9 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight
What do you do when you’re exercising and eating right, but the scale just doesn’t seem to want to go down?
Yeah, it’s frustrating.
There could be a lot of things going on, but here are 9 common reasons that tend to surface regularly.
And they have nothing to do with your genes or thyroid. ?
1. You’re eating larger servings than you realize.
Eating a serving of ice cream really isn’t that bad.
However, have you ever actually measured yourself out a “serving” of ice cream?
I think it’s 1/2 cup.
Go pick up your 1/2 cup measuring cup and ask yourself if that’s a normal portion for you.
Unfortunately, over the years portion sizes have sneakily crept up and up.
A normal soda was 8 oz.
Now it’s 12 oz.
AND we have the Big Gulp.
So take a couple of days to measure out your servings. You might be surprised.
2. You’re snacking more than you realize.
Food seems to be all around us.
And it’s very easy to mindlessly reach for a snack when it’s presented so frequently.
It’s been estimated that we eat an average of 400-500 calories a day just by mindlessly snacking.
A french fry here. An m&m there.
It all adds up to what could easily be an extra pound of fat on your body each week.
Try keeping a food journal where you just write down what you eat before you eat it. This will bring your attention to any sneaky calories trying to make their way in.
3. Your workout is actually working against you.
Is there really such a thing as a workout that KEEPS you from losing weight?
Yes, there is.
If your workout is burning muscle instead of fat, it will actually slow down your body’s ability to burn fat at all.
So, how do you ensure that this isn’t happening to you?
First of all, don’t starve yourself. This will turn your body into a muscle-burning machine faster than you can imagine.
Second, avoid working out for much more than an hour.
Sounds crazy, I know.
But your body responds to prolonged stress–which is what working out is–by releasing a hormone called Cortisol into your body.
Cortisol is like acid to your muscles (and not the good kind). It burns right through it and turns it into fuel for your workout.
The reason behind this has to do with our body’s Fight or Flight Response, which I won’t go into detail about.
Anyway, this is why I’m very cautious about people doing large amounts of Cardio as their workout.
4. You’re gaining muscle & don’t realize the progress you’re making.
If you just started working out recently and you’re doing something that involves lifting weights then don’t freak out if the number on the scale isn’t changing.
Your body is burning fat and gaining muscle at the same time, so your weight isn’t going to change much.
Your weight might not be changing, but your body could be making all sorts of amazing improvements.
Here’s Matt, one of our members at Fighting Fit.
He did our 6 Week Body Transformation Program and only lost 3 1/2 lbs.
Do you think he cared about the scale?
No way!
He looks 10x better than he did before.
So don’t let the scale be the #1 measure of your success.
Instead, use things like how your clothes fit to chart your progress.
5. You aren’t sleeping enough.
Although it doesn’t get much of the glory, sleep is one of the 3 Pillars of weight loss.
If you’re not getting a good night’s rest your body will have a hard time doing what it needs to do to lose weight.
Sleep deprivation controls a lot of the hormones that determine if your body holds onto fat or not.
Having said that, don’t use this as an excuse not to make our 6 am class! ?
6. You’re relying on “Diet” fake food.
Processed food is designed to make you fat. That’s it!
And “Diet” foods are just processed foods disguised as health foods.
They’re loaded with tons of other things that are equally as bad, if not more so.
Weight loss has as much to do with the hormones in our own bodies as the foods we put into it.
And a lot of the chemicals in these “diet” foods mess with those hormones.
Besides, often fat is replaced with sugar to make something “diet”, which definitely doesn’t.
7. You’re doing crunches to lose weight.
I’m picking on crunches, but there are plenty of other exercise that won’t burn fat.
Sorry, but “spot reduction” doesn’t exist.
If you want to burn fat you’re going to have to get sweaty.
8. You’re drinking your calories.
It’s the 5 second rule.
If you can finish it in 5 seconds, it doesn’t count.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
If you’re drinking soda, alcohol, or coffee with cream regularly and you’re not seeing any weight loss, it’s no surprise.
So ditch the 5 seconds of liquid bliss (okay, maybe you don’t chug drinks like I do, but still) and spend the rest of your life enjoying the body you’ve dreamed of.
9. You’re just “winging it”.
It’s very hard to lose weight without a game plan.
It doesn’t have to be really strict or detailed, but you’ve gotta have something.
“Trying to be more active every day” and “Trying to choose the healthier options” usually won’t cut it.
So create an action plan, stick to it, and find someone to hold you accountable if necessary.
If you’re struggling with your weight loss and you’d like some help and support, consider trying out a class at Fighting Fit Boot Camp. We love helping people get started in reaching their weight loss goals and we’d love to be a part of your own success.
Coach Forrest