If you are here, we expect that you are finding weight loss pretty challenging despite exercising and eating right. Isn’t it? Well, weight loss is a gradual process that requires you to be patient. You can’t expect to lose a couple of pounds every single week. It may happen in the starting phase of your fat loss journey but it would eventually hit a plateau.
The good news is that we are going to present before you a few points that can give you an idea of why you aren’t seeing the numbers declining on your weighing scale. This post will discuss those points in detail.
Why Can’t I Lose Weight When I Exercise and Eat Right?
Exercising intensely and eating well are two of the most important things to be considered when it comes to promoting fat loss. The former tends to burn excess calories whereas the latter keeps you on track in your weight loss journey.
But losing weight is not as simple as it looks. There are other factors too that need to be addressed. Any kind of carelessness shown towards them can make fat loss quite challenging for you. Let’s have a look at them.
Lack of whole food items in your diet plan
Your diet plan might be rich in all the essential nutrients, but if a greater proportion of those nutrients is coming from meal replacement shakes or supplements, it won’t be considered an ideal one. If losing weight is your goal, your diet plan must have a greater proportion of whole food items.
Whole food items comprise vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean sources of proteins (like eggs, chicken), etc. They must be a staple part of your current diet plan. Those food items not only feed your body with all the essential nutrients but also fuel it with calories that your body requires throughout the day.
You are not performing enough cardio
Exercising is undoubtedly an essential part of your weight loss journey. But is your current exercise routine intense enough to serve the purpose? Well, that is what needs to be addressed. If losing weight is your goal, cardiovascular exercises should acquire a fair share of your weight loss routine. Not only this, the cardiovascular exercises that you incorporate in your workout plan should be intense enough to target fat loss.
Just hitting the treadmill for a few minutes a day won’t benefit you much in that regard. Instead, you should try out HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), spinning classes, boot camps, etc. to burn off the stubborn body fat.
Is your sleeping routine on point?
Sleeping is something that most of us take for granted. However, it plays a crucial part in getting you the physique that you aspire to have. So even if you are sweating your butt off in the gym and your diet plan is on point, but your sleeping routine is disturbed, you will not be making considerable progress in your weight loss journey. A sound sleep of around 7-8 hours every night will help you a lot in losing weight.
We understand that your work might involve burning the midnight oil, but if you are in a position to make certain tweaks to your work schedule, we would recommend you to do so.
Unrealistic Expectations
Having a positive mindset is one thing and having unrealistic expectations is a completely different thing. All of us can’t acquire a physique like that of the current Men’s Physique winner or the latest Victoria’s Secret model. We all have been gifted with different body types and we must understand that.
If you are making those unrealistic expectations, then the way you are evaluating your progress needs to be checked. In such a scenario, setting up realistic expectations needs to be your first step towards your weight loss strategy. Understand your body type and make realistic expectations from it.
You are not consuming plenty of water
Are you keeping your body well-hydrated? Drinking plenty of water throughout the day aids a lot in promoting fat loss. You must consume 2 liters of water every day. Water acts as a natural appetite suppressant. When you drink adequate amounts of water, it keeps your stomach full. This in turn saves you from eating excessive food.
Water aids in metabolizing stored fat or carbohydrates as well. It not only supports burning off fat from food and drinks but it also burns off stored fat. Moreover, water also helps in keeping your body detoxified.
Your work primarily involves a desk job
Exercising intensely and following a strict diet plan is crucial to promoting weight loss. But if the majority of your day involves just sitting in front of your work desk, you won’t be experiencing fat loss at the rate you want to.
Apart from your regular workout sessions, you must also throw in some physical activities here and there in your daily schedule. These may include going for evening walks or even playing any outdoor sport for 10-20 mins a day.
You are depressed
Depression tends to occur out of excessive stress. If a person is dealing with issues of massive failures, divorce, insolvency, etc., it won’t be possible for him to keep a track of his/her caloric intake. Most people who suffer from depression often get indulged in stress eating. Even going throughout the day becomes excessively taxing and challenging for them.
Those people might be following strict workout regimes along with eating well, but things don’t work for them owing to the stress build-up. To counter such conditions, consulting a mental health specialist becomes crucial.
Not consuming enough plant-based protein
Consuming adequate amounts of proteins every day not only promotes muscle repair but also helps in keeping you full. But all kinds of proteins are not created equally. For instance, when it comes to consuming animal proteins, a substantial level of fat content comes along with them. As a result, overconsumption of them can lead to weight gain instead of fat loss.
To counter such a scenario, consuming plant-based proteins serves to be a better option. Plant-based proteins like legumes, nuts, and whole grains have a lower proportion of fat content in them as compared to their animal counterparts. Hence, consuming plant-based proteins can certainly help you in easing out your fat loss journey.
You are on some specific medications
Certain medications have weight gain as a side effect. You can consult your physician to adjust their dosage in a manner that doesn’t obstruct your fat loss.
Final Words
We expect that by now you would have figured out why you are not experiencing the kind of weight loss that you desire to experience. Still, we would recommend you to not make immediate changes in your lifestyle and daily routine in expectations of overnight results.
Like we mentioned earlier, weight loss is a gradual process. Pushing your body too much to promote fat loss might have adverse repercussions. Hence, we would advise you to go slow and enjoy the process. You need to be persevering and resilient to see the goals you are in pursuit of. This way you would be able to gain the most out of your fat loss journey.
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