Losing weight is difficult. Many people will tell you that the “calories in versus calories out” equation matters as if your body was a simple mathematics problem. Honestly, if that were all there was to it, everyone would have passed this test.
Amy Gorin, RDN, a registered dietitian specializing in plant-based eating in Union City, New Jersey, says that many more factors affect weight management than most people realize, including genetics, environment, sleep habits, and muscle mass.
Weight loss is not impossible, even though it may be very difficult. To be successful, it is important to concentrate on small achievements (eating more vegetables, walking more often). You may also find it helpful to work backward and identify the factors that keep you from losing weight or causing you to stop losing weight.
Be conscious of these eight frequent obstacles, and you could be on your way to being successful at losing again.
9 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight
1. You’re engaging in too much mindless eating.
If you were to ask most people about what caused them to be overweight, they would say it was a combination of eating and not focusing on the food. This can include eating while watching TV, driving, cooking, or at the movies. It often happens mindlessly, where people are barely chewing before swallowing.
You should be more aware of what you’re eating and practice mindful eating. You should eat with other people and sit down to eat instead of just eating quickly. You should also take the time to appreciate the food you’re eating, even if it’s just grass-fed beef and pastured eggs. You can’t just mindlessly consume food and expect to be healthy.
2. You’re eating too many “pleasure foods.”
Paul Jaminet is good at coming up with phrases like “safe starch” and “pleasure foods.” “Pleasure foods” are things that are enjoyable to eat and are also high in calories and easy to overeat. This can be confusing because these foods also have some health benefits. For example, nuts are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and studies suggest they can help with weight loss. Dark chocolate has compounds that are good for you, and honey is a better sweetener than sugar.
If you do not see results in your weight loss efforts, you may want to consider reducing your consumption of these foods.
3. You’re eating too little.
It is well known that going on a diet where you consume fewer calories than your body uses will eventually lead to your body’s basal metabolic rate dropping. This is not a complicated concept. Generally, when you reduce your food intake, you will also lower your body weight. However, it is not as simple as continuing to lower your calorie intake as you lose weight. The human body is not passive; it is a living, breathing entity that responds to a decrease in calories by lowering its energy expenditure. Therefore, if you try to lose weight forever by constantly reducing your calorie intake, it will eventually start working against you.
Sitting at a chronic caloric deficit can stall your weight loss. Instead, try cycling your caloric intake by eating less one day and more the next. Periodic refeeds may also help kickstart your weight loss.
4. You’re under “hidden stress.”
The previous article discussed how stress could lead to weight gain or difficulty losing weight. This is because cortisol, which is released as part of the stress response, inhibits weight loss, breaks down muscle, worsens insulin resistance, and promotes fat storage. Although the article primarily focuses on the obvious sources of stress in our lives, like bills, traffic, and difficult boss or relationships, other “hidden” types of stressors can have the same physiological response. One of the most prominent hidden stressors is the lack of nature exposure. In the literature, researchers often speak of the benefits of “forest bathing,” or spending time in a forest setting to reduce cortisol, enhance immune function, and improve glucose tolerance. A day in the woods is not an intervention, it is a return to normalcy.
Suppose you’re not already, set aside some time each week to go outside, surrounded by untamed nature. It doesn’t have to be a forest or a rocky cliff. The beach, desert, or even a park will do. You can listen to nature sounds and look at nature scenes on your computer if necessary.
5. You’re getting older — and losing muscle
According to Gorin, as a woman starts to experience menopause and estrogen levels start to lower, they will lose muscle mass as they age. This loss in muscle mass is about 3-5% every decade after age 30, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is significant because muscle burns more calories than fat, something that is backed by the Mayo Clinic.
According to an article published in September 2019 in Nature Medicine, post-menopausal women are more likely to gain body fat and need fewer calories as they age. In addition, natural changes in fat tissue that come with aging can also prompt the body to gain weight.
What you can do to lose weight and keep it off, according to health experts, is to create nutrient-rich habits and limit empty calories. You should also add resistance training to your routine to help rebuild lost muscle.
6. You underestimate your portion sizes.
Portion sizes listed on food packaging are random and not reflective of how much someone should eat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changed some serving sizes to be more realistic, but it is still not an accurate guide.
To follow Gorin’s recommendations, plan what you will eat for the day by logging your food in a diary or working with a registered dietitian. If you want to do this at home, Gorin has created printable mix-and-match meal plans. You can also find plenty of meal planning apps online, which will let you not only plan meals but count calories and find nutrition facts for packaged foods.
7. You skip meals — then end up overeating.
It’s much better to have smaller meals and snacks spread out over the course of the day. It’s tempting to try to eat as little as possible during the day to cut calories or even skip meals, but doing this can backfire, says Walter. “Ninety percent of my weight loss clients are not eating enough during the day, and then they end up bingeing,” she says. If you restrict yourself all day, your body’s mechanisms for getting food will kick in, and you’re likely to find yourself bingeing late at night. It’s better to have smaller meals and snacks spread out over the course of the day.
The best way to maintain a healthy weight is to eat on a predictable food schedule, says Walter. If you eat regularly throughout the day, your body can anticipate that you will provide adequate nutrition for it. What’s more, she says, even if you’re trying to lose weight, make a plan for how you’re going to include a variety of foods into your day, so you don’t feel deprived. For instance, can you have an Oreo after lunch? Will you have a scoop of ice cream when you go out with the kids on Saturday?
8. You overestimate your calorie burn.
According to Karp, what and how much you eat is more important than your exercise habits when trying to lose weight. He says that exercise is still the key to keeping the weight off because it increases the synthesis of mitochondria in muscles.
According to Karp, you will be able to burn fat and carbohydrates better if you exercise regularly. He states that most people who have successfully maintained long-term weight loss exercise as part of their weight loss strategy.
According to Gorin, exercise isn’t a punishment for eating; it’s a celebration of what your body can do. It’s better to find ways to enjoy the physical activity so that you stick to a routine, as a small study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests.
9. You’re at a healthy weight and your body is “keeping” you from dropping any more.
I know it’s hard when your body isn’t where you want it to be, but sometimes it’s exactly where it’s supposed to be. The natural bodybuilder who dropped from 14.8% body fat to 4.5% also dropped his metabolic rate, body temperature, heart rate, testosterone levels, and moodiness. Women deposit fat differently than men and need some body fat for optimum fertility and health. Instead of fixating on a few extra percentage points of body fat, focus on how good you’re feeling, how your health issues have cleared up, and how much you enjoy movement. To alter your body composition, focus on adding muscle mass through lifting and sprinting rather than subtracting body fat.
One last thing to remember: I’m not saying that eating too few calories, exercising too much, or focusing too much on dieting to the exclusion of everything else will make you gain weight. I’m saying that it can lead to or make weight loss harder. It’s a small distinction but an important one.
