Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Becky Harris who writes for U-Pack.
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Many people have scales but they tend to deny that they are gaining weight, even if the scale shows they are carrying an extra pound or two. The sad truth is that most overweight people deny that they are gaining weight until it is too late. The scale doesn’t lie and you need to accept your weight. Here are a few helpful tips and insights that will help you know if you are really overweight or not.
1. Gaining Muscle
Many people say they are gaining weight because they are gaining muscle. This can happen. When you vigorously workout, especially with weight training or any demanding physical activity, your body is prone to gaining muscle. Since the tissue is expanding, the scale will read it as extra weight.
But when is the last time you have lifted a dumbbell or done any physically demanding activity? If it was in the last few days then maybe the weight is muscle. If you haven’t lifted a single heavy thing in the last few months or years then you are gaining fat and not muscle mass.
2. Water Weight
The body has the tendency to hold water weight, especially for females. This is also true if you have not been drinking the proper amount of water up until now. The water tends to hold the extra water until it is sure that you will properly hydrate it. This can cause a few extra pounds, usually two to five, on the scale.
However, water weight fluctuates and it should quickly leave your body from proper hydration and exercise. Not only that but people only gain 10 to 20 pounds of water weight if they have certain diseases like heart or kidney disease. Don’t blame water weight if you are 10, 20, 30 or more pounds overweight.
3. Toe Touching
Many people are not as flexible as they should be and sometimes you will have to bend your knees to touch your toes. That is not the problem. When bending over, can you do so easily? Or, do you feel your stomach getting in the way? Your stomach should not impede your range of movement and this only occurs when people are overweight. If you have difficulty moving because your body is getting in the way then you are probably overweight.
4. Difficult Physical Activity
When you are overweight physical activity becomes much harder to do. You may not be able to run a mile, but that isn’t needed for this test. Just climb the stairs and see how you feel. Are you out of breath and lethargic after climbing? If so then you are probably overweight.
Carrying extra weight puts a lot of stress on your body. It is harder for blood to circulate through the body, your joints and muscles have to carry the stress of the extra weight and your lungs require more oxygen to make your body move. If normal physical activity is hard, then you are probably overweight.
5. Defensive About Food
When your friend or spouse says you are eating too much, what is your reaction? Feeling a little hurt or angry isn’t uncommon, especially if you are really enjoying the food. But if you lash out, start feeling very depressed or start feeling uncontrollably angry then you might have a problem.
Food addiction and being overweight tend to go hand-in-hand. The extra food raises serotonin levels which makes you feel good. However, you get addicted to the extra serotonin and it becomes difficult to live without it. If you are reacting very harshly about food then you are probably overweight and have a food addiction.
Conclusion
The scale doesn’t lie. Sometime you may just be gaining weight from water or muscle. However, don’t lie to yourself. If you haven’t lifted any weight in the last few months or years and you have a hard time moving around then you are most likely overweight.
However, there is hope. Once you finally admit that you are overweight and you stop lying about your condition, you can finally get the help you need. Talk to your loved ones, talk with your doctors and make a food and exercise regimen that can really benefit your life.
About the Author:
Becky Harris is an avid blogger for U-Pack moving companies.