Overeating

This is the most obvious and most honest reason. We may not notice it at times, but  the most common factor for weight gain or plateau is overeating. The formula is simple: calories in vs. calories out.

If you want to lose weight, consume less calories than what your body burns, so that the excess calories do not become stored fat. Unless you keep track of your calories each day, you are eating more than you think. At the same time, eating too many “healthy” foods also does not help in keeping the weight off. Switching from ice cream to a healthier option like yogurt does not mean that you can eat as much as you want. Portion control is still key. Also, be wary about the content of the foods you eat. While they’re rich in vitamins and minerals, some fruits are full of calories, carbs, and fructose sugar, so be mindful about not eating too much of it. Overeating can also happen to people who eat small portions. In the past, eating frequent, small portions of food throughout the day was advised for those looking to lose weight.

However, having more than five small meals a day has the same effect as eating a couple of big meals throughout the day. It’s also not advisable to skip meals as you are likely to binge on food later. Intermittent fasting may lead to great results, but consulting with a nutritionist can help you figure out the right schedule for doing so. Tracking the calories you consume can be especially difficult and complicated. 

Wrong diet

Aside from eating too much, eating the wrong foods or not eating enough of the right foods may also be a big factor in why you aren’t losing weight. Even if you’re consuming them in small portions, eating unhealthy foods still ends up making you gain weight.  Eating too much sugar and junk food, not eating enough fiber, or not eating enough vegetables are just some of the few reasons why people stall on their weight loss. A diet focused on whole, clean foods is a safe bet when trying to eat healthily.

Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein are shown to have better weight-loss results than processed foods like cereal, crackers, and pre-packaged meals. It’s also about striking the right balance. Too many carbs are not good, but cutting them entirely out of your diet makes you deprived of an essential nutrient that your body needs. Also, the lack of carbs tempts you to binge on more food.

Go for complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, oats, peas, beans, and whole-grain bread. At the same time, include enough protein into your diet as you want to lose fat but still gain muscle. With that said, lean protein sources such as chicken breast, white fish, and shellfishes are recommended as they tend to be lower in calories. Beef, pork, and even plant-based proteins such as nuts and seeds should be eaten in moderation, as they tend to be higher in calories.

Keeping track of the food you eat is essential to maximizing your weight loss. However, there are people who are intolerant of certain types of food. So, not all types of diet work for everyone. That is why it is very helpful to have a professional nutritionist to help you figure out what type of food you should be eating. Each body is different, and a nutritionist can help you figure out what works best for your body.

Little or No Exercise

Some people ask “why am I not losing weight” and yet do little to no exercise. However, it is an undeniable fact that weight loss involves the basic old formula of calories in and calories out. Regardless of whether you control your eating, with little to no exercise, your effort will go to waste. It is important to structure your exercise regimen according to the type of fitness goal you have, and having a fitness trainer may help you in doing so. Cardio is a basic exercise that you can start with. Low-intensity cardio like walking, when done for at least an hour every day, can do wonders for your health. However, only sticking with low-intensity cardio is not enough to shed off the weight, even if you do it often. Increasing the speed and power of your routine helps better with burning extra calories. With that said, doing too much cardio is also not good. When you overdo it, you tend to lose more muscle than fat. Incorporating weight training into your exercise formula may do you better than just cardio alone.

Building muscle mass is also an important aspect of weight loss, as having more muscles means your body will need to burn more calories, thus resulting in weight loss. These types of exercises are also advisable for people with a low metabolism to help them burn more calories.Exercise can help you burn more calories which can significantly affect how much weight you lose. However, it is difficult to determine which workout works for you. Especially if you are a beginner, you run the risk of not doing enough or overworking your body. That’s why it is vital to have an expert like a fitness trainer to guide you through the exercises you should be doing. It takes away the trial and error stage of your journey, maximizing your weight loss in a healthy and safe way.

Hitting a Plateau

By the time you are asking yourself  “why am I not losing weight?”, you might already have experienced a weight-loss plateau. It is common to stop losing weight after steadily dropping a few kilograms for several weeks or months; it means you’ve plateaued.

There are several reasons for the weight-loss plateau. It might be because you are doing the same workout routine. Your body needs to be challenged to further your weight loss, so changing up your workout regimen every four to six weeks is advised. Also, you might be consuming less calories than you normally need. If your body doesn’t have enough calories to fuel an active lifestyle, it will conserve the extra weight rather than burning them. As your body adapts to your workout regimen and diet, the weight loss progress slows down or even stops. Don’t lose hope as there are ways to break out of a weight-loss plateau. It helps to seek professional advice to know how to redirect your weight loss plan to get good results again.

Undergoing Stress

Stress plays a huge role in your weight. Stress induces the steroid hormone called cortisol. Cortisol heightens your appetite for “comfort foods” that are high in sugar and fat. That’s why when you’re stressed, you have the tendency to overeat. As a storing hormone, cortisol also accumulates excess calories in the belly section. Lowering or managing your stress properly can significantly impact your weight loss, especially when it comes to belly fat. Exercise is another great way to manage stress. Though stress cannot be eliminated from our daily lives, you can manage it through different ways like going to the spa, doing yoga, or meditating. Exercise is another great way to manage stress. Even simple low-impact cardio can help ease your stress level. Moreover, when we talk about stress, we’re also talking about the strain you put on your body.

Exercise is a stressor on the body, and overexerting yourself does not do you any favor. It’s important to give your body ample time to recover from an intense workout. Not doing so can also produce an excessive amount of cortisol in your body.“Why am I not losing weight?” is already a stressful question to ask yourself, and you don’t want to add to that. Starting a weight loss journey can also be a stressful thing to embark on. As mentioned, there’s a lot of trial and error when you don’t know what to do and you end up feeling frustrated when you’re not seeing any results. Being part of a holistic weight loss program may help guide you in the right direction when it comes to losing weight.

Not Getting Enough sleep

One factor that people tend to overlook when it comes to weight loss is sleep. Inadequate sleep not only affects you mentally but can also affect you physiologically. Having a disrupted sleep pattern is found to have a link to gaining weight. At worse, people who consistently have poor sleeping patterns are at higher risk of being obese. Lack of sleep induces the overproduction of the hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for making you feel hungry, thus causing people to binge eat. The more times you lose sleep, the more hungry you feel, even when you are not. Also, the lack of sleep affects the secretion of cortisol, which regulates your appetite and stores excess fat in your body.

Sleep deprivation also makes you feel cranky and irritable, which then causes more stress. Getting enough sleep also gives your body the chance to repair and relax, thus lowering your stress levels as well. Getting enough sleep also gives your body the chance to repair and relax, thus lowering your stress levels as well.

Being vigilant about the said factors is important to ensure that you are on top of your weight loss journey. It also helps to have professionals guide you through the process and help you stay on track. At the end of the day, weight loss is about changing your lifestyle and becoming a more healthy person in all aspects of your life.