For three months, the first group drank a bottle of oolong tea fortified with green tea extract containing 690 milligrams of catechins, and the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea with 22 milligrams of catechins.

During this time, the men ate identical breakfasts and dinners and were instructed to control their calorie and fat intake at all times so that overall total diets were similar.

After three months, the study showed that the men who drank the green tea extract lost more weight (5.3 pounds vs. 2.9 pounds) and experienced a significantly greater decrease in BMI, waist size, and total body fat.

In addition, LDL "bad" cholesterol went down in the men who drank the green tea extract.

The catechin content varies by amount of green tea used and steeping time. But general recommendations, based on previous studies on the benefits of green tea, are at least 4 cups a day. Green tea extract supplements are also available.

Researchers say the results indicate that catechins in green tea not only help burn calories and lower LDL cholesterol but may also be able to mildly reduce body fat.

"These results suggest that catechins contribute to the prevention of and improvement in various lifestyle-related diseases, particularly obesity," write researcher Tomonori Nagao of Health Care Products Research Laboratories in Tokyo, and colleagues.