10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight

The scale won’t budge. You feel like you’ve tried EVERYTHING but you aren’t losing weight. What gives?

I always say, weight loss is like a puzzle. You have to have all the pieces fit together just right to get the full picture!

1. Mindless eating. Every single bite counts. So when you nibble off your child’s plate, or mindlessly sit in front of the tv with a bag of popcorn, or take a bite of something here or there that you think is harmless, just remember that everything adds up. Always choose quality over quantity & limit fried and processed foods.
2. Drinking your calories.Soda, alcohol, coffee creamer, fruit juice…they all contain empty calories that have no benefit to your health.
3. Not enough H2O. Water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. In general, you should try to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day.
4. Poor nutrition. Exercising but not eating well? The saying is true: You can’t out exercise a bad diet. What you put into your body counts. You are what you eat! Don’t know where to start? I created a beginner’s guide to JumpStart Nutrition just for YOU or check out my post on Grocery Shopping Like a Fitness Pro.
5. You’re lazy or under challenged. Do you think good nutrition alone will take you to your ultimate goals? Sure you might lose weight this way initially but eventually you are gonna need to put in a little work and get moving to burn those extra calories. Start off slow by maybe exercising 1 or 2 days a week and then work your way up. Maybe walking isn’t cutting it. Ask yourself, “Could I really be doing more?” If you’ve been doing the same cardio or weight routine, switch it up! Try different reps, levels, inclines, machines, classes, etc. Your body gets used to what you are doing so you need to constantly challenge it to change! Check out my post about Cardio Mistakes that you could be making.
6. You are stressed out! Do you have a high stress job or stress in your household? Chemical responses in the body from stress can bring weight loss to a halting grind. Try exercising, yoga, or meditation to help stress levels.
7. Not enough z’s. Less than seven hours of sleep per night can reduce and undo the benefits of dieting, so hit the hay earlier! Your body needs time to rest and recover.
8. Medical conditions. I’m not a doctor, but I’ve worked with a few clients whom we’ve tried a LOT of different things that weren’t working. Come to find out they had an underlying condition. Medications sometimes affect your weight also. When in doubt, go see your doctor.
9. Yoyo dieting. You’ve tried super low calorie, you’ve tried not eating carbs, you lose, you gain it back …..that’s called “yoyo dieting”. Essentially this screws with your metabolism and overtime that constant yoyo effect will slow down your metabolism making it even harder for you to lose the weight the next time. It may take some time to repair the damage and speed it back up. Stop with all the “diets”. Your best bet is to stick to a healthy diet and exercise that you can maintain for life.
10. You aren’t eating ENOUGH. Women automatically think they need to be at the 1200 calorie range. There are so many things wrong with this! While that may be a good range for one person, someone else with a completely different weight, height, muscle composition and activity level may have entirely different needs. And skipping meals sends a message to your body that it’s starving which means it’s going to store fat!

*You are gaining muscle! Ok this is an extra one but I couldn’t help it because this is an awesome reason not to be losing weight! If you are resistance training and putting on muscle, good for you! The more muscle you have the more calories you burn on a general basis! Sometimes you can’t always go by the scale alone. How you do FEEL, how are your clothes fitting?

So next time you feel like you can’t put your finger on why you aren’t losing weight, go through the checklist! Be honest with yourself!

And I’m always here to help if you need me! I can help you lose weight and customize nutrition and workout plans for your needs! http://www.lesleyleanne.com/programs

I know it’s not always easy getting started or sometimes we get started and need help along the way. I’m here for you! http://www.lesleyleanne.com/contact

Did you know that daily healthy habits lead to a healthy lifestyle? Get my FREE PDF Healthy Habits for Weight loss Checklist HERE!

As a mom who has lost 65 lbs post baby & a certified personal trainer, I love to help other women through my online coaching or blog.  By joining my mailing list I promise never to spam you, but only provide you with the latest tips from Lesley Leanne! I hope you will share your journey & connect with me!