13 Reasons You’re Still Not Losing Weight

Why Working Out is Not Enough

You’re going to the gym, but just not seeing the results?  There are many reasons why weight loss doesn’t happen the way you want it to.  Not sure what’s wrong and where to start?  Here are 13 reasons why you’re still not losing weight and what you can do about it, to start getting results today. 

Reason #1 – You’re Too Busy to Make Healthy Choices

Being busy can mean it’s hard to stop and think about what you should eat for lunch or dinner when you’re limited on time. If you’re time crunched and need something that is going to satisfy your hunger right now, you’re more than likely grabbing something from the closest take-out place you can find. 

Did you take the time to look at the ingredients – are they fresh and natural, or deep fried and fatty?   Most people are not aware of what they’re eating, or for that matter the amount of calories they’re getting either. 

If you’re unsure of what you’re eating chances are you’re not only eating the wrong thing, you’re also eating more calories than you should.  Make wiser choices, drop the takeout from the greasy fast food joints and choose something fresh and natural.  Pick up a freshly made salad, with a lean protein like chicken or beef and opt for a vinaigrette dressing.  

Reason #2 – You Don’t Know What to Eat

You know you need to eat better, but do you know what to eat?  Eating healthy means you need to consciously make better decisions about what you’re eating.  Your diet should consist of mostly fresh and natural foods, that are free from additives, processed ingredients, flours and sugars. 

That means your diet provides plenty of fibrous carbs such as oatmeal, squashes, green vegetables, fruits, brown rice and quinoa, high quality proteins such as lean meats, eggs, non-fat dairy and healthy fats such as coconut oil and olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.  

Reason #3 – Diet Food is Expensive

Fresh and natural food can be pricier than quick and cheap processed foods, this is because processed foods replaces real food ingredients with cheap fillers, unfortunately just because they’re cheaper doesn’t mean they’re good for you! 

Although you may think you’re saving money eating cheap, you will definitely not be getting all the nutrients you need from the food you’re eating.  Cheap food is empty calories, and in fact not really food at all.  It won’t give you the nutrients you need to be healthy, and as a result you will suffer the consequences long-term.  It’s a known fact that eating a diet full of processed food leads to weight gain, the on-set of diabetes, high cholesterol levels and metabolic issues. 

Reason #4 – You Don’t Have Time to Cook

If you’re challenged for time, finding the time to cook can be difficult, but it is possible. 

Preparing your food once per week is the best way to reduce the time you need to prepare a healthy dinner.  Make a list of recipes, ingredients, and plan your own meal prep for the week.  Then pick one day per week to shop, cook and portion your meals.  This way you’ll always have healthy, food readily available and at your fingertips.  Simply re-heat. 

Reason #5 – You’re Eating Too Many Calories

Do you really know how many calories you’re eating?  Do you know how many calories you need? 

If you are not losing weight, then chances are you’re eating too much!   In order to lose weight you must create a caloric deficit.  That means you need to eat less and be more active. 

In general, you can calculate your calorie needs for weight loss by multiplying your current bodyweight by 10.  Keep track of your calories by using an app on your smart phone.  There are plenty of apps that help you keep track of the food your eating, you just have to remember to do it!     

Reason #6 – You’re Not Eating Enough Calories

Yes, it’s true, if you’re under eating, the result can be just as catastrophic to your weight loss efforts as eating too much.  While it is important to eat fewer calories in order to lose weight, you also don’t need to go to extreme low calorie reductions either. 

 For one, when you under eat for prolonged periods, the body thinks it’s in starvation mode, and as a result instead of burning off fat it stores it!  In fact, this can also up-set your metabolism.   Studies have shown that prolonged ultra low calorie diets slow down metabolic rate, and can cause uncontrollable cravings, hunger, while also reducing lean mass.  That means your body eats away at available lean protein from your muscle, and holds on to your fat!  The result – you look skinny fat instead of trim and toned!  

Reason #7 – You Don’t Know How to Cook Healthy

Although cooking healthy is not hard, it can get boring, unless you’re a chef!   Taking the time to search for different recipes, modify recipes to meet your daily needs can be difficult. 

Even then, following a recipe exactly as you thought, it may not turn out exactly as you wanted.  Making the same recipes over and over can result in diet boredom. Try taking a cooking class to learn new techniques and keep your food interesting and your taste buds inspired. 

Reason #8 – You Don’t Eat Enough Protein

Protein is by far the most important nutrient when it comes to losing weight.  For one protein has a thermic effect in the body - that means it takes more energy to burn off  and digest compared to other food of the same calories.

A diet that provides about 30% of its calories from protein can also reduce hunger and cravings between meals.  This is because protein can have an effect on appetite regulating hormones in the body. 

Lastly, eating a high protein diet can also help maintain and increase lean muscle, and the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism! 

Reason #9 – You Eat Too Many Carbs

When it comes to weight loss, you need to lower your carb intake, especially in the form of simple sugars.  Most of us tend to over eat carbs and under eat protein. By doing this, we overflow our carbohydrate stores in the muscle and end up storing more as fat.

By changing your macronutrient profile to one that is low in carbs and high in protein, we can efficiently get the body to use up the carbs we have stored and force the body to start burning fat preferentially. Keeping protein high helps ensure the body’s amino levels are maintained so muscle building can continue and your lean muscle is spared! 

In fact, research has shown that a low carb, high protein diet can result in 2 to 3 times more weight loss versus the standard low fat diet. 

Additionally, low carb diets can reduce blood glucose, decrease cravings, hunger and improve metabolic markers of disease associated with diabetes and obesity.   

Reason #10 – You Think Fat Makes You Fat

The Mediterranean diet has long been shown to have many health benefits, and many of those benefits have been linked to its high fat content from monounsaturated or MUFAs and polyunsaturated fats or PUFAs. These fats have been suggested to increase fat oxidation, decrease fat storage, reduce hunger and improve body composition.

Eat a diet that provides healthy fats rich in both MUFAs and PUFAs including olives, olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, nut butters, seeds and coconut oil.   Your diet should provide about 30% of its calories from healthy fat options. 

Reason #11 – You Still Drink Your Calories

If you have been following a healthy, reduced calorie diet but are still drinking juices, adding cream to your coffee and drinking alcohol you’re not helping yourself.  Fruit juices can deliver extra calories in the form of sugar, while a dab of coffee cream might not seem like many calories, having multiple coffees can cause the calories to quickly add up! 

As for alcohol, not only does it provide empty calories, the process of metabolizing alcohol causes every other process in your body to stop in order to remove the alcohol – including fat burning. 

Switch most of your beverages to water instead of juice, trying having your coffee black or with non-fat milk and limit your alcohol consumption. 

Reason #12 – You Don’t Sleep Enough

Being busy can mean limited sleep.  Sleep is critical to feeling energetic, recovered and keeping you healthy.  But did you also know that a lack of sleep can slow weight loss. 

Recent research has shown that not getting enough sleep can actually affect your ability to lose weight.  It was found that those who got 5.5 hours lost less fat and more muscle than the group that got 8.5 hours of sleep. All participants were given the same caloric intake and activity regimen. Losing lean body mass is an unwanted side effect of all weight-loss diets. After all, the more lean mass you have the more active your metabolism will be!

What’s more, limited sleep can also result in an up-set of the regulation of two important hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Without sleep, these hormones remain turned on, causing hunger to continue.  Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep every night!

Reason #13 – You’re Expectations are Wrong

Weight loss takes time.  Healthy and sustainable weight loss should occur at a rate of 0.5 to 1 kilo per week.  Although, it is possible to lose more weight in the beginning, over time this weight loss will slow down. 

To make the most out of your weight loss, it is important to set realistic expectations, it’s not enough simply to diet and exercise.  You need to make sure you’re following a consistent approach with your diet, including eating the right food and the right amounts, combining it with consistent exercise. 

Remember that it’s not just about the number on the scale, you want to not just lose weight but also change your body composition to one that is leaner, trimmer and more metabolic! 

There you have it, 13 simple reasons on why your weight loss is not working for you!  Not sure where to start, let Kcal Extra meal plans show you how to achieve results, quickly and easily.  We’ll take all the hard work out.  Let us calculate the exact calories and macronutrients you need with a personalized meal plan that is delivered directly to your door at a fraction of the cost of what you think eating healthy, gourmet meals should cost!   No more shopping, prepping, cooking or cleaning!  Kcal Extra takes out all the bad ingredients and replaces them with healthy ingredients; there are no flours, sugars, or additives.  You only get fresh, natural ingredients in a protein packed, low carb meal plan that satisfies cravings and delivers results. 

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