When you improve your eating habits and add in exercise and the scale still doesn't seem to budge, it can be super frustrating.
And that growing frustration may leave you wondering what exactly it is that you're doing wrong, or worse, wanting to give up all together.
The truth is even when you think you're doing all-the-things, much of what we do each day is on autopilot, which means there may be some sneaky habits in there that we simply aren't all that aware of. This is what makes taking a step back to assess your day-to-day habits so powerful, especially before you decide to make big sweeping changes.
Because I promise you, dropping your calories crazy low, cutting out food groups, and ramping up the cardio is NOT the answer. Deprivation and restriction can only last so long, which means any results you might achieve through drastic measures won't last long.
But when you take a step back, assess the big picture, then you act with more confidence and clarity.
The top 6 reasons weight loss might not be happening:
Reason #1 : You underestimate how much you're actually consuming.
Spend a week tracking your food and beverage intakes and you might be surprised to find you're actually consuming more than you think. Documenting your daily food habits can be a simple yet powerful way to show just how much (and of what) you're consuming. We often think "I've only had a bite of this" or "a sip or two of that" when in fact we've enjoyed a few handfuls, not just a few bites.
From misjudged portion sizes to assuming how much you've consumed in food and beverages during the week, it's easy to suddenly find you're actually overeating in some areas, while potentially under eating in others. So my recommendation is to track for one week, then look at the averages.
Why one week? Because one or two days typically isn't enough data to tell you all that much. Whereas a week's worth of data can show you patterns and give you a better idea as to nutrients you might be skimping on (or getting too much of). And when you can see the story the data tells you, such as the days I skip lunch I overeat at night, or the days I reach for sugar, I carb load the rest of the night, well it's much easier to make meaningful changes.
Reason #2: You overestimate how hard you're actually working.
You exercise several days a week, and more often than not you break a sweat, so you must be working hard, right? Rather than relying on sweat equity alone, measuring your effort by noting if your physical activity is putting you 1) in your body's active heart rate zone (a range based on your current age and activity level), and 2) how frequently that's happening, are key.
When it comes to your body's active heart rate zone, you can click here to learn more about calculating yours. Then begin to track your heart rate during exercise, are you in the zone? How frequently and how long are you typically in that zone? This will tell you if you need to up the intensity of your exercise, such as picking up the pace of your walk, to bring you into that active heart rate zone.
In regards to how often you exercise, The American Heart Association physical activity guidelines for adults are to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (that's about 20 minutes each day) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity each week (or a combination of both), with strength building activity (such as resistance or weights) at least 2 days per week. If you know that your weekly activity level already falls under the recommendation, then adding on more structured activity during the week is a great place to start.
Reason #3: You're sitting too much.
Research shows that sitting at your desk for hours and hours throughout the day, week to week increases your risk for chronic disease and weight gain -- regardless of one's structured physical activity during the week.
Which basically means that hitting the gym for an hour doesn't negate the damage done from sitting at a desk for eight hours straight five days a week. Your body needs movement, not just in the morning or at night, but throughout the day for optimal health.
So what can you do? Aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Some simple ways to add more movement to your day are:
Walk to the furthest bathroom
Take a walk on your lunch break
Pace or walk while you’re on the phone
10,000 steps a day may sound like a lot, but when you take it one step at a time, you'll be surprised by just how quickly those steps can add up! In fact, just a one mile walk each day averages about 2,000 steps!
Reason #4: Your food and fitness are out of balance.
As I often remind my clients, "You can't outrun your fork." After your nutrition is in line, adding exercise to your weight loss plan can be a great way to boost your results and maximize your efforts. But if your food habits are out of whack, your nutrition is unbalanced, and your sleep and hydration are not on point, then adding exercise to your routine could be having the opposite effect.
Challenge number one: your body needs each of the essential macronutrients to function healthily: Protein, Carbs and Fats. If you're strength training and not getting enough protein it's going to be nearly impossible to build (and maintain) muscle, if you're working out 5+ days a week and not consuming enough carbs it's going to be hard for your body to have enough energy to keep up, and if you're eating too much fat and not getting enough protein and carbs, well it's simply making weight loss that much harder. Bottom line, your body needs the right balance of nutrients to support healthy muscle, energy, and fat loss.
Challenge number two: while it's true that in order to promote weight loss, your body must be in a slight calorie deficit (ie, burn more than you consume), if that deficit is to severe, and then you add on exercise, it can create the perfect storm for injury, increased cortisol and the body holding on to (not burning) fat. Bottom line, if you're asking your body to work, it's important to give it the nutrients it needs to do the job.
Reason #5: You're still doing the same fitness routine.
If you've been doing the same workouts, day after day for months, it's probably time to mix it up. Your body is built to adapt. And that's a beautiful and wonderful thing when it's building muscle and cardio endurance. But it's also why those bicep curls that felt incredibly hard after several weeks feel much easier, or that brisk pace that used to leave you short on breath you can now easily hold a conversation through.
When you're doing the same physical activity over and over and at the same intensity, your body becomes more efficient at doing it. Which means you won't have to work as hard and your heart rate naturally lowers while doing it. This is why elite athletes have resting heart rates as low as 45 bpm! Their hearts have become super efficient!
Now, if your goal is weight loss, not to run an hour at the same slow and steady pace, then you're going to have to mix up your routine to keep that progress going. But don't worry, it doesn't mean you have to stop doing what you love, simply add some challenge to it. That might look like swapping your usual 10 pound dumbbells for 15 pound ones, adding some speed to your walk, or using intervals in your training.
For most individuals, mixing up your workout routine every 4-6 weeks seems to be a good amount of time for adding and/or increasing challenge. However, for beginners, sticking to the same exercise routine for around 6-12 weeks is strongly encouraged to build fundamental strength and endurance and ensuring proper form before increasing challenge.
Reason #6: You're too focused on the the scale.
I see it all the time. Women weighing in daily, fixated on that number on between their toes, using it as a measure of how "good" or "bad" they're doing. And when it's not going down, oh man, it's brutal.
The truth is the scale is only ONE indicator of weight loss. And it's not the best one. Using body measurements, such as your hip, waist, and chest, noticing how your clothes fit, and even taking pictures several weeks apart in the same sports bra and shorts for example, can tell you much more than the scale. The scale does one thing: measures your total body mass. And that includes things like water weight, undigested food, and inflammation, along with muscle and fat.
Whereas when your body loses fat, the scale may not always move all that much, yet you may be shedding inches from your waist and hips and notice your pants are fitting much looser.
The take away: before you go making changes to your food or fitness routine, take a step back and ASSESS.
What is going well?
Are you getting in enough protein, carbs, fats to support your goals?
How consistent are your day-to-day food and / or fitness habits?
Is there an area where you can make ONE small change?
Are you tired of starting over every Monday, hopping from diet to diet, wondering if you'll ever get it "right" so that you can lose the weight and become the best version of you? I’ve got you friend! Come join me inside my FREE women’s-only Facebook community: Eat Better with Coach Mindy. It's for busy women like you who are ready to lose weight, gain energy, get healthy and fit -- without restrictive diets or punishing food rules.
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