Your body becomes defensive when you are aggressively trying to lose weight.
You will be shedding weight rapidly at the initial stages of your weight loss regimen. And you are overwhelmed by the excellent progress in weight reduction.
But soon, the fat loss results will slow down, and they might even reach a saturation point. The panic sets in, and you might feel disappointed for still not losing weight anymore despite doing everything right.
Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight And How To Fix It
In this article, I want to explain 14 common reasons why you are not losing weight and how to overcome these stumbling blocks.
Of course, these will not apply to you, but a few will certainly prevent you from achieving your healthy weight loss goal.
Despite the healthy weight-loss plan, there’s always the risk of not losing as much weight as you’d like. The key to long-term weight loss is to modify your diet and workout routine.
1. You aren’t aware of your weight loss
First, know that the weight loss plateau is a common phenomenon that happens to almost everyone starting with a weight reduction program.
After a few weeks of the weight loss program, the body stops responding to the diet and exercises for a few days or weeks.
It is just a temporary stage where the body tries to adjust to the physical changes. You are still losing fat but at a slower rate. A lot of weight fluctuations would take place at this stage.
The body gets habituated to the particular diet you are following. The changes in levels of different hormones and a large amount of water retained in your body also cause slower weight loss at this stage.
As you suddenly start doing more workouts, this will result in muscle growth that increases your weight by a few pounds. If this is the case, there is nothing to worry about, as your focus is more on getting rid of the fat and putting on healthy muscles.
You should only sometimes rely on the scale, but if you notice a consistent reduction in waist circumference and total fat percentage in the body, you are on the right track.
But if your weight loss is stuck for more than two weeks with no fat or waist circumference reduction, then it is time to change your diet and try different sets of workouts.
Also, weight loss studies suggest that the same diet plan and similar workouts will only work for a short period.
2. You are eating too many calories
Most people don’t lose weight because they are eating too many calories.
You might be meticulously following a fixed amount of calorie intake daily, yet you could be overestimating the body’s calorie needs. Everyone has a natural tendency and urge to eat calorie-rich food in a little extra amount despite consciously trying to restrict their intake.
The best solution to this problem is to have only low-carb diets on your menu. Cut calories as much as you can. Keep away from all calorie-dense foods, which are typically made from processed grains. You have all the more reason to avoid calorie-rich foods if you also have Type-2 diabetes or a pre-diabetic condition.
Going by the results of various studies, the “low-carb diet” is the top diet requirement for maximum weight loss results. The weight loss result with a low-carb diet is 2-3 times greater than with a low-fat diet.
It is also important to keep close track of your daily calorie intake to steadily reduce weight.
The low-carb diet helps in shedding weight and improves HDL cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, blood pressure, and fat burning. Adjusting your diet is the best way to lose weight.
3. You consume a lot of sugary beverages
Sugary beverages are among the most fattening foods that lead to weight gain.
Those sugar-rich beverages contain empty calories that do not make one feel full. The brain does not recognize those calories as those from solid foods.
All soft drinks, including soda and fruit juices, do not help you lose weight. An excess amount of fruit juice is bad because the fructose in it is easily absorbed by the body, unlike whole fruits with less fructose and more fiber.
Even vitamin drinks laced with sugar should only be consumed if you lose weight.
4. You have a low-protein diet
The various studies conducted over the years have shown that protein-rich diets are most suitable for faster weight loss.
At least 35% of your daily diet should consist of protein, especially the protein from meat, fish, and eggs.
Protein intake increases metabolism by 100–120 calories per day. People who have protein-rich diets feel full quickly, and their appetites are suppressed for longer without the urge to snack in between meals.
All weight loss enthusiasts must ensure a high-protein breakfast, as it is more filling and will help you stay without food for many hours.
Weight gain does not occur with a protein-rich diet, as it increases the metabolic rate and reduces fat deposits.
5. You prefer processed foods to whole grains
All processed foods are unhealthy, and they are one of the major reasons for most cases of obesity.
Any food that consists of whole grains is healthy and helps in weight loss and controlling Type 2 diabetes. The whole-grain food makes the person feel full and suppresses the appetite.
Processed foods are high in calories and low in fiber. They make the person eat more calories than is required by the body.
If you are serious about effective weight management, you should start including whole-grain and single-ingredient foods and avoid all kinds of processed foods.
6. You have a binge eating habit
Several cases of obesity, especially in younger people, occur mainly because of binge eating.
It is quite common that people who are dieting could experience a stronger inner urge to binge eat than people on a normal diet.
Binge eating is eating more food than the body requires in a short period.
The binge eating of junk foods and sweetened foods is the worst enemy of weight loss. Binge-eating relatively healthy foods like nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, cheese, dry fruits, etc., can also be bad for your health.
Eating many small meals will not affect your weight loss results as it does not produce increased metabolism.
Many studies have shown contrary reports on the commonly believed theory that many small meals boost metabolism and weight loss. It is a myth.
By all means, avoid binge eating. Even a single binge of a specific food can add a lot of extra calories and completely derail the benefits of your low-calorie diet plan for the entire week.
7. You are addicted to junk food
You can never stop gaining weight if you are eating too much junk food.
According to one of the study results published in 2014, nearly 20% of obese people are junk food addicts.
It is difficult to break the junk food addiction habit, just as it is difficult to break the drug addiction habit.
If you are addicted to junk food, you might require professional weight-loss counseling from an expert to overcome this stumbling block in your weight-loss efforts.
8. Unmindful eating
If you observe, you will see that most obese people are habituated to viewing TV or being distracted by other things while eating.
One of the most effective weight loss programs is ‘mindful eating.”
Mindful eating involves properly chewing and savoring the food, eating slowly, and eating without distraction.
When you gradually eat your food without distraction, the brain quickly makes you feel satiated and prevents you from overeating.
Mindful eating also helps you get rid of binge eating and lose weight faster.
9. Failure to drink enough water
Drinking water has great benefits for shedding weight.
There are study results that show how people lost 40% more weight by drinking half a liter of water 30 minutes before a meal over 12 weeks.
Drinking water not only suppresses the appetite but also improves metabolism and digestion. Drinking enough water daily can speed up the rate at which you burn calories by up to 30%.
10. Lack of sleep
Every adult should sleep 7 hours daily for better health of the body and mind.
People who sleep less are more likely to become obese sooner. Because of deficit sleep, children are at an 89% higher risk of becoming obese, while it is 55% for adults. You should get enough sleep, which is necessary to make weight loss efforts to be fruitful.
11. Inappropriate exercises are hindering your weight loss
If you hit a weight loss plateau, your workouts are not good enough to burn the stubborn fat mass in your body.
High-intensity resistance training like weightlifting is excellent for weight loss.
Lifting weights builds up muscle mass, and at the same time, it keeps up the metabolic rate.
Certainly, it is not a good idea to lose all of the body weight. You cannot afford to lose muscle mass, as it will make you weak and ugly.
Some recent studies and findings say that too many cardio workouts like running, jogging, and swimming are not healthy. They are suitable for burning belly fat but do not give you the required muscle buildup and make your joints weak for a long time.
12. Excessive alcohol consumption causes weight gain
If you are habituated to a regular intake of alcoholic drinks, it is hard to keep up with the steady progress in weight loss despite a controlled diet and exercise.
The simple reason is the high number of calories in alcoholic drinks like beer, whiskey, wine, and other sugary alcoholic beverages.
A limited amount of spirits like vodka mixed with a non-caloric beverage is comparatively safer for weight loss. A small amount of alcohol (60 to 90 ml) is still fine, but drinking more than that will only make you gain weight.
13. Your medical conditions prevent you from losing weight
Several people become obese due to certain medications or because of certain diseases.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and sleep apnea, for example, are all known to cause weight gain.
In such cases, you need to seek the help of a physician to overcome the medical conditions that prevent you from losing weight.
14. Your weight loss goals are unrealistic
It is easier to gain weight than to lose weight.
Once you have crossed the initial stages of your weight loss regimen, it is tougher to lose weight at a steady rate of more than 1 or 2 pounds per week.
You could have an unrealistic weight loss goal that does not tally with the diet and workouts that you follow.
Often we falsely visualize our weight loss ambitions according to the “fake weight loss results’ testimonials we usually come across in magazines and online platforms.
It would help if you did not try to lose all of your weight to the point where you are physically weak.
Your weight loss goal should be to build a healthy body rather than achieve a “size zero” figure.
Trying to achieve something unhealthy and not in agreement with your physical structure and height is unrealistic.
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