Can’t Lose Weight In Spite of Following a Diet and Exercising? Here are Some Possible Reasons

Not losing weight despite putting in the hard work or trying hard at the least, sucks. We know that feeling, and we’ll let you in on a secret – it takes time, and sometimes a change in your weight loss strategy. Here’s what you need to know.

Why You Might Not Lose Weight Even after Trying So Hard?

You may not lose weight for some reasons. But for now, here’s what you should know about the whys behind not dropping those pounds-

1. You’re Not Staying Hydrated

Water flushes out the toxins and prevents excess fat accumulation in your body. It clears out your stomach, intestines, and leaves you feeling refreshed. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of not drinking enough water according to their body’s requirements and fall low on the intake. Drinking enough water also makes sure you don’t overload on those calories and stay on track.

2. You’re Not Counting Calories

Are you eating a ton of diet foods, snacks, and drinks wondering why the heck you aren’t losing weight? Despite the healthy change, here’s the dealbreaker – those aren’t natural foods. Some of them have hidden calories, added sugar, and artificial additives. All this screeches your weight loss journey to a halt when you start taking a lot of that into your body.

If you have trouble tracking your calories, you can try using portion control containers. Those help you measure your portion sizes without doing that mental number crunching. Not tracking your calories is one of the biggest reasons for not losing weight. Period.

3. You’re Eating Junk

If you’re tracking your calories but eating junk despite that, that is another reason. Junk foods have sugars, and the oils in processed foods get stored as fats. There’s a lot more in junk foods besides oils and fats, but the main lesson here is – you have to start eating clean to see results.

Yes, your body does need calories, but it needs nutrients too to function correctly.

Skip the deep dish pizzas and start by eating more fruits and vegetables. For protein, go for grass-fed lean meats and nut butter. There are a lot of options for healthy eating out in the world, and you don’t have to feel deprived when making the switch.

4. You Skip Meals

If you’re skipping meals and asking “Why Can I Not Lose Weight Anymore?” – you have your answer.

Skipping meals lowers your metabolism, and you need your metabolism to keep running so that it digests food, burns those calories, and not store away the things you eat as fats. You should be eating 3 meals a day with 2 snacking sessions so that your metabolism runs smooth and you burn fat. Plus, you won’t get cravings that way, and you’ll feel a lot better.

5. You Skip Sleep

Sleep is for the strong, not the weak. When you skip sleep, you throw your metabolism out of whack. You feel sluggish, tired, groggy, and your motivation to workout or exercise wanes. The result?

You start moving lesser and lesser and become a couch potato who has insomnia. That’s not good for your health long-term. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to weight gain, so if you keep doing this a lot, you’ll reverse the work you put in.

The solution? Stick to a sleep schedule and make sure to get that 7 to 8 hours of shuteye during the night.

6. Cheat Meals

It’s okay to reward yourself with cheat meals once a week or two times a month but if you end up consuming 20k calories and go on a binge session – well, you won’t lose weight. That’s the brutal truth. You have to keep your calories in check and skip the sugar.

Sugar gets stored as fat and loads up on your thighs, hips, and belly. Next time you go for a cheat meal, make sure you make it a reasonable meal and not a feast.

7. Prescription Drugs

If you take a lot of painkillers or medications related to treating Alzheimer’s, mood and memory issues, depression, etc., that could be the reason you’re not losing weight. Certain medications sometimes interfere with the body’s natural metabolism and lead to water retention, thus causing weight gain. They also induce hunger pangs.

A 2010 publication by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry revealed that certain drugs like amitriptyline, mirtazapine, and paroxetine lead to weight gain. If you can’t stop taking those medications, you can start by lowering the dosages or spreading them out throughout the day. Or ask your doctor or therapist to prescribe you some alternatives.

8. You’re Not Exercising Right

If you’re exercising and sticking to your diet religiously but still not losing weight – you’re probably not exercising right. Focus on strength training and do HIIT two to three times a week. Practice your form and don’t rush through the workouts. Lifting weights have been shown to rev up your metabolism too.

You want to make sure you hit those reps correctly and not do a sloppy job because sloppy work translates to poor results, which in this case is minimal weight loss and negligible muscle gain.

And for those of who you are exercising right and still not seeing results – it could be that you’re burning fat and gaining muscle. In this case, measure your waist circumference and see how you fit into your old clothes. If the scale is not tipping in your favour, don’t worry. You’re burning fat alright, but it’s going to take some more time to show up.

9. You Have Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a medical condition where the thyroid gland is termed underactive. Your thyroid gland is responsible for your metabolism since it secretes fat-burning hormones. When it becomes underactive, you end up losing very little weight but see yourself piling up the pounds quickly. You can talk to a doctor or nutritionist and see how you can optimise your diet to reverse this or treat this condition.

10. You’re Chronically Stressed

Too much stress releases cortisol which boosts your appetite and makes you eat more. It’s a fight-or-flight response or a famine-and-feast tactic. You start craving sugary foods and drinks, skip workouts, and stay in bed most of the time. Stress can lead to depression, a lack of zest for life, insomnia, and a lot more.

The easiest way to start reducing stress is by changing your diet, your mindset, and by practising relaxation techniques. You have to train your body to relax and let go instead of training it to get stressed out more and push through. This is also the part where we like to talk about meditation and mindfulness. Mindfulness therapy and meditation are known to be grounding activities and shift you into the present.

They say: change your mindset, change your life. Although we agree, we also think changing your mindset will lead to changing your diet, workouts, and physique. Fitness and weight loss are mostly mental, and yes, you do have to put in the effort to reap the benefits.

However, sometimes people make mistakes or do things the wrong way. And that’s precisely why we’ve outlined the above things on what not to do. Don’t go to extremes. Eat healthily, learn to relax, and be consistent in your daily routine. And before you know it, you’ll notice those pounds dropping steadily.

Also Read:

How to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise
Best Fat Burning Foods for a Weight Loss
Ways for Effective Weight Loss