Skip to content
I think we’ve all experienced that feeling of putting in 110% and seeing less than impressive results.
The worst part about experiencing slow results when you're actually putting in effort? Not knowing why!
Here are some possible reasons why you’re not losing weight:
SETTING UNREALISTIC GOALS
Overnight results would be fantastic, but unfortunately it’s not realistic. If you want to see results, you have to put in the work and you need to have patience. You also need to focus on SMART goals -
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
For example, instead of using ‘I want to lose weight’ as a goal, try ‘I want to exercise more and lose 5kg in 6 weeks’.
EATING HABITS
Sometimes people think that because they're restricting their calories and not eating a lot, it will give them the results they're after. I used to think this too, many years ago!
Under eating is actually the last thing you want to do when aiming for weight loss. If you under-eat, your body starts to panic and hold on to the fat in your body with all it's might since it doesn't want to risk starving. And once you do eat, since your body thinks that you're starving and wants to protect your 'starving body', it will try to convert what you ate into fat. Not only that, it also increases your chances of bingeing sessions from restricting yourself for periods of time.
Restriction also means that you're more than likely missing out on essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are far more important to your health over weight loss! Can you imagine how much more energy you'd have while performing workouts if you had eaten a proper pre workout meal beforehand? All of these things show how necessary it is to eat the right amount for yourself rather than less in the hopes of losing weight fast.
Flexible dieting is a great way to determine how many calories and macronutrients you need in your day-to-day to achieve results. Head on over to THE BOD to find out more about flexible dieting and how it can help you lose weight. We also have a free Macro Calculator to calculate your ideal macros.
NOT PLANNING MEALS
Not only can meal planning help save you on time, but it can help you make better nutritious choices which will support your weight loss journey. Try planning what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner (as well as any snacks) throughout the week - you’ll notice that you’ll face less temptation to cheat on your diet, you’ll eat more veggies, and you’ll eat fewer calories. Plus, you’ll have more time and stress less about what to buy for lunch!
STRESS
Stress has this crazy ability to hold onto fat. Stress is emotional eating's older sister. If you're stressed, even if you're eating well and exercising, it can actually prevent you from losing weight, or even cause weight gain! It's a bit of a hard pill to swallow since stress is just something we all experience one time or another. But if you know you're stressed or prone to stressing out, it's a good idea to figure out what de-stresses you. Whatever rest and relaxation means for you, whether it be reading or exercising, find your version of R & R so you can nip stress in the bud before it becomes chronic.
YOUR EXERCISE REGIME
Exercise can bring great results, both mentally and physically. However, if you’re starting to create less than impressive results even though you're eating well and breaking a sweat as per usual, the simple solution to this is to challenge yourself even more. Your body eventually adjusts to workouts when you repeat them no matter what scale of difficulty it is. So when your workouts need to intensify, you can do anything from adding weight, to beating old times, to adding more reps, to going a longer distance!
Maybe you’re following a regime that works for someone else. The key point to remember is that everybody’s health and fitness journey is different. Your friend may be trying to build muscle, therefore they’re eating and consuming more calories. Following their diet wouldn’t be right for your goals. Find a training plan that works for you and will help you achieve your own personal goals.
FOCUSING ONLY ON CARDIO
Yes, cardio is great for losing weight. But if you’re doing too much and not eating enough food to fuel your body then your body may start breaking down muscle tissue in your sessions.With less muscle, your resting metabolism will drop (the number of calories your body burns when it’s resting). This results in slower fat loss, which means you’re going to have to do more to burn calories and shed fat in the long run.
Instead of overloading your workouts with cardio, try strength training as an effective way to lose fat. Some form of resistance training, such as lifting weights, prevents the loss of muscle mass often associated with weight loss and helps maintain long-term fat loss.
We focus on this kind of training at THE BOD and the results from our BOD Babes are incredible.
NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
You need to stay hydrated. That means drinking 2-3 litres of water every day. Trust, it does assist with weight loss. Drinking water has been shown to boost the number of calories burned by up to 30% over a period of 90 minutes.
BEING TOO HARD ON YOURSELF
You may not notice that you’ve lost weight, but you probably have. This is why tracking your progress is so important! Don’t rely on scales alone - I highly recommend taking photos so you can track your journey. Taking selfies can be one of the most accurate ways to see your progress (if done correctly). Seeing visual progress is excellent for your mindset and will give you a motivation boost to keep smashing those goals. When taking progress photos, it’s important to take a ‘before’ photo and set reminders to take a progress photo every 1-2 weeks. Stay consistent and take progress photos at the same time of the day and of the front, back, and side profiles.
And remember, don’t get disheartened. You CAN do this. Believe in yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Weight loss is not always easy and there are a number of factors which can bring it to a standstill. If you need help achieving results then reach out to me over on THE BOD and let’s help you to start smashing goals.
Sophie x
Leave a comment