There are many reasons why you may not be losing body fat. Perhaps you are stressed at work or home, and as a result, cannot get enough sleep. Maybe you have trouble controlling your cravings and cannot stop digging into a pint of ice cream every other night (as you tell yourself, “It’s OK, I’ll just have an extra hard work out tomorrow” to justify the binge.)
Whether you are just beginning your weight loss journey or trying to drop those last five pounds, getting rid of excess body fat can be a challenge even if you do not have added stress. As we mentioned, there are tons of reasons why you might be holding onto some flab, but our checklist below is usually behind the slow progress.
Let us go down the checklist and see if we can identify some of these problems. Sometimes it is a simple fix like getting rid of all the junk food in your cabinet, and other times it might require a lifestyle overhaul. Either way, we guarantee that you are guaranteed to have a slimmer body if you stop doing these ten things.
Make sure you are doing your very best at controlling these so you can optimize your results and get the lean body you have been working for faster than ever.
There are many reasons why you may not be losing body fat – let us review what reasons why you are not losing any weight:
- You are eating too much
This should be obvious to most people by now. Most people do not know how many macros (protein, carbs, fat) come with their food and measure it out by sight. They believe what you see is what you probably get but do not consider simple things like sauces that add calories to the food.
Sometimes you think you are making a healthy choice by ordering a salad at the airport or your favorite restaurant, but you could be getting a 600-calorie meal without even realizing it. It would be best if you were not consuming more calories than what you are using because this will, over time, add unwanted weight and inches to your body.
- Not eating enough protein
Protein has a lot more functions than repairing and growing muscle tissue. It is mainly women who do not follow this rule, but there are some guys out there. Protein increases satiety at meals, which can lead to overall decreased calorie consumption.
- Drinking too many meals
Convenience is a huge factor, so many decisions that shake are the best route for them. When you want to get ripped, it is always better to chew as many of your calories as possible.
The very act of chewing and digesting solid food burns more calories than drinking shakes does. Of course, you should avoid drinking sodas that contain high amounts of sugar as they too will increase your caloric intake for the day. And regular diet soda consumption has been shown to lead to caloric over-indulgences elsewhere.
- You think you are eating healthy
How many times have you heard that eating fruits or nuts is excellent for you? Well, technically, they are fantastic for you as the omegas in nuts and seeds and the micronutrients and Phytogenic that come with fruit are great for your health. But guess what? In excess, they carry sugars and higher calories than you think. Remember, one gram of fat contains nine calories.
When you pick up some almonds and start snacking on them most of the time, you do not measure them. You estimate what an ounce or gram looks like (if you calculate at all). Don’t get carried away as these seeds and nuts are a high-density source of calories and could jack up your total for the day.
- You are not training intense enough
As you become better trained, you need to start pushing your body harder to elicit the same results. It would help if you tried yourself hard at the gym every time you create a demand for your body to have to use its energy to move beyond it is max.
Journaling can help you avoid the inevitable plateaus that come with regular, repetitive training. Challenge yourself to do more work in less time, more weight for the same number of reps, etc.
- Too much cardio
So many people spend countless hours doing cardio and yet still achieve no results. Excessive amounts of cardio (we are talking 45-60 minutes on the treadmill followed by 15-20 minutes of pumping iron). Lead to an overproduction of cortisol, which leads to more abdominal fat and numerous health problems.
Start with one or two sessions per week, add time to each session, throw in an extra interval, or add a cardio workout if results start to slow.
- Not managing your stress
When you get stressed out, your body produces a hormone known as cortisol. This increases the storage of body fat if it is not controlled. Most people are stressed out all day long, which means their cortisol levels are always high. That leads to an increase in body fat even if their diet and training are perfect.
- Lack of sleep and rest
Going back to the previous post about stress, lack of sleep, and rest will raise cortisol levels, and your body will never fully recover.
When you are short on sleep, your insulin sensitivity decreases, which means that your body is more likely to store fat, and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to a less-than-optimal fat loss environment. Make it a priority in your lifestyle to get more sleep! Studies show that getting at least seven straight hours is optimal.
- Not drinking enough water
Did you know that drinking water helps boost your metabolism, cleanses your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant? Your body requires water for all its metabolic processes and functions. A well-hydrated body will function towards fat loss faster and more efficiently.
- No consistency
You would think this is a clear one, but consistency is the glue that holds the previous nine reasons together. If you are not consistent with your lifestyle and your fat loss goals, your body will not change on its own.
It would help if you were consistent with all the nine points mentioned previously to achieve your dream body.
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