OH! Magazine - Australian Version July 2016 | Page 9

( Fitness & Motivation )

THREE REASONS WHY YOU

CAN’T LOSE
WEIGHT
Michelle Bridges reminds you that exercise
provides benefits beyond just the physical.
am not suggesting that there are
only three reasons why people
struggle to lose weight. Far from it. In
fact, there are lots of reasons, which is
partly why we have an obesity crisis on
our hands.

I

house!
So based on my experience, here are the
top three reasons why you can’t lose that
weight.
1. Your portions are too big

As with many professions, there are
always common complaints. Highway
patrol officers must get sick of hearing ‘I
didn’t realise I was going that fast’, and
tax accountants probably have to feign
surprise when they hear ‘I didn’t have
time to organise my receipts’ when the
shoebox full of paper gets plonked on
their desk.
Personally, I seem to hear ‘I’ve tried
everything but nothing seems to work’ –
and usually when I’m faced with someone
who has clearly spent the last few years in
a pretty good paddock! Coincidentally,
this is exactly what every contestant tells
me upon arrival in The Biggest Loser

Here’s a little drill. Go and buy a nice
piece of healthy salmon. Now take it
home and weigh it. Salmon comes in at
around two calories a gram, and I’m
picking that a) the salmon weighs around
250g to 300g and that b) you would
normally eat that much salmon in one
sitting. I recommend around 150g of
meat or fish at a sitting – most of us
probably eat close to double that.
2. You’re not an intentional eater
We have a rule in our house that no one is
allowed to eat unless they are seated at
the table. If we didn’t have this rule I’d be

MICHELLE
BRIDGES

YOU CAN CONTACT MICHELLE VIA:
Web: michellebridges.com.au
Facebook: Mishy.Bridges
Twitter: @mishbridges
Instagram: @mishbridges

a contestant on The Biggest Loser, not a
trainer! Most excess calories are put on
when we’re sitting on the couch doing
what I call ‘unintentional’ eating, which is
where we have the odd biscuit here and
the odd soft drink there. By contrast,
‘intentional’ eating is where you a) think
about what you’re going to eat, b) buy it,
c) prepare it, d) cook it and e) eat it.
3. You’re getting older
I know, this isn’t something you want to
hear but weight management gets trickier
as we age, which is unfortunately from
about 25 to 27 years old. This is because
our metabolism (and the production of
the hormones that help support it) slows
down, and our ability to burn calories
slows down with it. Couple this with the
fact you’ve probably got more money to
spend on food and alcohol and you’re
burning your metabolic candle at both
ends!

Michelle’s Tip
Maybe, just maybe, at the end of the
day losing weight isn’t actually a
priority for you. And there’s absolutely
nothing wrong with that. But there is
something wrong with it if you’re
spending your life complaining about
something that deep down you don’t
have any intention of doing anything
about.

( OH! MAGAZINE ) JULY 2016

9