TRAINER, EIMEAR RYAN
There are many reasons for not losing weight. The internet & social media will convince you that the specific reason for your lack of weight loss is unique to you. It's true that we are all different, but we are all humans. That means that we are genetically 99.9% the same. If we focus on what is common to all of us we may not get 100% of the results we crave but we can certainly get at least 90% of the way there. Below are the 7 most common reasons that you might have trouble losing weight.
You're not in a calorie deficit:
In order to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. This means expending more energy than you are taking in. This can be done by diet, exercise or a combination of both!
The combination of both is by far the healthiest way.
Binge eating at the weekends:
You’ve restricted yourself so much during the week that you think it will be okay to binge out at the weekends. At the end of the week you are probably no longer in a deficit and have probably shifted the results to a maintenance.
Lack of daily activity:
Doing a workout 2-3times a week is great, but are you keeping up your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)? This is any form of exercise that is not eating or sleeping or sport related. It includes daily tasks like moving about or standing around, cleaning, taking the stairs. Etc...
Not enough protein:
Protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Your body uses amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. Protein is also used as an energy source and it can help keep you fuller for longer and reduce soreness and help recovery after a workout. I'm a BIG fan of Protein!
Not getting enough sleep:
We all get cranky when we don’t get a goodnight’s sleep! This can also affect our training efforts in the gym and can cause us to make bad food choices throughout the day. Sleep also enhances muscle recovery through protein synthesis, helping us to train harder, build more muscle and keep losing weight.
Restricting yourself too much:
eg: Cutting carbs (because you think they make you fat)
A gram of protein has 4 calories / A gram of carbs has 4 calories.
Cutting carbs will initially cause you to lose weight (not fat) but this will be mostly water weight. Balance is everything.
You're stressed and unprepared:
People get stressed, they tend to over eat or make bad food choices or binge eat.
Be prepared and have healthy, convenient meals ready.