Losing weight or body fat is a common goal when you start at the gym. Usually, the weight starts to come off quickly then you seem to plateau. What you're doing isn't working anymore but you can't figure out why.
Here are the top ten reasons we find our members stop losing weight/body fat and how to address them
The Scale is Lying to You
It is common for the scale not to budge for a few days or weeks at a time.
It is also common for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds each day depending on your undigested food, water retention, and what your hormones are doing.
It is also common to be gaining muscle mass while losing body fat which will not be reflected on your scale at home.
When looking to drop pounds change your focus to shedding body fat and gaining muscle, it's not always about seeing the number on the scale go down.
This is why it is always a good idea to have another method of gauging your weight loss:
1. How are your clothes are fitting?
2. Measure your waist circumference once a month
3. Look at your body fat percentage each month
Your progress isn't always going to be linear, so focus on the small changes you can make that will help you for a lifetime.
You Don't Know What You're Eating
Studies show that keeping track of your diet is an effective weight-loss tool because it holds you accountable for your food choices.
Most people don't know what or how much they are consuming each day.
Awareness around this is very important when it comes to dropping stubborn body fat.
Studies show that keeping track of your diet is an effective weight-loss tool because it holds you accountable to your food choices.
Tracking your food can be as simple as taking a picture of your meals or writing down what you are eating in a food journal.
You'd be surprised how things add up throughout the day or at how little you are really eating.
Give it a go for a few weeks. Don't worry about the exact amounts just track what you put on your plate.
You're Not Eating Enough Protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients in losing weight.
Eating enough protein each day can boost your metabolism and automatically help you eat fewer calories because it drastically reduces cravings.
Protein also helps regulate the appetite-regulating hormone called ghrelin.
We've talked about ghrelin in the past and how the body produces more of this hormone when you are hungry and reduces the production when you begin to feel full.
You can better regulate this hormone when you are eating good quality, lean meats such as chicken, turkey, and ground beef.
We've talked about ghrelin in the past and how the body produces more of this hormone when you are hungry and reduces production when you begin to feel full.
So, why not add a little extra protein to your breakfasts and lunches to curb those mid-day cravings while your working!
You're Eating Too Many Calories
If you're trying to lose weight you need to know how much you consume each day.
Did you know that a large majority of people who are trying to lose weight don't actually know how much they are consuming each day?
Over-consuming calories can lead to weight gain which means you should always have an idea of what you are putting into your body each day🥑🥦🍩🥗🍦.
Now, this doesn't mean that you have to weigh your food and track each and every calorie for the rest of your life.
But, it does mean you should have a good idea of what you are eating each day by tracking every once and a while.
By entering your meals into a tracking app📱 you begin to learn the nutrition value of the foods your choosing and how much protein, carbs, and fats they contain.
Once you get a basic understanding of the nutritional value of the foods you eat on a regular basis you can build your meals without the app with confidence🙌🏼.
We suggest coming back to tracking when you feel yourself getting off track for a check-in.
You're Not Eating Whole Foods
You'll see almost immediate benefits from eating more whole foods🤯.
A bold statement we know but let us explain👇🏼.
Whole foods are real single-ingredient foods that are mostly unprocessed. The best way to tell if you are selecting whole foods is to stick the parameter of the grocery store.
The produce aisle where you find fruits and veggies is the best place to start. Then head down the meat aisle to find your lean meats🍗 and fish options🍤.
Sticking to foods that have one to five ingredients that you can pronounce is the best way to know that your food choices are in the whole foods realm.
Once you get consistent with eating mostly whole foods you might start to notice the following benefits:
🔷You're getting more vitamins and minerals
🔷You're eating less sugar
🔷You're not experiencing major dips in energy levels
🔷Your skin looks healthier and more vibrant
🔷Your body composition is changing (i.e. less body fat)
🔷You're not hungry as often
🔷You're not craving sugar as often
Whole foods are the way to go when looking to lose weight. Remember to fill your plate with two cupped hands of veggies, one-two cupped hands of carbs, a thumb size of healthy fats, and a fist-sized portion of protein.
You're Not Lifting Weights
The most important thing you can do when trying to lose weight👇.
Resistance training💪.
It helps you build muscle mass, helps protect your joints, and helps you burn calories more efficiently.
It also aids in LONG TERM FAT LOSS.
So, grab some weights, download our free at-home training program, and get lifting.
It helps you build muscle mass, helps protect your joints and helps you burn calories more efficiently.
You're Not Eating Mindfully
This may be one of the world's most powerful weight loss tools and 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄.
It's called Mindful Eating.
All you have to do is👇
🔷Sit down to eat
🔷Turn off all distractions
🔷Savor your food by enjoying each bite
🔷Eat slowly and chew each bite of food thoroughly
🔷Be aware of colors, smells, and flavours
🔷When you start to feel full stop eating
🔷Drink some water when you're finished to top it off
That's it! Mindful eating allows your body to listen to its hunger cues. These cues tell you when you're hungry and when you're full.
By eating slowly and with purpose your body has time to catch up with you and tell you when you're done.
Eating the right amount of food at each meal allows your body to stop accumulating fat and start using its fat stores. This is when you'll start to lose inches.
You've Been Dieting for Too Long
Yes! Restricting your caloric intake for too long can cause you to plateau with your body fat loss🤯.
Being on a diet for too long can cause your body to go into starvation mode or fight or flight✈.
This is when you need to up your caloric intake to maintenance mode to give your body enough nutrients to take care of itself.
You will also want to increase your sleep to allow your body to recover.
AND, lift some weights with the goal of getting stronger💪🏼.
Just because you're not working on losing body fat doesn't mean you can't refocus on something that has some major benefits😉.
Aim to keep your body fat levels the same for 1-2 months before starting to decrease your caloric intake again.
Your body needs a break and a chance to reset.
Show it some love with healthy food, loads of water, and a good night's sleep.
You're Still Drinking Sugar
Your brain doesn't compensate for the calories in sugary drinks by making you eat less of other foods.
What does that mean?
It means that your hunger cues or the hormones that are released when you eat, to tell you you're hungry and then tell you you're full aren't affected the same with sugary liquids.
This is true for beverages like pop, vitamin water, lattes, and even fruit juice.
Fruit juices are loaded with sugar and even a small glass can be the equivalent of eating several pieces of fruit.
Limiting or avoiding sugary drinks is a great fat loss method because it could cut out several hundred calories a day.
Not sure what to order when going for coffee? Try these 10 low-calorie options at Starbucks.
You're Not Sleeping Well
We talk about sleep a lot.
So much so that it's a topic in our feed at least five times a month.
Why?
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡
Sleep is when you👇🏼
🔹Recover from stress. Both physical and mental
🔹Your body regulates your blood sugar
🔹Helps regulate your hunger hormones
🔹Better mental acuity
🔹Better performance at work & the gym
Sleep is essential and should be a priority if you are trying to lose weight. To get the best sleep possible, check out our "Want a better night sleep?" post for our easy to use sleep checklist👇🏼
Yours Truly,
OPEX Fitness Regina
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