Not Losing Weight? Here are 5 Reasons why!

Before we jump into this, I want to clarify that weight loss is not indicative of your health. Now, you might be saying, "But Lindsay, I was told I need to lose weight to be healthy everyone says so." That is true, but only to an extent. In most cases, it is easier and more fashionable to say 'weight loss' instead of 'reduce your Fat percentage.' Weight takes into account EVERYTHING in your body, including muscle tissue and water content. In this blog post, I hope to help you understand "weight loss" and what might be happening that isn't giving you the number you want on the scale.

Ready, Set, Go!

1. Your Nutrition isn't quite right

You've heard me say it before, and this is probably not the last time you'll hear it: "NUTRITION IS KEY!" Eating healthy, whole foods is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle. If your body isn't getting the right amount of nutrients, it's not going to function its best. Another issue regarding nutrition is not eating enough food. If your body isn't receiving enough food to fuel itself, it can go into starvation mode and begin to break down muscle and store more fat. A well-balanced diet with plenty of whole food sources is the best way to get everything you need. But of course, make sure you speak with your doctor before making any dietary changes to ensure it is safe for you to do so.

2. Over Training

Exercise is a great way to improve your overall health, but there is such a thing as too much. Like anything in life, there is a limit on what is healthy and potentially damaging. Overtraining can cause a lot of stress on the body, which means an increase in cortisol: the stress hormone. This increase in cortisol can cause the body to store more fat. Some other things that may occur are your immunity will decrease, and your body will feel more exhausted than usual. This is pretty easy to avoid, though. The first step is when starting a new exercise regimen, make sure you talk to your doctor. Step two, start slow and take it easy until you get the hang of the movements being asked of you—step 3, Rest, rest, rest. Your body needs time to recover! The lesson to be learned here is just listening to your body; it knows what it can handle and what it can't.

3. Muscle Gain, Baby!

Have you ever heard the saying, "muscle weighs more than fat?" Well, it's not true, but it does take up less space in the body because it is denser than fat. Often when we are exercising more, especially if you are doing resistance work like weightlifting, you are building muscles. When we get on the scale, it can't differentiate whether the weight of your body is fat or muscle, it just knows that everything on the scale weighs a certain amount. If you are not seeing a difference on the scale, instead of getting frustrated and disappointed in yourself, take a step back. Ask yourself if you've noticed a difference in how your clothes fit or if you noticed a change in how you look in the mirror? An excellent way to track your progress is to either take your measurements (it is kind of like measuring yourself so you can buy a cute outfit) or take pictures of yourself. I recommend updating these forms of progress tracking every 4 weeks-ish so that way, you can see what results you are getting out of your current workout and make adjustments accordingly.

4. Variation is your friend

This one is pretty simple: you need variation in your workout regimen. We all know cardio can burn fat, but so can resistance work. Fun fact for you that might explain why this is important: 1lb of muscle burns around 6 calories daily while the body is resting. 1lb of Fat, on the other hand, burns 2-3 calories daily at rest. So, while cardio is helpful, I think we can all agree that it is time we hit the weights. Besides, who doesn't like to have nice looking biceps and lift heavy things, I know I do!

5. Sweet, Sweet dreams

Sleep?! Again?! Yes, I'm talking about sleep... again. Don't worry, I'll keep it short. Sleep and recovery, in general, are essential to seeing results. This point goes back to #2, overtraining. Your body needs to rest to repair the damage that has been made during exercise. Without that period of rest, these small damages don't get a chance to heal and can make your muscles more at risk for injury. By not allowing yourself to rest and recover, it can take a toll on your mental health as well. Waking up tired and sore day after day can really weigh on you and can take an enjoyable activity and make it unbearable. Listen to your body. If you need an extra day off, take it. If you need an extra minute between sets, take it. Your body will let you know when enough is enough.

Success is Subjective, Only YOU Know When YOU Have Truly Succeeded

Have you been making a lifestyle change and are loving your progress? Tell me about it! I would love to hear about all of it! You can comment your story on here, or you can share it with me on Instagram. Can't wait to hear from you soon! :)