10 Possible Reasons Why you are NOT Losing Weight

Are you eating all types of healthy food and also exercising regularly, but are still not losing weight?

I can imagine how frustrating it can be for someone who is not eating her favourite food, tracking each and every calorie she is consuming in order to lose weight but is still not able to do so. Furthermore, if she is also regularly spending time in the gym, and doing her work-out religiously, and if still, weight loss is not happening, then the frustration level shoots up even more.

As a weight loss coach, I have seen many people freaking out because of this. Many also complain that they lost weight initially when they started following a particular regime, but then their weight loss absolutely stopped. On the face of it, they seem to be doing everything fine, until I dig deep into their lifestyle and point out the possible reasons why they are not losing weight.

If you have also reached a weight loss plateau, which means that you are eating healthy and working out as well, but still gaining weight, then this post is just for you.

I have listed down a few possible reasons that could be sabotaging your weight loss and stopping you from getting your desired results.

1. You may be relying on your weight scale way too much:

For us, the only way to find out how much you actually weigh is by using the weight scale. But the weight scale may not show the correct weight all the time; reasons may include water retention or excess sodium or stress, hormones, bowel movements, etc. So one should not be too obsessed with the weighing scale reading.

It may also be a possibility that while you are losing fat weight, you are building muscles and therefore, retaining the weight as you are gaining muscle weight. Here one needs to remember that when we talk about weight loss, we mean fat loss. If you are losing fat but gaining muscle, that is in fact good.

So if your clothes are loosening or your waist is slimming, you are losing weight. 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Do not ignore these other signs of weight loss.

2. You may not be actually eating right:

The most important thing that one needs to constantly watch out while desirous of losing weight is the diet. People focus on what they eat, whereas the key to an effective weight loss is more to do with ‘when to eat’ and ‘how much to eat’.

I have this entire Course on Learn to Eat Right, which you can get for FREE by subscribing to my blog. It is a very useful guide that’ll help you to learn how to eat right and start your successful weight loss journey.   

No food is really bad food and all have their own benefits. You need to add carbs and fats in your food along with the proteins.

Important: Enjoy the food you eat. Don’t eat a particular food only because someone told you that it is healthy and good for weight loss. If you don’t eat the food that you like, you will be constantly hungry and crave for the food you actually want to eat, which is not advisable.

3. You may be eating too less than you need to or starving yourself:

Many of us take up rigorous dieting in order to lose weight, that is because we treat weight loss as some sort of a short-term disease, that we can cure by eating medicine for a week and then get on with our life as we were before this disease happened. So basically it means diet for a week, lose weight and then get back to our normal eating habits.

Weight Loss does not work this way. You need to follow what you are doing, and what got your results, throughout your lifetime. Which is why you need to inculcate habits that we can follow your whole life.

I lost weight because I was eating… eating right and not starving myself. Now, I am able to maintain my weight loss and not get it back again, because I incorporated those habits into my lifestyle which I could sustain.

4. You may be eating a lot of processed food:

Processed food/ refined food, besides being unhealthy, also gets digested too fast, making you hungry faster, and resulting in making you eat more than what you actually need. Processed foods are unhealthy options that increase the inflammation of the body, especially the belly area. 

Compared to the processed food, if you choose wholesome food or clean food, it is more filling, satisfying and healthier, helps in improving your health and regulates your appetite. Choose your food alternatives with care and consume more of healthier options that suit your taste buds.

5. You are not exercising:

When I started my weight loss transformation journey, I had high blood pressure and my doctor had advised me not to do any heavy exercises. So the first 6 kgs I lost without exercising, by focusing only on my diet.

But after 6 kgs, I reached my weight loss plateau and for about a month I did not lose any weight. Yes, I was stressed. But then after due consultation with my doctor, I started to exercise and then there was no looking back. It is only by eating right and exercising that I could lose weight.

Exercising is very important to build muscles and tone up your body, which is required while you are losing that fat weight of yours. It absolutely cannot be ignored.

Important:

• Treat exercises as a way to burn more calories and not a reason to eat more.
• If you are exercising regularly, but not controlling your diet, weight loss will not happen.
• Do not ignore your pre- and post-workout snacks.
• Read my post on how much exercise you need to do in order lose weight.

6. You are not consistent in your activities:

You are eating right from morning till evening but by the evening you become a glutton and eat unstoppably? Or you are following your eating right and exercising routine sincerely on the weekdays, but on weekends your entire routine goes for a toss…. a weekend party or an outing with family or friends… and there go your all your resolutions out of the window.

Persistence, Consistency and Self-discipline are what you need to tackle your weight issues permanently and make you reach your weight loss goals faster.

7. Your current lifestyle is not helping:

Do you have a sitting job that requires you to sit for long hours without any activity? This is generally the case with most of the office goers.

It is required that you add more activity to your lifestyle. Simple and easy to incorporate activities help, like getting your own coffee; drinking more water so that you can go to the toilet more often; basic stretching exercises on your seat itself; go for a 5-minute walk after your lunch, and so on.

Important: Do not confuse these activities with exercising. But having said that, if you incorporate these simple activities into your lifestyle, these will greatly benefit you and make you more active and boost your metabolism.

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8. You may be Stressed:

Too much stress can become a hindrance in your weight loss efforts. Stress triggers the release of Cortisol, a stress hormone that may lead to an increase in the amount of fat your body can store, which may be one of the reasons why you are not losing weight.

Find time to do activities that you like, this helps in decreasing your stress levels and also makes you happy. So if listening to music makes you happy do that, or if painting or dancing makes you happy then find time for that.

Important: Some amount of stress is good for survival but an excess of it is bad and therefore you need to be aware of the situations that cause an increase in your stress levels.

9. You may be sleeping too little:

An average human needs about 8 hours of sleep. Our body is in the repair mode while we are sleeping and if we deprive our body of that sleep, it does not get enough time to repair itself, which results in low energy and increased stress levels.

So you must have realised that lack of sleep is a vicious cycle which can lead a feeling of hunger, depression and anxiety and a big obstacle to your weight loss goal. You need your 8 hours average beauty sleep as good night’s sleep helps you maintain your mental and physical health.

10. You may be suffering from a medical condition

If, however, still your weight loss plateau hasn’t ended then there is no harm consulting your doctor to figure out your medical condition. There are some medical conditions that can make it harder for you to lose weight gain in the first place. These conditions may even cause you to gain weight.

A few thoughts I am leaving you with:

Losing Weight can be a beautiful experience if you know the correct way to do it. Don’t over stress or over stretch yourself trying to lose weight. Keep your efforts consistent and follow the above-mentioned things. Weight Loss is bound to happen.

Until next time… Xoxo