Struggling with getting that number on the scale to budge? You are not alone! Most of us have struggled with trying to lose those unwanted pounds with little success and like many of us there is likely a reason why you can’t seem to shed those pounds.
Here are 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight
Sleep
Are you skipping out on those zzz’s? This could be a big reasons for not losing weight, this may be due to lack of physical activity throughout the day because youa re simply to tired or from being awake for longer time periods, meaning your eating window is longer than those sleeping more at night.
In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who slept 5 hours or less per night had a 15 percent higher risk of becoming obese, compared to women who slept 7 hours per night. Short sleepers also had 30 percent higher risk of gaining 30 pounds over the course of the study, compared to women who got 7 hours of sleep per night. – Harvard University
Stress
Feeling stressed causing increased levels of cortisol which in turn can lead to increased appetite and extra fat storage around the mid section. Checkout our article on stress from work life to learn more about how stress can impact the body.
Over Eating
Sad, but so, if you are over eating you will inevitable gain weight or make it difficult to lose those unwanted pounds.
Improper Nutrition
So you may not be over eating, but are you getting the right foods? Nutrient dense foods (whole natural foods) will fill you up much more than heavily processed foods with a high carb/sugar content. Take a look at your diet, are you eating mainly whole natural foods? Learn more about following a whole food diet here.
Activity
Is your diet on point and you are still not losing weight? It might be time to step back and take a look at your activity level. The reality is that most of us are simply not very active. We sit all day at work. We sit in our car during our commute to work. We come home from work and sit on the couch before heading to bed. That is a lot of inactivity! Aiming to move more can drastically improve your overall health as well as helping that number on the scale to move in the right direction.
Exercise
HIIT (high intensity interval training) and strength training are highly effective ways to help shed pounds. You can learn more about these types of exercises by checking out HIIT-What to Expect and Fitness Basics.
Time
So, you are hitting the gym, moving more, but still are not seeing the results you want. Well, in that case stop to consider what time of day you are working out. Hitting the gym naturally raises our cortisol levels (stress hormones), while this is type of stress is good it can actually effect us negatively if it is being released at the wrong time of day. Meaning, having increased cortisol levels in the evening may actually impact our sleep quality (refer back up to how sleep effects weight loss) which in turn may effect weight loss.
Water
Many times when we think we are hungry, we are really just thirsty! You should generally be aiming to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. This number can vary and you may need to actually drink more water than this especially if it’s hot out and/or if you have worked out. Easy way to ensure you are drinking enough water is to get a water bottle, know how many ounces are in it and aim to drink “x” number of bottles each day.
Plateau
The dreaded plateau. The dreaded wall. The point in which your body is simply not changing the way we want anymore. The answer? Mix it up! Variety is the spice of life and our bodies can pretty much adapt to any conditions, so if you have hit a plateau do something different! Try a different type of workout, try intermittent fasting, mix it up!
Happy Weight
Not losing weight anymore? You may have actually hit your body’s natural happy weight! While the scale may not be changing anymore you may notice gains in other areas such as looking more toned, being able to lift heavier, increased cardiovascular performance, etc. There are many non scale victories, so try not to become obsessed with what the scale is telling you.
Remember, numbers do not define you. The scale is just a number. How you feel is so much more valuable than what any scale will tell you.
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https://edgeofwellness.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-trying-to-lose-weight/
https://edgeofwellness.com/track-fitness-weight-loss-progress/
https://edgeofwellness.com/body-weight-planner/