3 Rounds for time:
15 Wallballs
15 lunges (65/95)
15 Overhead squats
15 TTB
Run 400
5 Weight Gain Factors You’re Probably Not Aware Of
Have you been trying to lose weight for weeks, months, or even years, with little to no success? You may very well be sabotaging your own weight-loss efforts without even knowing it. In addition to exercising regularly and often, as well as maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, it is also important to identify any potential saboteurs. Read on to find out about five of those diet-destroyers that may be affecting you without you even knowing it.
Antibiotics
While you may not be aware of it, there are antibiotics found in the food and drinks that most people consume on a daily basis. Unless you eat (and have always eaten) organic and non-GMO foods, you ingest antibiotics in dairy and meat as a variety of antibiotics are added to animal feed for chickens, cows, and pigs. Recent studies show that high amounts of antibiotics may very well be linked to obesity.
In addition, many adults overuse antibiotics because they are convenient and can quickly get rid of many infections/pains/discomforts. However, antibiotics should only be used when absolutely needed; an overuse/over-consumption of antibiotics can destroy the good bacteria in your gut, thus making you gain weight.
Hormones and Other Drugs in Livestock
Related to the antibiotics that are given or fed to livestock, hormones are also fed to chickens, cows, pigs and more to encourage growth in a small amount of time. Ractopamine is one of the most common types of drugs used to bulk up animals, and this classification of drugs is also directly related to weight gain in humans. If these hormones and other growth-enhancing drugs are used to make animals larger, what do you think they are doing to your own body? Stay clear and opt for organic meat and dairy products.
Pesticides and Chemicals
Many chemicals in household cleaners are known for being endocrine-disruptors. These chemicals can interfere with the normal function of your hormones, particularly your sex hormones, which can often be related to weight gain. The most common culprits are fire retardants, agricultural pesticides, and items containing BPA, PCBs, phthalates, or triclosan. Either by altering your hormones or affecting the healthy bacteria in your gut, these chemicals and pesticides have been linked in studies to increase weight gain.
Artificial Sweeteners
What? But that artificial sweetener was supposed to be diet-friendly because it had no calories! In essence, that fact is still true, but it is what these artificial sweeteners do to your taste buds and appetite. Although these sweeteners themselves may be low-calorie or calorie-free, they encourage cravings for high-sugar, sweet foods, which leads to poor diet decisions.
Studies also suggest that these artificial sweeteners may alter the healthy functioning of your metabolism, causing your body to hold onto its calories, and thus hold onto the weight. You are better off cutting diet sodas out of your life (or at least severely limiting your intake) and opting for a smallamount of the real sugar when sweetening your coffee or tea.
Marketing
Manufacturers place a lot of stock in their marketing abilities, and this is especially true with manufacturers of junk food. Especially contributing to the staggering rate of childhood obesity, this marketing makes nutrition-devoid food seem desirable, cool, affordable, and maybe even healthy. The marketing that is especially geared towards children has turned into a science, playing off the parents’ desire to keep their children happy.
Parents however, must keep in mind how these empty calories and high amounts of sugar will affect their children, especially since obesity has now become a top risk factor for cancer. It is important to recognize the marketing techniques being used all around you, and be wise enough to make a smart, informed, healthy decision.
It is no surprise that a healthy diet and regular exercise are both crucial to maintaining a healthy weight, but these secret weight-gain factors may be news to you. Now that you are aware of these five saboteurs, you should take them into account as well when attempting to lose/maintain weight. Pay close attention to food labels, be aware of what chemicals are in your house, and identify what a marketing ploy is really getting at.
Sources:
- http://authoritynutrition.com/10-causes-of-weight-gain/
- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/11/12/5-surprising-factors-obesity.aspx
- http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/calories/other_factors.html
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