12 Reasons You Are Trying Hard But Not Losing Weight

Losing weight can be a bit challenging task. Sometimes you feel that you’re doing everything right but still not losing weight.

Even after following 100% right exercise and diet plan, you’re not getting enough results.

But, wait….before quitting.

Maybe you’re missing something important.

Not only exercise and diet, but various factors affect your weight loss. You just need to figure out why it’s hard to burn calories for your body.

In fact, the weight loss workouts are the hardest one and higher intensity exercise that demands huge energy.

But still, you’re not on the scale…

In that’s case, you might be doing something wrong unknowingly, such as the following weight gaining dietary or adapting some lifestyle changes that are giving you a huge disappointment.

Here are the few common mistakes you might be doing when trying to lose weight.

Some Common Weight Loss Mistakes Peoples Do

1. You’re Eating Too Much Or Too Fewer Calories

In order to lose weight, you need to keep tracking your calories eating vs. calories burning.

Unless you’ll not track your calories, you’ll keep eating more than you think. So, you need to track it on the daily basis even if you think you’re on right diet plan.

Many researchers found that most of us have a tendency to underestimate what we eat. According to a study published in The Journal of American Medical Association, “99 % of over 190 adults underestimate calories in high calories foods.”

On the other hand, a 2-week study conducted over 10 obese people, reported consuming 1000 calories. But when the study further proceeds, they found them consuming 2000 calories/day.

This represents that you may be consuming too many foods that are healthy but also higher in calories.

So, watching portion size is the key to lose weight.

On the other hand, eating too fewer calories can be counterproductive.

The study suggests muscles loss and lower metabolism if you stick to a very low-calorie diet for losing weight.

So, how to maintain the best diet?

Here are the few tips you can use to track your diet during your weight loss program.

Tips to Maintain Your Diet –

• Find Out How Many Calories You Need to Eat Every Day

Use this weight loss calculator to find out how many calories you need to eat in order to lose weight.

• Keep Your Food Journal

Maintaining a food journal can create a big difference to your weight loss goal.

Writing down your foods help you to be honest with your eating habits. You can use a diary or online tracking program such as My Food Diary to keep the best Track.

But if you frequently eat outside, then don’t forget to read labels, measure portion size, and nutritional information.

• Observe Your Diet

Analyzing your diet gives you overviews about how many calories you are eating as well as how many you need to cut down/day.

This way you can easily manage your calories data.

This may look very uncomfortable initially, but for a successful weight loss, you need to develop this habit.

Regularly monitoring eating habits is worth keeping in mind.

2. You’re Not Consistent With Exercise

Along with your diet, exercise is the second most crucial element in weight loss. That’s why you need to be aware of your daily weight loss workouts – whether you’re doing it right or not?

Consistency in workouts is very necessary to lose weight healthily.

But before that, you need to analyze your overall weight loss program to find out which exercise is rewarding you the best results.

Generally, for weight loss, fitness experts recommend 60-90 minutes of exercise every day. It also depends on types of exercise (HIIT, Cardio, gymming with instruments) you practice.

If you love to sweat in workouts, then even 30 minutes of HIIT is also perfect for weight loss.

Remember, being as a beginner, you don’t need to practice exercise for more than an hour/day. That’s really a bad idea as your body is not used to of that exertion level in beginning.

Overtraining could lead to injury, burnout and other serious problems.

So, you must balance your weight loss goals and body capacity accordingly.

To make your weight loss journey effective, you need to be consistent in your workouts.

Here are a few tips you can try to stay regular.

Tips to Stay Regular in Weight Loss Program –

• Always prefer morning workouts.
• Start slow and then gradually advance.
• Set short goals and celebrate when it’s accomplished.
• Find physical activities you love doing. Start exercise you love doing and build a program around that.
• Try to fit your workouts into your current routines rather than changing the entire schedule for your workouts. This will prevent uneasiness of workouts. Start by adjusting 10 minutes and later on, keep increasing.
• Wear comfortable sports gadgets you love.
• Set some rules and try to stick to them. For e.g. I’ll never go more than 3 days without exercise, or I won’t go for more than 2 meals without eating healthy proteins and vegetables.

In addition to exercise, try to stay as active as you can throughout the day.

• Don’t sit for long hours on computers. Keep taking regular breaks whenever possible.
• Limits your TV time and get yourself involved in the physical activities.
• Use stairs instead of elevators.
• Walk while taking phone calls.
• Sitting for more than 8 hours could be other reasons you are not losing weight, so try to keep moving as much as possible.
• Go for a walk in nature.

3. You Have A Medical Condition

This may be another reason you’re not losing weight.

Some medical condition increases your weight gain and interrupts your weight loss journey by making it harder than usual.

in weight loss, there are lots of factors that control our weight loss, such as diet, everyday routine, exercise, activities, sleep, stress and many. But certain factors we can’t control by our desire such as Genetics, Hormones, Body type, and Age.

So, now the question arises, what to do when trying hard but not losing weight?

The Rules Is –

• Seek out for doctors to find whether having any medical condition.

These checkups are necessary before starting any weight loss journey, especially when you think that you’re doing everything right but your body is not losing weight accordingly even after a long time.

Health Conditions That Lead to Weight Gain –

• Hypothyroidism
• Diabetes
• Sleep apnea
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Depression and stress
• Corticosteroids

So, talk to your doctors first before hitting any weight loss program.

4. You’re Not Doing Cardio

Cardio – most effective fat burning exercises you need to include in your weight loss program.

These exercise increases your heart rate fast and helps your body to burn maximum calories. Some cardio activities like jogging, cycling, running, swimming and jumping you can practice anywhere.

But the most important thing you need to know for weight loss is –

What are the best cardio workouts for your fitness goals and How longer you need to practice?

If you’re a beginner then you don’t need to practice exercise with greater intensity. Just take your time and find out those physical activities that you enjoy to sweat with. Your steps to build endurance and strength should be slow and gradually.

Cardio Helps to Lose Weight

As we all know that weight loss happens when we create a calorie deficit i.e. burn more calories than eat.

For people who think that only dieting can help them to lose weight. I’ll clearly say.

No…Big NO.

The combination of both cardio and low-calorie diet promote a healthy weight loss.

There are various reasons that explain why cardio workouts must be included in your weight loss program.

Why Cardio For Weight Loss?

• It raises your heart rate by pumping your blood fast. So, the harder you work, the more calorie you burn. For example; A 150 person burns up to 200 calories in the 30-minute of a brisk walk.
• Adding intensity to your workouts increase your calories burned. Like, include higher jumping, running or walking faster, climbing hills and trying new activities that add more sweating.
• Doing cardio adds to your overall calorie deficit rather than being dependent on just diet.
• You can do them most of the time without even realizing on workouts.

Which Cardio Workouts Burn More Calories?

As per Livestrong, a 155-pound person burn bellowed calories per half an hour of cardio.

• Sprint Interval: 465 calories in 30 minutes
• Swimming: 372 calories in 30 minutes
• Hill Workouts: 373 calories in 30 minutes
• Walking: 300-400 calories per hour
• Running: 300 calories in 30 minutes
• Rowing: 316 calories in 30 minutes
• Cross-Country Skiing: 298 calories in 30 minutes
• Burpees: 298 calories per 30 minutes

So, cardio is the most effective and safest way to cut down your body fat easily. Choose your activity smartly.

5. You’re Not Drinking Enough

The various study supports the theory that drinking lots of water help to lose weight.

Water not only just hydrates your body but also improve your digestive system, metabolism and most importantly control appetite.

A 12-week weight loss study claims that people who drank half a liter of water 30 minutes before every meal lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t.

In case, if you don’t like plain water then you can infuse it with fruits to enhance its power. This delicious vitamin water will help your body to burn fat fast.

Why You Should Drink More Water to Lose Weight?

• Water is a natural appetite suppressant
• It removes waster from your body
• It reduces overall liquid calorie intake
• Water is necessary to burn fat
• It increases calorie burning

According to A Study Explained in WebMD –

In a study, 48 adults of age 55-75 age group were divided into 2 groups – one drank 2 cups of water before every meal and other didn’t.

And after that, all participants ate a low-calorie diet throughout the day for 12 weeks.

After 12 weeks, they found that water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds while non-water drinkers lost only 11 pounds.

Find out the when to drink water for weight loss.

6. You’re Blowing It on Weekends

Celebrating your weight loss or having treats sometimes is fine.

But if you find yourself working well on weekdays and eating silly foods on weekends then probably you’re hurting your weight loss goals.

For e.g.

Suppose if you want to lose one pound of fat in a week. For that you have to burn 3500 calories means 500 calories/day. Right?

But if you’re maintaining it for 5 days and enjoying for the next 2 days, then it will be same like taking 2 steps ahead and one step back.

In order to satisfy your favorite quench, you have to plan your weekends.

Tips To Plan A Healthy Weekend –

• Adjust Your Calories –

To have a tasty treat on weekends, you need to balance your calories.

For e.g., if you want to eat pizza at night, then have a lighter lunch and do little more physical activities.

It won’t raise your calorie intake and you’ll enjoy your treats without much worrying.

• Choose Smart and Healthy –

Instead of feeding treats throughout the day, choose only 1-2 treats to enjoy and continue eating healthy rest of the time.

• Keep Yourself Moving –

Normally on weekends, we feel lazy and take more rest. If you want your weekends to go with fewer calories then keep yourself moving.

Take a long walk, play outdoor games, do cycling and lot more physical activities.

7. You’re Not Tracking What You’re Eating

Tracking what you eat is being fully aware of your diet. Mindfulness and awareness are really important if you’re trying to lose weight.

Various studies show that people who keep tracking their diet consistently lose more weight than people who don’t.

You can either join any food journal or maintain a diary to track your eating habits.

8. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

For good physical and mental health, quality sleep is very necessary.

According to Wikipedia, a lack of sleep leads to weight gain.

It has been found that a woman who slept for 5 hours/night is more likely to gain weight than women who slept for 7 hours/night.

A study suggests that poor quality of sleep is the biggest factors for obesity.

Know the Science Behind Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain –

• It Makes You Hungry –

Lack of sleep makes you hungry more frequently, even though you’re not.

• Release Appetite Hormones –

Lack of sleep affects and release cortisol hormones that regulate appetite.

• Bring Tiredness –

When you don’t take enough sleep, it brings tiredness to your body that leads to skipping exercise. And eventually, you burn fewer calories.

So, how can you improve your sleep quality? Try these few tips to improve your sleep quality.

Tips to Get Good Sleep –

According to sleep foundation, for healthy sleep follows these tips –

• Your wake up and bedtime should be the same even on weekends.
• Practice some bedtime relaxing rituals, such as reading books, listen relaxing better sleep music and writing down your worries.
• Make sure your sleep environment is comfortable and quiet.
• Create a calm sleeping environment in your bedroom, such as free-form noise, free-form light, your partner’s snoring sound, and television. For that, you can use eye shades, ear plug, humidifier, fans, and other devices.
• Do regular exercise.
• Try to avoid smoking, caffeine, and other stimulants before going to bed.
• Use comfortable mattress and pillows.

Trying these ways will surely improve your sleep quality and ensure some weight loss.

9. You’re Not Eating Enough Proteins

Proteins are extremely important nutrients your body need when you’re trying to lose weight.

It prevents muscles loss during dieting and exercise, reduces appetite, increases fullness feeling, and decrease calorie intake.

Eating just 25-30% of calories can boost your metabolism by 80-100 calories per day that makes your body automatically eat hundreds of fewer calories daily.

Eating protein also reduce the desire of snacking. Make sure to eat protein-rich breakfast every morning. It makes you less hungry and eventually, you’ll have fewer craving throughout the day.

Discover 25 rich protein breakfast ideas for weight loss.

10. You’re Binge Eating

If you eat foods frequently, then it might be another reason you’re not losing weight. Binge eating involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs.

So, if you practiced this loss of control over eating for several months, then for sure your weight loss journey will get affected even after active workouts.

ScienceDaily reported, according to study from The University of Pennsylvania in obesity journal, “People who continue to binge eat drop almost half to those who don’t and then subsequently stop losing weight.

So, as you see, it can be a big barrier to your weight loss.

Some people binge to junk food, while others binge to healthy foods including nuts, butter, dark chocolates, and cheese.

So, choose your food smartly as even a single binge can often ruin your entire week worth of dieting.

Here are some few ways you can try to stop binge eating.

Tips to Stop Binge Eating –

• Stop dieting, and depriving yourself
• Eat a balanced diet
• Avoid skipping meals
• Keep hydrated
• Eat more fibers
• Eat breakfast every day
• Practice mindfulness
• Keep a food and mood journal
• Eat more proteins
• Sleep enough

Doing these few life changes will surely help you preventing binge eating and improve your wellness.

11. You’re Still Eating or Drinking Sugar

Consuming sugar and sugary beverages are most obese food items.

According to WebMD, Eating less sugar is linked to weight loss and eating high sugar links to weight gain.

Despite obesity, it also creates higher risks of chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes.

So, in every case, you’ll pay the higher price of consuming high sugar.

Not only sweets items but carbonated soft drinks, fruits juices, and other store-bought vitamin water contain tons of sugar even after declaring sugar free.

So, try to avoid these food and drinks items as much as possible during weight loss program as it won’t help you much to reach your goals fast.

How Cutting Sugar Can Be Challenging?

Cutting sugar is not that simple and easy task as you think, especially when you’re trying to lose weight.

Our brain demands sugar to boost dopamine (Happy hormones) level. Along with this, it provides a quick energy burst to your brain and makes you feel euphoric. This feeling is really hard to defeat. That’s why it became the most challenging task.

Try these few tips suggested by Heart Organization to cut down sugar slowly and easily.

Tips to Cut Down Sugar-

• Substitute sugary beverages for water
• Avoid drinking soda and store-bought fruit juice
• Eat plain Greek Yogurt
• Know the difference between natural and added sugar
• Develop a habit to read grocery labels
• Avoid jams, jelly, honey and other preservatives
• Eat fresh frozen, dried and canned fruits
• Instead of adding sugar, add fresh fruits to your cereals and oatmeal.
• Try to add extracts like almonds, vanilla, orange or lemon, instead of adding sugar.
• Try adding spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and

Consider finding healthy ways to cut down sugar from daily life and soon you’ll notice a big difference in your health and weight loss goals.

12. You Haven’t Given Yourself Enough Time To See Results

Now, this statements is really worth knowing.

Not seeing results in the few weeks create disappointment for some people, which lead them to ends their weight loss program.

Most often, our results based on one thing – the scale.

If it doesn’t move, we decide that we are getting fail in reducing weight. or this particular weight loss program is not serving us effective results without even knowing what’s happening insides.

Our weight loss depends on many factors such as – age, sex, hormones, and body type.

So, every time you can’t measure it with tools especially on initials days of the program.

It may take a few more weeks for your body to adapt to this new lifestyle changes. Or maybe your body is making changes that can’t yet be measured with scale or tape.

So, stick to the program for more few weeks and ask these simple things to yourself –

1. Am I Going Realistic –

As many experts suggest that losing 2-5 pounds is realistic. To lose more, you need to cut more calories, that may results in unhealthy weight loss and create the weakness to your body.

Even losing one pound a week is okay.

2. Can I See Any Body Changes

If you’re not seeing any results on the scale. Forget about it and notice whether there are any other changes happening that ensure that you’re on right track.

Some changes such as –

• You’re losing inches even if weight is not reducing.
• You’re getting slim somewhere.
• Your getting fit into your clothes differently.

3. Am I Getting Other Benefits Than Scale?

Not every results shown on the scale. Notice other benefits your body is rewarding, such as – relaxation, peaceful mind and body, strength development, better sleep, feeling stronger, and many more.

4. Have I Given Myself Enough Time to See Results?

If we talk about weight loss results, it often takes 3-4 months to see significant results.

To understand some lifestyle changes, our body takes times or adapt very soon even. But keep in mind it’s not going to be linear always.

Even being 100 % focused on diet and exercise won’t always give you the same results from week to week.

It takes years to gain weight, so how can you imagine to shed many numbers of pounds quickly. This body needs some time to seek for positive and permanent weight loss.

So, take your time!

But, in case if you’re not getting enough results, then it’s really important to find out what I am doing (or not doing) or expecting something that my body is not delivering.

In that’s case, hire a personal trainer and ask for help to complete your weight loss goals.

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