Why Are You Not losing weight?
Do you wonder why you are not losing weight? Stalled weight loss can happen for any number of reasons, but there’s a good chance your weight loss troubles fall into one or more of the following reasons.
You Just Started
Your body undergoes many new changes when you start a fitness and weight loss program. If you went from eating processed food and couch potato to healthy eating and extremely active, it’s entirely possible you won’t lose a single pound the first couple weeks. Increased muscle glycogen capacity in response to more exercise is a big reason people don’t see weight loss at first. But don’t fret, keep going and you will soon see the change.
You’re Being Impatient
It’s been a month and you’ve lost 5 pounds. Great! Or is it? To many people, this feels like a failure. They aren’t getting back what they put in. Give it some time. Get it out of your mind that weight loss is a week to week event. Be happy about what you’ve accomplished. Progress is progress. Keep it up and it accumulates over time.
You’re Eating Too Many/Too Few Calories
Calorie intake is a tricky subject because eating too few calories is just as bad, if not worse than eating too may. It’s very difficult to overeat when you eat whole foods, so that’s why I focus on having people eat more food. It’s entirely possible you are not eating enough calories to lose weight. You need calories, and just as important – nutrients, if you expect your body to let go of its fat. Make sure you stick within your personal calorie allowances in your diary – they are personally set for YOU.
You’re Focused On Weight
Weight, weight, weight…we all seem to be obsessed about it. So much obsession, yet it’s so meaningless. Body transformation is about fat loss. If you’re losing fat, you’re doing great. Put the scales away and start tracking your body measurements 🙂
You’re Not Including Strength Training
When most people think of losing weight, they think of cardio and long drawn out sessions on the treadmill to lose weight but strength training is an important part of any fitness and weight loss routine and is included in all my fitness plans. But don’t think you have to start lifting heavy weights and become a body builder – light weights and high reps is all you need to get you started and start working towards that toned figure you want. If you are a female, building big bulky muscles is actually very hard and takes a LOT of dedication with both nutrition and training due to our genetic make-up so please don’t fear “bulking up” as for the normal everyday lady working out this will just not happen. What you will notice is a more toned figure, inch loss and also find it easier to lose and maintain weight! After your weight training, your body will still be working away and burning those calories 🙂
You’re Not Very Active
Do you sit behind a computer all day? A little activity can go a long way. Sometimes a single workout followed by a day of inactivity just isn’t enough. Buy yourself a pedometer and track the steps you take in a day. If it’s less than 5000, you probably need to get moving a little more. A walk after dinner couldn’t hurt. To maintain our weight, the WHO (World Health Organisation) advise adults to do at least 30 mins X 5 days a week. So if you are looking for optimum weight loss, try pushing your workouts to 45 mins/ 1hr X 5 days a week.
Lack of Sleep
How much sleep do you get a night? If it’s not 7-9 hours, you’re making your weight loss goals much harder to reach. Sleep affects everything from appetite to glucose metabolism. Make sure you’re making it a priority. it might be the reason why you are not losing weight.
Too Much Stress
How is your mental health? Your “mental fitness” is an often overlooked part of a fitness program, yet there is such a strong connection between mind and body. Stress affects hormone levels, motivation, and weight loss. Sometimes we stress ourselves out by thinking of our weight so much – use the diary to track your food, exercise, weight, measurements etc. and take all the stress out of losing weight.
You’re Being Inconsistent
I say this so many times – A workout here or there isn’t going to get you anywhere. Consistency is a major key to success. The same goes for your diet too. You can’t expect to eat over your calorie allowance every few days and still make progress. Follow your plan and stick to it. Remember, you cannot out-train a bad diet.
You’ve Reached a Weight Loss Plateau
Weight loss plateaus are very common. Weight loss doesn’t occur in a straight line. You might lose 3 pounds one week and 1 the next. It’s unpredictable. You will get a time when you are not losing weight. However, if you’ve been working hard and you’ve been stuck at the same weight for weeks and no measurement changes, you might want to consider implementing a few changes. Click to check out my weight loss plateau tips.
Your Workouts Lack Intensity
Are you just going through the motions when you exercise? Give your body a reason to change. You need to be challenging yourself when you work out. Plodding along at a steady pace on your usual walk around the block can only do so much and like anything you have to work that little bit harder to see the improvements start to happen. Don’t expect your body to drop the fat if you don’t physically challenge and make change happen. The body thrives on variety so always try and change up your workouts both in terms of distance, type and intensity. Boosting the intensity of some of your workouts can increase your fat loss and this is why I include High intensity intervals (HII) in many of my programmes.
You’re Not Really Eating Healthily
The number of times people have told me they were eating healthily, only to find out that their food diaries were filled with processed foods and were eating 1000-2000 calories over what they should be eating. Make sure you’re eating whole foods and sticking within your allowance. The only person you are cheating is yourself.
You’re Lacking Willpower/Motivation
Motivation, or lack-of is a big problem for many people, and weight stagnation certainly doesn’t help things. What do you do? You find that source of inspiration that got you started in the first place. We have a fab private Facebook group for members & non-members which is a great place for getting the motivation and encouragement that you need. I also post motivating and encouraging Facebook posts from our main Facebook page so make sure you ‘Like’ the page.
You Have a Medical Condition
Yes, there are medical reasons for why you are not losing weight; however, these affect a very small percentage of people. Some people have legitimate medical issues, and if you think you’re one of them, definitely talk to your doctor. Medications can make it more difficult to lose weight. People with disabilities can find it difficult to lose weight due to restrictions in the ability to exercise, but it is achievable. Click here to see how.
You Haven’t Learned the Art of Food Shopping
A few things to keep in mind are:
- Don’t shop on an empty stomach.
- Make a list and plan your purchases beforehand.
- Try doing an online shop i.e. Tesco Online
- Pay with cash. This forces you to stay within budget, and keeps the “extras” out of your basket.
You’re Over-Snacking
For many people snacking goes hand-in-hand with sitting at your desk, or watching TV. These calories add up fast. In addition, many of the 100 calorie snacks from the shops are just empty calories that do nothing to help you lose weight. Make snacking work for you. You don’t want it to just not hurt you, you want it to help you. If you’re intent on snacking, at least consider eating healthy snacks instead.
You Still Haven’t Changed Your Lifestyle
As I’ve said over and over again, successful long-term weight loss doesn’t come from dieting, it comes from changing your lifestyle. It does take time. If you’re the person who jumps on and off diets, you need to take a different approach to weight loss – one that focuses on lifestyle changes. Remember, “it’s not just a diet, it’s a new way of life.”
***All NEW professionally recorded workouts have now been added to the Member’s Only Video Page. 5 new full complete workouts: Body Blast, Core & Legs, Ultimate Legs, Warmup and Cool-Down.*** (DVD WILL BE RELEASED IN SEPTEMBER 2013) https://www.whyweightireland.ie/videos/
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Hannah x
