You’ve tried everything. You barely eat. You fast. You exercise every day. You run. You walk. You track your calories and you still are not losing weight. What gives? Maybe it’s your metabolism, you think. It’s just the way it is. Or perhaps it’s your thyroid, or you’re predisposed to be overweight. Are you in perimenopause or menopause? Maybe your hormones are the culprit. All of these things could be true, however it doesn’t make you unable to lose weight. It’s time for me to share the harsh reality.
You don’t sleep enough. Sleep is critical. We need 7 to 8 hours of it a night, and it’s not just time in bed. I mean quality sleep. If you have issues falling or staying asleep, get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. Lack of sleep has been connected to obesity. What’s more, have you ever noticed how crappy you eat the day after a terrible night’s sleep? Our bodies crave carbs when we are hungry, and being tired zaps the willpower to say no to the sugar. It’s best to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day, even on the weekends. Otherwise, you consistently give yourself jet lag! Prioritize sleep.
You don’t eat enough. Every person has a certain number of calories they need to sustain life. To sit around and do nothing, your body requires calories. If you move (and most of us move some of the time even if we are mostly sedentary), you need a few more calories. For years, we’ve heard that losing weight is a matter of eating fewer calories than we burn, and that is true to some extent. It doesn’t take into effect the fact that our bodies also are master adapters. If you starve yourself, your body will figure out how to sustain itself on fewer calories. That means holding on to as much fat as humanly possible. It’s not the kind of thing you want, if you’re trying to lose weight. What to do? Find out how many calories you should eat and do that. There are free calculators online, including mine, or find a qualified nutrition coach to help you out.
You exercise too much. With many things in life, the more you do, the better the outcome. That isn’t so with exercise. There is such a thing as too much. In fact, if you overdo it with exercise, your body will rebel, generating cortisol, which in turn causes your body to hold onto fat. Again, not the best idea if you’re trying to lose weight. Endless running and cardio is not the answer. It might initially drop the weight but it is not sustainable. Our bodies adapt! The way to a leaner frame is to resistance train. Lifting weights builds muscle, which makes us look better, and burns calories all the time! You only need to lift one to 3 days a week to see results. I have had clients who did 20 to 30 minutes twice a week and saw results. A little bit goes a long way.
You don’t know what you are eating. There are so many food tracking apps on the market today. They are a great way to make sure you are reaching your calorie goal. However, it’s only as good as the accuracy of what you put in. If you guess that the chicken breast you had for dinner was 4 ounces and it’s really 6, or if you don’t log that olive oil you used to fry the salmon, you’re not accurately tracking your calories. What’s more, if you eat out, it’s hard to know exactly what is in the food. And if you eat processed food, the FDA allows food to be up to 20% off in its labeling. That means if the package of nuts is labeled as having 100 calories, it could have anywhere from 80 to 120 calories! That’s a huge difference. The best thing to do, if you really want to lose weight and understand what you are eating, is to eat whole foods, log every ingredient, and weigh your food. It’s not unlike your personal budget. You never really know what you are spending until you write it all down–every single thing you buy. Only then do you know where your money goes.
You go crazy on the weekends. Maybe you have figured out how to carefully track and Monday through Friday you are on point with your daily diet. The weekend comes and suddenly all bets are off. You eat more, you have a beverage, and you are generally not as dialed in as you were during the week. This derails all progress. Be consistent with your daily calories. If you know you’re going out on the weekend, plan for it. You don’t have to take all the fun out of your life but you do need to pay attention to your calories all the time, if you want to see results.
If you are having trouble losing weight, consider these factors. Chances are one or more of them apply to you. Contact me if you want personalized coaching to help you figure out the best plan for your weight-loss journey. I’ve helped dozens of people reach their goals slowly and sustainably.
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