BLOG: 3 reasons you are not losing weight

3 Reasons you might not be losing weight
Tip: It's all controllable...

JULY 7th, 2018 by EMMY SCHNEIDER-GREEN 

We’ve all been there: you set the intentions, you start the workout routine, you stick to the meal plan, and you go to weigh yourself, only to see the scale hasn’t budged. While we’ve all heard the old adage that “the number on a scale isn’t’ everything,” this experience can be a frustrating one nonetheless, when you’re doing everything right yet the number on the scale just isn’t reflecting your hard work.

While there’s a multitude of reasons your weight might be refusing to budge, and you should always consult a doctor and/or trainer to make sure you’re getting to the root of the problem, these three common culprits are oftentimes to blame when the number just isn’t dropping as quickly as you’d like.  

1.     You aren’t sleeping enough

Sleep is truly magic for all fitness and health goals. Check out our recent blog post devoted entirely to the importance of quality shut-eye for more in depth information, but the takeaway point to know is that weight loss/muscle gains/any fitness progress, really, doesn’t happen in the time we spend at the gym, but while we’re in recover mode, overnight. If you’re cutting corners on your sleep, your body isn’t getting the time it needs to recover-period. Hormones can get out of whack pretty quickly when you’re sleep deprived, meaning our hunger goes through the roof, our self-control around sugary and fattening comfort foods decreases, and our body’s very ability to burn fat is slowed down. Not sleeping enough each night is one of the most common ways to backpedal on your progress, so prioritize sleep as much as you prioritize gym time, and not only will you feel better throughout our entire day, the excess fat and pounds will very likely begin to slide off again.

2.     You’re under too much stress

It’s no secret that stress is a no-no for a multitude of health-related reasons, and it can certainly be a culprit in slowing down our weight loss progress. If stressors related to work, family, relationships, school, you name it, are weighing on your shoulders, our bodies react to modern day stressors in the exact same way they would have reacted in our cave man days—with a fight or flight reaction. Unfortunately, while we don’t actually need the same rush of cortisol and adrenaline to handle a stressful work week as we would have used to fight off a mountain lion, we get that hit of hormones in our bodies nonetheless, which can wreak havoc on our weight loss. Taking measures to intentionally unwind (yoga, meditation, workout classes you enjoy, journaling, etc.) can greatly reduce your stress even during hectic times, which will in turn greatly better your chances of dropping those extra lbs.

3.     You’re undereating

This could be the most counter-intuitive reason of them all—after all, haven’t we all heard a million times that losing weight is a simple equation of expending more calories than we eat? Doesn’t a lower calorie diet all but ensure that the pounds have to fall off? Not necessarily. While of course eating less and burning more calories is inherently a formula for losing weight across the board, starving yourself or under-nourishing your body is never the answer. Especially if you’re someone that’s been dieting and working out hard for a long time, and perhaps been in a caloric deficit for a while now, your body has likely adjusted to the lower calorie bracket. By eating too little for too long, our metabolisms can slow down and start to fight back against our well-intended efforts, by holding onto and storing every bite we eat. This means you might see the scale-progress stall out or even climb. You should always consult with a trainer or nutritionist to get a meal plan that’s right for your body, and always make sure you’re eating plenty of healthy, whole foods to keep your metabolism revving and ensure that you drop weight in a healthy, sustainable way.

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