5 reasons why you’re not losing weight

I know how it feels to want to lose weight and not be able to. You might think that all those diet fads are just marketing ploys designed to make you think something is wrong with your body when really it’s just a matter of discipline and willpower (or so they say). But I’m here to tell you: There’s no such thing as a perfect body or an eternal struggle against hunger. The only thing standing between you and the body you want is probably something very simple—and fixable! So if your weight loss has stalled out or seems impossible, here are some things that could be holding you back:

You aren’t eating enough.

You aren’t eating enough.

The amount of calories you need to eat every day depends on your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. The easiest way to figure out your daily calorie needs is to use a calculator like this one or this one (you can even do it on some phone apps). Once you’ve got your daily calorie goal in mind, it’s time to make sure that all those calories are actually going into your mouth.

When it comes down to it: Take a look at the food labels when shopping for groceries and try not to go over the recommended amounts of carbs and fats per day (no more than 150 grams each). And if you’re having trouble losing weight despite keeping track of everything? Maybe consider speaking with a doctor about medications that might help boost metabolism!

 

You need more protein in your diet.

You need more protein in your diet.

Protein is essential for building muscle, which burns more calories than fat. It’s also important for energy, metabolism, and feeling full. Protein is a crucial component of the growth and repair of muscles, bones, and other body tissue. It helps you recover from exercise so that you can do it again tomorrow (or later today). And finally: protein can help you maintain a healthy weight by keeping your hunger in check!

You are eating too much.

If you’ve been eating less and working out regularly, but still not seeing results, try this: Take a step back and really look at what’s happening when you eat. Are you still hungry after three meals? Are snacks between meals keeping your metabolism on fire? Do you find yourself going out to dinner with friends or family more than once a week—and enjoying it as much as everyone else does (i.e., not feeling guilty about anything)? If so, then it might be time for another look at how much food is going into your body each day.

A good rule of thumb is that if you’re eating more than twice per day—as in five small meals instead of three big ones—then yes, this could be contributing to weight gain because there’s simply more food in each meal than before. There are other reasons why this happens too: Your metabolism may have slowed down due to reduced activity levels; stress hormones may have been released due to other stressors in life; or maybe even something like an autoimmune disease has been affecting how well-digested food moves through your digestive tract (this can cause bloating).

There is a medical reason for it.

There are a number of medical reasons why you might not be losing weight. Here are some that I’ve dealt with personally:

• You have a medical condition that affects your metabolism, such as thyroid disease or diabetes.

• You have an undiagnosed food allergy or intolerance holding you back (I’m told this is very common).

• You may have an underactive thyroid gland, which can slow down your metabolism and make weight loss nearly impossible—and while it’s easy to get tested for hypothyroidism, it’s also important to understand that there are other types of thyroid conditions out there and they’re not all as easily diagnosed. For example, if my mom hadn’t gone in for her blood test every year since she was in her early 20s (and kept track of how much she weighed), we would never have known about the low-functioning pituitary tumor growing inside her head until after she passed away from cancer at age 63—a diagnosis that could have been made years earlier with proper testing! So definitely don’t put off going for the annual doctor visit just because nothing feels amiss in the meantime; you never know what else could be lurking beneath the surface!

You might have an undiagnosed food allergy holding you back.

• You might have an undiagnosed food allergy holding you back.

Food allergies can cause weight gain, loss, or fluctuations. If you’re eating foods that aren’t right for your body, your metabolism will suffer. This means your body will store fat instead of burning it off as energy! You may also notice other symptoms like bloating, headaches or fatigue after eating certain foods.

Symptoms from food allergies tend to be similar regardless of their severity (which can range from mild to life-threatening). Some common signs include:

• Bloating after meals (especially dairy)

• Nausea and vomiting after meals (particularly chicken)

• Diarrhea and stomach pains after eating soybeans

You aren’t getting good-quality sleep.

Sleep is one of the most important things for weight loss. It’s not just a matter of getting more sleep, though. You also need to be sure you’re getting high-quality sleep, meaning that you’re sleeping in a dark room and getting enough time between lights out and wake-up time (yes, it’s worth setting an alarm).

It’s also important to make sure your bedroom environment is conducive to good sleep quality: no bright lights or electronic devices like phones or tablets in bed with you! Finally, try to cut back on caffeine within six hours of bedtime so it doesn’t keep you up all night long.

You’ve put on muscle and lost fat, but it’s harder to see without a scale.

You’ve probably heard that you can’t be sure if you’re losing weight or gaining muscle because muscle weighs more than fat. But this is just one of the many myths about weight loss that are out there.

While it’s true that muscle weighs more than fat, it doesn’t necessarily make you look heavier. In fact, the reason why it looks like you might be gaining weight even when you’re losing inches could be due to how dense your muscles are compared to fat tissue. “Muscle is denser than fat,” says Dr. Noah Abbott, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center and founder of Manhattan Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Group in New York City.”So if someone has gained lean mass—meaning they’ve put on some muscle—that person will actually appear slightly smaller because their lean mass is now occupying less space.”

A person who has 10 lbs (4 kg) of pure body fat may only have 5 pounds (2 kg) worth of actual tissue once they remove their subcutaneous layer and get down to their visceral layer where all those nice internal organs lie happily hidden away from public view without any shame whatsoever!

It’s helpful to know the common weight-loss pitfalls so you can avoid them.

If you’re trying to lose weight, but your efforts haven’t been paying off, it’s important to know why. Knowing the common pitfalls of weight loss can help you spot what’s holding you back and make small changes that will have a big impact. Get a free weight loss consultation here

Conclusion

We’ve all been there. We know how frustrating it is to be working hard and not see the results you want. You’re not alone! The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to make sure that your weight loss efforts are as effective as possible. If you’re still having trouble losing weight after trying these tips, consider talking with a professional who can help figure out what’s going on in your body and help get things back on track.