15 Reasons Why You’re Working Out But Still Not Losing Weight

Losing weight is never easy, especially because you need to change so many bad habits and turn them into healthy ones, all of that while you are expected to go on with your usual everyday activities. So it is easy to make mistakes that will harm the results of this process. If you are reading today's article, that means that you have been making mistakes on your own, but you are not aware of what mistakes could be. Let's discuss some of the most common factors that can harm your weight loss results.

Reasons why working out does not help you lose weight 

• You do not include weight lifting in your workout

You may wonder why would you want to add weight lifting when your goal is to lose weight, not strengthen your muscles. Well, did you know that weight lifting is considered to be one of the best ways to lose weight and build strong, lean muscles in the process as well? 

Make sure that you do at least 2-3 times of weight lifting a week. If you have never lifted weights before, then you might want to try and use your own weight at the beginning. Try exercises such as squats and push-ups to give you the idea of what weight lifting is and how to do it, before you proceed to include any actual weights in the process (1).

• You are eating too little protein

When you try to lose weight, you have to think of all the ways that you can use to introduce more protein in your diet. You see, protein is considered to be the most important nutrient in the weight loss process, which is why you have to seek clean protein for help.

A high protein diet has been proven to be able to boost your metabolism so that you would be able to shed more calories than even. In addition, a high protein meal, especially breakfast, will keep you feeling full and away from any empty calories throughout the day (2, 3). Include more chicken, fish, eggs, beef, tofu, and high-protein vegetables to increase your protein intake efficiently. 

• You are not sleeping enough

After a busy day spent working, cleaning the house, and now, working out at the gym, your body and mind deserve a good night of sleep. Getting enough sleep is important no matter what you do, but it is especially important when you are trying to lose weight. 

Not getting enough sleep exposes you to the risk of obesity. Plus, when you decide to stay up late in front of the TV, you are bound to end up binge eating and regretting it the next day. Tonight go to bed a bit early and get those 7 to 9 hours of rest that you know you deserve (4).

• You are eating too many carbs

If you want to lose weight, then you might want to consider following a low-carb diet. A low-carb diet is just what it seems to be – a diet with a restricted intake of carbs. The carbs that you will intake throughout the day need to be healthy carbs. 

By eating a low amount of carbs, you will allow your body a primary energy source in restricted levels, which after being used, will direct the body to continue using the stored fats as an energy source instead. By doing so, you will be finally able to shred those fats and get rid of what probably is the biggest trouble for most women – their belly fat. And all of that just by relying on a low-carb diet! In addition, a low-carb diet has been shown to reduce the cholesterol levels, the blood sugar levels, and help diabetics maintain better control over their insulin and blood sugar levels (5, 6).

• You are not working out enough

Sleeping in and following the right diet can only do so much, but still, you have to focus on working out in order to achieve the best weight loss results possible. 

Did you know that most fitness gurus recommend introducing at least 3 to 5 workout sessions during the week? Of course, you will need to include active rest days in between those workout sessions, but still, working out is the important factor here. There are millions of workouts that you can try in order to find the one that fits you and your schedule the best. Perhaps you can try hot yoga or Zumba to shred those extra body pounds, or maybe you will rely on lifting weights at the gym. Whatever you choose, it is important to stay active and keep moving!

• You are not drinking enough water

We cannot stress this enough – water is important and it is meant to be had on a regular level each day, day after day! Those eight glasses of water will help you shed those calories better and faster, and you will stay hydrated and healthy in the process. Water will help you reduce the number of calories that you intake and help the weight loss process efficiently (7, 8).

Drinking enough water is important every day, but now, that you are working out and sweating, losing all those liquids, you have to make sure to replace them by drinking fresh water on the go. Get yourself a nice water bottle and carry it wherever you go to make sure that you are always sipping water throughout the day. 

• You are drinking too much alcohol

So, you are going to the gym, you are eating all the right foods, you are drinking water, and you are sleeping in, and you still cannot lose those extra body pounds? Something is not right; is it not? Have you taken into consideration how much alcohol are you drinking each day? If you do, perhaps you will find out the answer to your question.

Excessive alcohol drinking is linked to a long list of health issues, including obesity. It is because most alcoholic drinks represent empty calories plus, they encourage binge eating afterward, which is in no way a thing to do when you are trying to lose weight (9). Remember, – moderate drinking is acceptable, but heavy drinking is definitely not, and you should never let it be a part of your lifestyle. 

• You are struggling with stress

Stress does nothing good to our bodies, and yet, we are letting it harm our bodies and minds day after day. Stress also harms your weight loss process, although you might not be aware of it.

Being under a lot of stress increases the risk of overeating, especially emotional eating. It is the stress hormone – cortisol that has these multiple negative effects on our health, including the weight loss process (10). To prevent it from doing all of the harm that it normally does, by practicing some effective relaxation techniques that will allow you to relax and breathe, allowing your weight loss process to go unharmed. 

• You set unrealistic weight-loss goals

Weight loss requires patience, time, and motivation – things that a lot of people tend to lose during the process itself. It also requires realistic goals that will guide you throughout this period and motivate you to put even more energy into this project of yours. 

A healthy weight loss is defined as losing no more than 1-2 pounds per week so you cannot really imagine that you would lose around 10 pounds per month (11). That, of course, is manageable, but it will not be a healthy weight loss, and you should never be interested in anything but a healthy way to lose those extra body pounds and of course, not gain them in the future again. 

• You are struggling with an underlying health issue

Perhaps you are going through this list of ours, and you are checking things as you go. Perhaps you are doing everything right and still, there are no results. Let us ask you this – Are you perhaps dealing with an underlying health issue that you do not know about? How about checking in with your doctor for a quick visit, just to make sure that everything is okay?

There are multiple health issues that can be linked to weight gain and which might be the reason why you are not losing weight when you should. Hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, and kidney disease are the perfect examples of health issues that are usually causing unexplained weight gain to happen. These are also health issues that need to be taken care of as soon as possible, so do not avoid that checkup at your doctor's.

• You are drinking your calories

Losing weight can be tricky if you do not know how to do it right. When losing weight, you would like to stay away from any empty calories that you can stumble upon. Any energy drinks, sugary drinks, and even smoothies would not be the best thing to include in your diet.

We all love smoothies, but the thing is, instead of drinking your calories, you can be eating them and allow them to keep you full and satisfied in the longer run. As for all of those empty calories, instead of drinking them, you can use the opportunity to actually eat those calories in the form of delicious foods, fresh fruits and veggies, and tasty snacks and still manage to lose weight.

• You are skipping on eating fiber

Skipping fiber is one of the biggest mistakes that anyone can make while trying to lose weight. Fiber, like protein, is quite important for the weight loss process, and let us tell you why.

There are two types of fiber – insoluble and soluble fiber, and you need them both in your diet if you are serious about losing weight. The insoluble fiber will help support healthy bowel movement while the soluble fiber will mix with water, forming a gel-like substance that will slow down the emptying of the stomach. By doing so, fiber will help reduce the feelings of hunger and the number of calories that you intake, thus supporting the weight loss process (12, 13).

• You are struggling with binge eating

Binge eating is a sign that your mind is struggling, most commonly with too much stress. Binge eating is never a good thing, even when you are binge eating healthy foods such as fruits and whole foods. 

Remember – the calories still count and you need to respect the calorie deficit to support the effective weight loss that you would like to happen. Because of that, we would recommend asking for help to overcome binge eating and with that, improve your general physical and mental health. 

• You stay away from cardio

Cardio can be a bit frustrating, especially for a beginner. But that is not an excuse to skip it. Skipping cardio is what will keep you away from those weight loss results that you have been dreaming about and will only make this a more difficult experience for you. 

Cardio is one of the best workouts that you can do to not only strengthen your heart but also shred those calories and get rid of that belly fat that has brought nothing but feelings of shame in your life (14).

• You eat too many calories

Losing weight is all about a calorie deficit that will bring the results that you have been waiting for. Although it is not necessary that you count every single calorie in your diet, it is a good thing to keep a rough track of how many calories you have been eating per day. This will help you to reach small goals such as introducing more proteins and fewer carbs in your diet, which will reflect positively on your weight loss journey.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of easily-made mistakes that can harm the results that you have been waiting for. From not getting enough sleep, eating too little or too much, to not drinking enough water or simply drinking too much alcohol – there are millions of things that can go wrong. Today we have discussed 15 important things to keep in mind that can harm your weight loss results as a way to ensure the best results possible for your body and mind!

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