You’re exercising regularly and paying attention to your food intake, but the weight just won’t budge. You’re wondering what on earth are you doing wrong! Watch this video through and learn the 10 common reasons why you’re NOT losing weight!

 

1. Your expectations are unrealistic

I’ve been receiving too many comments asking me how can I lose 10kgs within a month or even a week. My reply is, look, it didn’t take you 1 month to put on 10kgs, it probably took you over several months or even years for the weight to creep on, hence, it WILL take you time to lose the weight too!!

The safe and sustainable weight loss is between 1 – 2 pounds per week.

Sustainable weight loss: 1 – 2lbs per week 

So don’t set yourself unrealistic expectations because by doing that, you’re only setting yourself up for failure. You’d get frustrated when you don’t see results as quickly as you hope to.

If you have already lost some weight and you feel good about yourself, but the scale doesn’t seem to want to budge any further, then perhaps you should start working on accepting and loving your body the way it is.

Accept & love your body the way it is.

At some point, your weight is going to reach a healthy set point where your body feels comfortable. Trying to go beyond that is not healthy. So set yourself realistic and achievable goals.

 

2. You’re ARE losing without realizing it!

One important thing to remember is that our body weight fluctuates every single day! It can fluctuate up to 5 pounds in a day.

Our body weight can fluctuate up to 5lbs in a day!

So if you were to measure yourself in the morning, afternoon and evening, chances are, you’ll have 3 different measurements.

This is due to the amount of water in the body. Throughout the day, our body will hold on to fluids as we drink and eat. Hence that is the reason why we always feel lighter in the morning and heavy towards the evening.

Your weight lose progress shouldn’t just be measured by the number on the scale. That is in fact, the least most accurate way because what you really want to be losing is BODY FAT not just weight.

Lose BODY FAT %, not just weight!

We can be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time and this is especially common if you’ve just started exercising.

Gain muscle & lose fat at the same time.

So instead of stepping on the scale and allowing that number to determine how well you’re doing, take your body measurements and see how well your clothes fit you. If your clothes are fitting you better and you’ll feeling good but the scale isn’t showing that, well it just means that you’re losing body fat and gaining muscles, and that’s a great thing, you shouldn’t be worried about it.

 

3. You’re binging on healthy food

I’m sure you’ve seen this phrase “Guilt-Free Treats” ever so often nowadays. A lot of us, tend to have the mindset that just because a food is categorized as “healthy”, that gives us the permission to eat as much as we want, because hey, it’s good for you and will do no harm.

But what you might fail to realise is that one slice of healthy raw cake might have the same amount of calories as a slice of chocolate cake. Yes, they are healthier and your body will benefit from it but that doesn’t mean you can help yourself to several servings and fool yourself into thinking that it won’t affect your weight loss progress!

It’s important to remember that even if something is healthy, the calories still count! So enjoy your treats in moderation. =)

 

4. You’ve have been doing the same thing over and over again.

If you’ve been on the same routine and losing weight for many months and you’ve hit a plateau, then perhaps you just need to take a break! Take a break!

Break your workout routine, break you “diet”. Eat slightly more than you’re used to, sleep more, trying new activities and just take it easy.

The more you’re stressed out about not losing weight, the harder it is for you to progress. So instead of just focusing on the end goal, it’s important to have fun and enjoy the journey.

 

5. You’re not drinking enough water

Ask yourself, Are you drinking between 2.5 – 3L of water every day? Drinking enough water is so easy to forget, but it’s critical to your weight loss success. If you’re dehydrated, both your workouts and progress will suffer.

Oftentimes, we think we are hungry, but we’re really just thirsty. So the next time you feel hungry, instead grabbing some snacks, drink water first to see whether you’re truly hungry or just dehydrated.

Are you truly hungry or just dehydrated?

Drinking water before having a meal can also make you feel fuller, as a result reducing the amount of food you eat.

Drink water before a meal to feel fuller & eat less.

 

6. You’re drinking your calories.

Are you one of those people who enjoy your fruit juices, soda drinks, fancy coffee or even alcohol? Liquid calories in just about any form are “sneaky calories”.

Liquid Calories = Sneaky Calories

Those drinks are loaded with calories and some might even contain more calories that a proper meal.

If you start counting how much calories you consume from fluid, you might be surprised that it can add up to 400 – 500 a day! Just by reducing on fancy drinks, and drinking more water, you will start to see the weight shifting.

 

7. You’re not lifting weights

Are you a “cardio bunny”? If so, chances are you look “skinny-fat” with no muscle tone. It’s time to lift some weights. Weight lifting can help you build and maintain muscle mass, and prevent metabolic slowdown. 

When you only do cardio, you burn fat only during the workout and it stops shortly after the workout. If you include strength training, you increase your metabolic rate and your body continues to burn fat after the workout even while at rest. This is also known as the afterburn effect, which can speed up weight loss.

“Afterburn” effect – your body continues to burn fat AFTER the workout, even while at rest!

 

8. You’re overwhelmed

Ask yourself, are you constantly on the go? Do you struggle to even breathe properly or are there issues that you have to deal with? Whatever the reason for your stress, it can be the underlying cause of your weight loss struggle, especially weight around the belly area.

Stress can be the underlying cause of your weight loss struggle, especially weight around the belly area.

That’s because of the stress hormone called “cortisol”, which makes your body hold onto fat. Cortisol causes the body to hold onto fat.

So if you’re someone who’s every discipline in your workout and even food intake, but you struggle to lose belly fat, try taking a look at your overall lifestyle. What’s your stress level like? 

Even if it means taking 10 mins in the evening to wind down, it would have a tremendous result on your fitness progress. What I like to do after a long hectic day is to light up scented candles and reflect on the positive things before going to bed. I sleep better and wake up feeling positive and energized.

 

9. You’re not getting enough sleep

Another stress-related problem is lack of sleep. When you do not get enough of rest, your hormones go crazy, boosting the levels of the ghrelin, which increases your appetite.

High Ghrelin = High Appetite

You’re basically putting your body into carb and fat craving survival mode.

Your metabolism slows down because your body is trying to maintain its resources, at the same time it wants more food. That’s also when the late night snacking starts to take over just to keep you awake.

CARB and FAT craving survival mode

Metabolic rate slows down

Body wants more food

Late night snacking takes over

 

10. You’re too focused on “dieting”

If there’s one thing you can do now, is to ditch the word “dieting”. When we think of “dieting”, it’s often associated to restriction, short term and unsustainable regimes. Most people who have the “dieting” mindset tend to gain more weight over time.

“Dieting” = Restriction. Short Term. Unsustainable.

Ditch “dieting”, focus on Healthy Eating

So ditch “dieting” and change that to “healthy eating” instead. Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it, and let weight loss follow as a natural side effect. Our goal primarily is to become a fitter, healthier and happier person from the inside and out.

Fitter. Healthier. Happier

So I hope this video will help you to take another look at your fitness journey. Instead of just solely focusing on the number on the scale or chasing our goals, it’s really important for you to enjoy the journey.