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Why Am I Not Losing Weight When I Exercise?

As the new year approaches, you remember the previous year when you started working out only to find yourself asking “Why am I not losing weight when I exercise?”

The process for losing weight can be mostly simple, but yet we so often find that certain actions are preventing us from turning exercise into results. Here are some key errors you might be making on your weight loss journey.

Man on weight loss journey because of exercise

Why Am I Not Losing Weight? You’re Eating Too Much

It’s probably obvious that creating a calorie deficit can lead to weight loss. However, you may be picking up extra calories throughout the day without realizing it. 

Aggressively chasing your weight loss goals with strong workouts is commendable. However, this change to your body can cause you to get far hungrier than you would be otherwise. Make sure that you aren’t eating greater portion sizes or adding snacks high in calories to help quell this extra hunger.

One way to help combat this is to track your calories burned as well as the calories in your meals. Getting fit and losing weight requires discipline not only in the gym, but in the kitchen as well. Make sure that you don’t add in extra calories. You may also need to tweak your exercise routine if you find yourself fatigued and hungry too often. 

You’re Eating Too Little

Alternatively, starving yourself is a sure-fire way to make sure to stall your weight-loss progress. There’s a delicate balance in reducing calorie intake to start shedding pounds, but not to hinder your metabolism. 

Many individuals are guilty of crash dieting and skipping meals thinking that it will help them lose weight faster. Your body instead can enter a state where it attempts to preserve fat instead of burning it. Your metabolic rate lowers screeching halt and your obvious discomfort from hunger is in vain. 

Worse yet, you’ll likely swing back the other way and end up overeating later out of frustration and end up gaining weight for your troubles. Weight loss is a gradual process with no shortcuts. Consult with your trainer to help schedule meals that promote healthy, predictable weight loss.

You Don’t Eat Healthy Foods

You’re showing up to the gym, and you’re technically eating less calories. However, your calorie allotment is made up entirely of greasy fast food with no nutritional value. 

In theory, you could potentially lose weight this way, but you probably won’t be happy with the results. It’s been proven that diets high in protein and healthy fats see increased weight loss as opposed to those without protein and high amounts of carbs and sugars. 

Protein is a building block of muscle synthesis. When you perform strength training, you damage and encourage muscle growth which occurs using protein. As the body gets the protein it needs and performs this process, it burns more calories found in fat stores, leading to reliable weight loss.

You’re Tired and Stressed Out

As if it wasn’t challenging enough, diet and exercise sometimes aren’t the only reasons you aren’t losing weight. Many of us have stressful jobs or things going in our life that leave us anxious and exhausted.

The stress hormone known as cortisol causes the body to experience insulin spikes and high blood sugar levels. This state can greatly increase appetite and even make you crave unhealthy foods. Additionally, studies find that weight gained as a result of this response is far more likely to be stored in the gut. This type of fat is the kind that is responsible for heart disease. 

Similarly, not getting enough sleep greatly affects body recovery and appetite. Medical advice from professionals always suggest 7 to 9 hours of sleep for the average adult. Even if your someone who feels “good” with less, your body still needs it for proper function. 

Losing Weight with Damen Griffith 

A great way to combat many of these issues is to create a daily plan. You should create a daily plan with the advice of a nutrition and fitness expert like Damen Griffith. He will create tailored workout regimens that get you results without taking all of your time. You’ll also receive constant nutrition advice to make sure you’re fueling your body with what it needs. To get access to Damen today, sign up now!

Continue to do your part to achieve your weight loss goals. Focus on giving your body and mind what it needs to lead a healthy, fulfilling life every day.