Losing weight is much more difficult than not losing weight! Got confused? I hope not. Read it again if yes. It is a very basic and common truth which I have just twisted into a sentence.
And not losing weight even after working hard for weight loss is very frustrating.
It may have happened with some of you that you are working hard on losing weight and are not getting any results. You have stretched out your muscles, followed a strict workout routine, but didn’t get the results you were expecting. I understand.
And you are wondering, “if this is not enough then what it is?” I get your frustration and even I would be the same if I were in place of you.
But you need to understand that there is much more to weight loss than just exercising and controlled eating. Achieving fitness is hard work and takes a lot more, to be honest.
If you are being active with your body, working out, and following a strict and correct routine, then believe me you are on the right path. There may be some other important factors that are preventing you from losing weight.
You may not get the desired results if you don’t look into these other factors or reasons which affect weight loss significantly. You are required to work on them as well.
So have a look at these 17 reasons which are preventing you from losing weight. You may require tiny changes in lifestyle in order to adopt them, but it can be worth it.
1. You are eating too many calories(be it healthy)
How many calories are you consuming in a day? If the number of calories you consume is more than the number of calories you burn, then I don’t think you will succeed with weight loss.
Even if the calories are from healthy foods, you won’t lose weight because the amount of calories consumed is in excess. Too much of anything is not always beneficial, it’s generally harmful. Same goes with this.
You can be under the impression that you are following a good diet, but the truth is something else. Or it could be something like, “Oh I am just eating healthy, what else is required.” Okay, it’s amazing that you are eating healthy, but you need to keep control of it so that you are not eating more than required by your body.
We generally tend to underestimate how much healthy eating. Too many calories than required is a very important reason for not losing weight.
So what’s a solution for this? Simple, keep track of your calorie intake. Know how many calories are required by your body for losing weight. Eat accordingly and keep a track of the calories or nutrients you consume (make a food diary). Burn more calories than you consume- the basic principle of weight loss.
2. You are eating processed foods
So cool sounds the term ‘processed foods’. But these aren’t as cool as their name for your health. I hope you know this. Oh, I should say, “you know this.”
These contain saturated fats and lots of added sugar which is even worse. These processed foods, some of which are even labeled as healthy, aren’t actually healthy. I believe food quality is as important as adequate quantity. So, if you can’t give up on these, then you shouldn’t complain about not losing weight.
I am not asking you to put a ban on these for yourself. Maybe a little of it once a week is fine.
Eating healthy foods will regulate your appetite and provide the required beneficial nutrients to your body. One of such healthy foods is whole foods, single-ingredient foods.
3. You are lacking in protein
Protein is a very important nutrient for weight loss. It boosts up the metabolism processes, thus increasing the number of calories burned in a day ( about 80-100 extra calories).
An increase in protein intake decreases your hunger and promotes levels of fullness which makes you eat fewer calories in the day. It can reduce your calorie consumption by 200-300 calories a day when protein consumption is increased by around 30%.
It is necessary for building new tissues and repairing the old ones. It prevents metabolic slow down which is a common side effect when losing weight.
So, a lack of proteins can slow down or hinder weight loss.
Protein with proper exercise can help transform your body fat into muscular abs. It prevents muscle mass loss which otherwise happens during weight loss.
4. Not enough water consumption
Drinking enough water is necessary for every human being, it doesn’t matter if you are trying to lose weight or not. And it plays a significant role in weight loss.
Fuelling your body with water a little ahead of your meals will make you eat less which means less calorie consumption. In short, it reduces appetite.
Drinking water before meals can shoot up weight loss 2 kg over a 12 week period as observed in a study of older adults.
Drinking water curbs cravings and prevents unnecessary eating as it keeps you full reducing hunger pangs.
Hydration also speeds up the metabolic processes which burn up the calories. It constantly burns fat so that it can be utilized in the form of energy. So the lack of water can be a reason for no weight loss.
5. No consistency in exercising or you just walk
Exercise is another important requirement for weight loss along with calorie control, proper protein, and water supply. So if you are not consistent with exercise, then don’t expect consistent weight loss as well.
Or you just walk thinking it is enough for weight loss. Yes, obviously walking around a good distance and moving a lot of steps is better than doing nothing at all but it won’t make any major difference.
For some overwhelming results, you need to push up the intensity. Instead of walking, jog or cycle! If you walk and jog for 10 minutes, your body will cover more distance jogging and burn more energy than walking, also burning up more fats.
Exercise! And don’t just merely exercise just for the sake of exercising. Know the right workouts for you, and how much of it to do.
60 minutes of exercise is recommended each day on an average each day and if you are focusing on high-intensity workouts, then the time reduces. The focus is to burn the required number of calories.
But, don’t overtrain. If you are not used to the level of exertion start will basic exercises and increase the duration, maybe 2 hours, depends on what are your fitness goals. Then slowly, as you progress, increase the intensity of your workouts and reduce the duration simultaneously.
Trying out more than your body capacity will only lead to injuries. Lack of knowledge of what to do and how much to do is of the reasons why people can’t be consistent with exercising.
6. You are not active
It won’t make sense doing an hour of exercise if followed by sitting at a place for the next couple of hours. If you are at work, try to take breaks at regular intervals, walk and move your body whenever you can.
So even if you exercise, not being active at the other times can be a reason for not losing weight.
7. Not including cardio
Called cardiovascular exercise in the long-form or aerobic exercise includes those exercises which increase your heart rate. Doesn’t swimming, jogging, cycling, or running increase heart rate? We start panting after running for say 10 minutes. All of these exercises come under cardio.
It burns belly fat, improves health, and is very beneficial for the cardiovascular system which includes heart and the blood vessels.
8. Not including weight training
Cardio is great but including weight training as well in your workout session will be an added advantage. Don’t limit yourself to cardio otherwise, it may limit your weight loss. Weight training will get you beyond that. Weight lifting will get you a toned and muscular body along with boosting your metabolism.
It helps you maintain that muscle mass which otherwise is lost in the weight loss process. Basically, you are converting that extra fat into your body muscle while shedding some.
9. Lack of sleep
An adequate amount of sleep which is of at least 7 hours is very much necessary for the body. Leave aside weight loss, it is necessary for the healthy functioning of the body.
If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, it affects your work the next day. You feel lethargic while working out. Working out and exercising boosts metabolism but a non-energetic workout due to lack of sleep will fail to do so.
Lack of sleep may even make you start skipping the exercise sessions because tiredness will overpower you which will ultimately lead to a halt in weight loss and may, in turn, cause weight gain. Obviously, you can’t expect a tired person to workout beyond his capacity which will become very minimal.
Lack of sleep will affect the health of the muscles. Working out causes wear and tear of muscles. They get repaired when the body is at rest, i.e when the person is sleeping. So if you don’t get proper sleep, the body won’t be able to repair and recover.
Even if I don’t talk about workout, improper sleep slows down metabolism. Your hunger and cravings for food increases as well. It makes you feel hungry even when you are actually not. This can lead to an unnecessary increase in the intake of food which will suppress weight loss.
In a study, it was observed that people who sleep less than the amount required by the body are more likely to gain weight than people who slept for the average requirement of the body of 7 hours.
Therefore, getting enough sleep is important if you want to lose weight and stay healthy physically as well as mentally. Otherwise, no weight loss!
10. You still haven’t given up on sugary beverages
Sugar is the best enemy of weight loss. Is Coke, Pepsi, or any other sugary drink still your favorite? Okay, it is still your favorite, no arguments on that. But do you still consume it and haven’t given up on it?
Let me say, once a month is considerable, but if you are regular then I don’t see much scope in your hard work for losing weight. Forgive me if I am sounding rude, but what I am saying is absolutely true.
These drinks are an ocean of sugar which is just a fattening molecule. The sugar gets converted to fat that just adds up to your total body fat. They have no nutritional value, so you gain nothing except danger to your health and weight.
Consuming these won’t even make you eat less of other foods, so these beverages calories are just an add-on to your daily meal.
Same goes for other drinks such as packaged fruit juices, vitamin water, or any other beverage containing added sugars.
Even if you are drinking natural fruit juices, you should prefer eating raw fruit over it. Several pieces of whole fruit are required to extract a glass of its juice, thus a single glass contains the same amount of sugar as contained in those number of fruits.
If given, will you eat that number if fruits in a single meal?
Nope.
11. You are not eating enough
Pheww! Both overeating and undereating can screw up your weight loss journey. So you need to maintain a balance in your meals. No choice!
Aren’t you thinking how will eating less affect weight loss, instead it should boost it up? Okay, let me answer you.
Undereating slows down the metabolism of the body, which will make you feel tired because the body lacks sufficient nutrients for its normal functioning.
The body switches to power saving mode and instead, fewer calories get burned up than when the body is functioning normally, shutting down weight loss. If you want to know in detail how undereating shuts down your weight loss, click here.
12. Munching on outdoor stuff
Outdoor food is enticing. Outdoor food is delicious. Outdoor food is irresistible, But on top of all of these, outdoor food which you generally find is unhealthy or not the healthiest option. So they aren’t going to help you in losing weight. Don’t rely on outdoor foods all the time.
You need healthy food for weight loss right? Right. So, homemade healthy recipes are the best option. Learn to cook them. Haha. Even if you don’t cook them well, you might like them. After all, those are your cooking skills.
13. No breakfast
Are you skipping the first meal of the day under the impression that it will help you lose weight? If yes, then you need to change this habit. Why? Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives the metabolism the boost that it requires for a power-packed start of the day.
Including nutrient-rich foods in your breakfast actually, promote weight loss.
Many fruits help in weight loss and it is best to include these fruits in breakfast for weight loss.
They are rich in fiber which keeps you full. These also help in detoxification of the body which leads to weight loss.
14. No fueling before exercise
Exercising without fueling your body is a big mistake. Many of you have a habit of exercising early morning, generally prior to breakfast.
In this phenomenon, there is no fuel in the body and the body begins to derive its energy from the muscles instead. And in order to lose weight, your body is required to burn fat. Losing muscle is not at all good, because it won’t eliminate any fat.
Eating something healthy sometime before exercising also helps you in an energetic workout.
15. Too much of stress
Yes, stress can affect weight loss and can instead lead to weight gain. Any kind of continuous stress affects the sleeping pattern and increases the appetite due to the increased production of a hormone called cortisol. You tend to eat more when we are stressed out because of the cravings for sugar-rich foods increases.
Your exercise routine may also get affected because of stress. So isn’t lack of exercise a reason for not losing weight?
One of the ways to reduce stress is meditation.
16. Some medical reason
Sometimes weight loss or weight gain is attached to some medical problem which is affecting you. It may not be affected by a healthy diet or exercising. Medical problems like insulin resistance, thyroid problems, etc hinder weight loss.
So if you are doing everything to lose weight and still not getting any good results, consider visiting a doctor. These problems can be treated. Work and coordinate with your doctor and fitness trainer.
17. Too much of alcohol
If you drink too much alcohol, then you need to limit it. Now, I don’t know what your definition of too much, I mean how many glasses it is. All I am asking you is to limit it.
Alcohol consumption is unnecessary calorie consumption. Alcohol affects blood sugar levels and sleeping patterns, both affect weight loss. Sometimes even after waking from a night’s sleep, you don’t feel rested. This is because alcohol plays with blood sugar levels making you restless. This, in turn, affects the morning workout session.
If you are not getting the desired results even after putting in the required hard work, then it becomes frustrating. But there is definitely some reason for this. You need to evaluate. Did you get any similarities between the reasons mentioned above and your lifestyle? If yes, then you know what you need to do. Work on it and you will get the desired results soon. Good luck.
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