You exercise religiously.
But the needle on the scale won't budge. If anything, you're gaining weight. The problem is hour-long runs and slogging away on the elliptical can raise levels of the stress-hormone cortisol and keep them elevated—and that encourages fat storage. You're much better off doing interval training, which are short bursts of intense effort followed by active rest. An example would be running hard for 30 seconds, then jogging for a minute or more while your body recovers. Repeat this cycle for 15 or 20 minutes, and you'll burn more calories and lose weight faster. Researchers at the University of Western Australia compared a 20-minute interval workout to a 40-minute routine at steady pace in a group of non-dieting, overweight women. After 15 weeks, the interval group had dropped 15 pounds while those who kept a steady pace had actually gained a pound. One more tip: Avoid sports drinks and protein bars following your exercise, says Heather Bainbridge, RD, of the Weight Control Center at Columbia University's Medical Center. You'll likely add back more calories than you burned. Stick to water and a piece of fruit.
You take your meds.
Your prescription pills could be be adding pounds. Many antidepressants, anti-inflammatory steroids, and antihistamines carry the little-known side effect of weight gain. The drugs can interfere with metabolism or hunger signals: Antidepressants often impede serotonin—the neurotransmitter that switches appetite on and off; anti-inflammatory steroids like prednisone not only slow metabolism, they shift fat to unwanted places like the face, neck, and abdomen. "If you're noticing weight gain, you should work with your primary care physician on lowering your dosage or shifting to a weight-neutral medication," says Lawrence Cheskin, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center.
You eat a healthy breakfast.
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Yet you're starving a few hours later. "The number one problem we see is people having oatmeal and juice for breakfast," says Louis Aronne, MD, an obesity expert at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "They think it's healthy because it's fat-free and low calorie, but they're still hungry and gaining weight." Breakfast grains like cereal and oatmeal spike blood sugar levels. Adding juice or a banana piles on the carbs and ramps up fat storage. Instead, Aronne recommends a breakfast with protein, like Greek yogurt with berries, or an omelet with lots of veggies (check out these 6 surprising ways to use Greek yogurt). Starting the day with a low-carb, high protein diet can help you burn 150 more calories per day, according to a 2012 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
You shop only for organic, fat-free products.
Kudos to you for spending more for sustainably produced, healthy foods. But smart purchases don't give you a green light: "Too often people who buy fat-free or low-fat products think it's fine to eat more," says Cheskin. "However, the fat is often replaced with sugar, and the food is just as caloric." When people see organic or reduced-fat labeling, they underestimate calories and overestimate serving sizes, according to research from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. Don't let your virtuous shopping habits lull you into believing you can eat as much as you want.
You've cut way back on sugar.
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But the artificial sweeteners you're downing may actually encourage you to eat more. A body of research has shown that prolonged use of artificial sweeteners leads to weight gain and even alters your gut microbes' response to sugar, which makes you more likely to acquire type 2 diabetes. One problem is that artificial sweeteners are far sweeter than sugar. They trick the brain into thinking we're getting sugar. We start to crave sweets, and that leads to overeating. This drives up insulin levels and triggers fat storage. Instead of aspartame, get your sugar from whole fruits, especially antioxidant-filled berries.
