Common Reasons for Not Losing Weight

When you lose weight, your body fights back.

You may be able to lose quite a lot of weight at first, without much effort. However, weight loss may slow down or stop altogether after a while.

This article lists some common reasons why you're not losing weight. It also contains actionable tips on how to break through the plateau and get things moving again.

Maybe You Are Losing Without Realising It

If you think you are experiencing a weight loss plateau, you shouldn't fret just yet.

It is incredibly common for the scale not to budge for a few days (or weeks) at a time. This does not mean that you are not losing fat.

Body weight tends to fluctuate by a few pounds. It depends on the foods you are eating, and hormones can also have a major effect on how much water your body retains (especially in women).

Also, it is possible to gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat. This is particularly common if you recently started exercising.

This is a good thing, as what you really want to lose is body fat, not just weight.

It is a good idea to use something other than the scale to gauge your progress. For example, measure your waist circumference and body fat percentage once per month.

Also, how well your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror can be very telling.

Unless your weight has been stuck at the same point for more than 1-2 weeks, you probably don't need to worry about anything

You're Not Eating Enough Protein

Protein is the single most important nutrient for losing weight.

Eating protein at 25 - 30% of calories can boost metabolism by 80 - 100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. It can also drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking. This is partly mediated by protein's effects on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and others.

A high protein intake also helps prevent metabolic slowdown, a common side effect of losing weight. Additionally, it helps prevent weight regain.

You're Not Eating Whole Foods

Food quality is just as important as quantity. Eating healthy foods can improve your wellbeing and help regulate your appetite. These foods tend to be much more filling than their processed counterparts.

Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as "health foods" aren't really healthy. Stick to whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible.

You're Binge Eating (Even on Healthy Food)

Binge eating is a common side effect of dieting. It involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs. This is a significant problem for many dieters. Some of them binge on junk food, while others binge on relatively healthy foods, including nuts, nut butters, dark chocolate, cheese, etc.

Even if something is healthy, its calories still count. Depending on the volume, a single binge can often ruin an entire week's worth of dieting.

You're Not Doing Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, is any type of exercise which increases your heart rate. It includes activities such as jogging, cycling and swimming.

It is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. It is also very effective at burning belly fat, the harmful "visceral" fat that builds up around your organs and causes disease.

You're Still Drinking Sugar

Sugary beverages are the most fattening items in the food supply. Your brain doesn't compensate for the calories in them by making you eat less of other foods. This isn't only true of sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi - it also applies to "healthier" beverages like Vitaminwater, which are also loaded with sugar.

Even fruit juices are problematic, and should not be consumed in large amounts. A single glass can contain a similar amount of sugar as several pieces of whole fruit.

You're Not Sleeping Well

Good sleep is one of the most important factors for your physical and mental health, as well as your weight.

Studies show that poor sleep is one of the single biggest risk factors for obesity. Adults and children with poor sleep have a 55% and 89% greater risk of becoming obese, respectively.

You're Not Cutting Back on Carbohydrates

If you have a lot of weight to lose and/or metabolic problems like type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, you may want to consider a low-carb diet. In short-term studies, this type of diet has been shown to cause up to 2-3 times as much weight loss as the standard "low-fat" diet that is often recommended.

Low-carb diets can also lead to improvements in many metabolic markers, such as triglycerides, "good" HDL cholesterol and blood sugar, to name a few.

You're Eating Too Often

It is a myth that everyone should be eating many small meals each day in order to boost metabolism and lose weight. Studies actually show that meal frequency has little or no effect on fat burning or weight loss.

You're Not Drinking Water

Drinking water can benefit weight loss. It has been shown to boost the number of calories burned by 24-30% over a period of 1.5 hours.

You're Drinking Too Much Alcohol

If you like alcohol but want to lose weight, it may be best to stick to spirits (like vodka) mixed with a zero-calorie beverage. Beer, wine and sugary alcoholic beverages are very high in calories. Also keep in mind that the alcohol itself has about 7 calories per gram, which is high.

You're Too Focused on Dieting

Diets almost never work in the long term. If anything, studies actually show that people who diet gain more weight over time. Instead of approaching weight loss from a dieting mindset, make it your primary goal to become a happier, healthier and fitter person.

Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it, and let weight loss follow as a natural side effect.