When you lose weight, your body fights back.
You may be able to lose quite a lot of weight at first, without much effort. However, weight loss may slow down or stop altogether after a while.
This article lists 20 common reasons why you’re not losing weight.
It also contains actionable tips on how to break through the plateau and get things moving again.
1. Maybe you are losing without realizing it
If you think you are experiencing a weight loss plateau, you shouldn’t fret just yet.
It is incredibly common for the scale not to budge for a few days (or weeks) at a time. This does not mean that you are not losing fat.
Body weight tends to fluctuate by a few pounds. It depends on the foods you are eating, and hormones can also have a major effect on how much water your body retains (especially in women).
Also, it is possible to gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat. This is particularly common if you recently started exercising.
This is a good thing, as what you really want to lose is body fat, not just weight.
It is a good idea to use something other than the scale to gauge your progress. For example, measure your waist circumference and body fat percentage once per month.
Also, how well your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror can be very telling.
Unless your weight has been stuck at the same point for more than 1–2 weeks, you probably don’t need to worry about anything.
SUMMARY
A weight loss plateau may be explained by muscle gain, undigested food, and fluctuations in body water. If the scale doesn’t budge, you might still be losing fat.
2. You’re not keeping track of what you’re eating
Awareness is incredibly important if you are trying to lose weight. Many people don’t have a clue how much they’re really eating.
Studies show that keeping track of your food intake helps with weight loss. People who use food diaries or photograph their meals consistently lose more weight than people who don’t (1, 2Trusted Source).
At the same time, there is a potential downside to food tracking, especially when it’s used for the purpose of weight loss. For people with eating disorders, calorie counting and food tracking has been shown to aggravate potentially harmful side effects (3Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Keeping a food diary can be helpful when you are trying to lose weight.
3. You’re not eating enough protein
Protein is an important nutrient for losing weight.
Eating protein at 25–30% of calories can boost metabolism by 80–100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. It can also drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
This is partly mediated by protein’s effects on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and others (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
If you eat breakfast, be sure to load up on protein. Studies show that those who eat a high protein breakfast are less hungry and have fewer cravings throughout the day (11Trusted Source).
A high protein intake also helps prevent metabolic slowdown, a common side effect of losing weight. Additionally, it helps prevent weight regain (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Low protein intake may bring your weight loss efforts to a standstill. Make sure to eat plenty of protein-rich foods.
4. You’re eating too many calories
Many people who have trouble losing weight are simply eating too many calories.
You may think that this does not apply to you, but keep in mind that studies consistently show that people tend to underestimate their calorie intake by a significant amount (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
If you are not losing weight, you should try weighing your foods and tracking your calories for a while.
Here are some helpful resources:
Calorie calculator. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories to eat.
Calorie counters. This is a list of five free websites and apps that can help you keep track of your calorie and nutrient intake.
Tracking is also important if you’re trying to reach a certain nutrient goal, such as getting 30% of your calories from protein. This can be impossible to achieve if you’re not tracking things properly.
It is generally not necessary to count calories and weigh everything for the rest of your life. Instead, try out these techniques for a few days every few months to get a feel for how much you’re eating.
SUMMARY
If your weight loss seems to have come to a standstill, it’s possible you may be consuming too many calories. People frequently overestimate their calorie intake.
5. You’re not eating whole foods
Food quality is just as important as quantity.
Eating whole foods can improve your well-being and help regulate your appetite. These foods tend to be much more filling than their highly processed counterparts.
Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as “health foods” aren’t really healthy. Be sure to read the ingredients on the package and watch out for foods containing extra carbs.
SUMMARY
Make sure to base your diet on whole foods. Eating too much processed food could negatively affect your weight loss success.
6. You’re not lifting weights
One of the most important things you can do when losing weight is to do some form of resistance training, such as lifting weights.
This can help you maintain muscle mass, which is often burned along with body fat if you are not exercising (18Trusted Source).
Lifting weights can also help prevent metabolic slowdown and ensure that your body stays toned and muscular (19Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Strength training is an effective way to lose fat. It prevents the loss of muscle mass often associated with weight loss and helps maintain long-term fat loss.
7. You’re binge eating
Binge eating involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs.
This can be a significant problem for many people trying to lose weight. Some may binge on highly processed foods, while others binge on relatively healthy foods, including nuts, nut butters, dark chocolate, cheese, etc. Even if something is deemed “healthy,” its calories still count.
SUMMARY
If you frequently binge on food, it may be the reason why your weight loss journey seems to be at a standstill.
8. You’re not doing cardio
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, is any type of exercise that increases your heart rate. It includes activities such as jogging, cycling, and swimming.
It is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. It is also very effective at burning belly fat, the harmful visceral fat that builds up around your organs and causes disease (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Try to do cardio regularly. It helps you burn fat, especially around your midsection. Lack of exercise could be one reason for a weight loss plateau.
9. You’re still drinking sugar
Sugary beverages are significantly fattening items in the food supply. Your brain doesn’t compensate for the calories in them by making you eat less of other foods (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
This isn’t only true of sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi. It also applies to “healthier” beverages like Vitaminwater, which are also loaded with sugar.
Even fruit juices are problematic and should not be consumed in large amounts. A single glass can contain a similar amount of sugar as several pieces of whole fruit.
SUMMARY
Avoiding all sugary beverages is an excellent weight loss strategy. They often make up a significant portion of a person’s calorie intake.
10. You’re not sleeping well
Good sleep is one of the most important factors for your physical and mental health as well as your weight.
Studies show that poor sleep is one of the single biggest risk factors for obesity. Adults and children with poor sleep have a 55% and 89% greater risk, respectively, for developing obesity (24Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Lack of quality sleep is a strong risk factor for obesity. It could also hinder weight loss progress.
Source And Thanks: healthline.com
Note- The information provided on this page is for general purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice. All the content provided on this page is my own creativity.
Did you enjoy reading this post? If you did, please take a second to share it with your friends. Sharing is caring! Thank you So Much.
