1. Underestimating Calories Consumed
Unless you are weighing out your food (at least initially) and using a tracker like an app to record what you eat in a day, you could be overconsuming calories without knowing. This can be an eye-opening activity if you haven't used a food scale. I remember the first time I weighed out my peanut butter. I suddenly realized that I had been consuming 2-3x what I thought was one tablespoon (easily 200 extra calories without knowing it).
Coming from a science background, the scale is a tool we use to ensure our experiments are valid (we are adding the right ingredients in the correct amounts and can track this to compare or modify if we don't get the expected results). I like to think of my body in the same way. I want to know that I am putting in the right ingredients (carbs, proteins, and fats) in the right amounts to achieve my desired outcome (weight loss or muscle gain). I ditched the cringy diet-culture association and started using it as a tool to help me build lean muscle.
2. Overestimating Activity and Calories Burned
While the food scale will give you a pretty accurate measure of what you are consuming, the calorie estimator on cardio machines and wearable devices are known to grossly overestimate calories burned. Don't rely on these to estimate the calories from your workouts. You could be overconsuming if you eat extra calories based on these outputs.
I suggest using an online calculator to estimate total daily energy expenditure or TDEE. Use the activity option to help the calculator estimate your maintenance calories more accurately. Or better yet, find your maintenance by tracking what you eat for a few weeks (maintenance would be what you eat without losing or gaining any weight). Then to create a deficit, you would subtract about 10-15% from your maintenance to lose weight. An even easier (but less accurate) estimate is multiplying your body weight by 11x to get the number of calories per day in a deficit.
You can create a deficit through increased movement and a reduction in calories. Remember that if you are already moving, this would be extra movement. Calories burned during exercise depend on current body size, but as an estimate, a person walking at a pace of 3 miles per hour will burn 115 calories per mile on average. If your watch shows 300 calories, then it is likely an overestimate.
3. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep, my dear friends, is way more important than we think. I know in our 20s, we can get away with very little sleep and still perform; well, imagine what we were probably capable of if we had adequate sleep back then. Sleep impacts cognitive function as well as weight.
To lose weight, experts say you need to get enough sleep (7-8 hours a night). Specifically, researchers have reported that women who sleep 5 hours or less per night generally weigh more than women who sleep 7 hours per night. This is the most extensive study to track the effects of sleep habits on weight gain over time (including nearly 70,000 middle-aged women). Lack of sleep can affect cortisol levels, the stress hormone regulating appetite. Other hormones such as growth hormone, melatonin, leptin, and ghrelin are closely associated with sleep and circadian rhythms. The impact of lack of sleep on these hormones can negatively impact metabolism and is associated with obesity, insulin insensitivity, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, and appetite dysregulation. If we don't get enough sleep, we set ourselves up for weight loss struggles.
Getting 7-8 hours of sleep is critical if you are trying to lose weight. Lack of sleep raises stress levels and can make us depressed, cranky, or even confused or angry. And the impact on our hormones can make us eat more. Make sleep a priority. Try going to bed around the same time each night and establishing a bedtime routine to help you fall asleep (a warm bath, light yoga, journalling, or meditation). Using a sleep tracker (Like the Oura ring) has helped me to figure out what helps and hurts my sleep. Spoiler alert, I've eliminated alcohol as this significantly contributed to sleep disturbances.
4. Adherence
I saved the #1 reason for last: adherence to the program. This has multiple aspects:
An overly restrictive plan- Overly aggressive or restrictive diets often result in poor adherence and outcomes. The reason any diet works (Keto, Paleo, Zone, Intermittent Fasting) is because it creates a calorie deficit. However, long-term adherence will get results and allow you to sustain them. An overly restrictive diet modality, like cutting out whole food groups, will ultimately fail if you can't stick to it. Find what works for you long-term. If you can't stick with it, you will end up back in the yo-yo cycle.
The other part of this is not allowing enough time to see results. It may take months to get the results you are after. Just like one burger won't make you gain weight, one salad won't get you to your weight loss goal. It takes time. It takes consistency. Be patient with yourself, and don't give up if the scale isn't going in the right direction.
Don’t just use the scale to measure your progress. Take progress photos and compare these each month, use a tape measure, and, more importantly, focus on the daily wins. Eat your meals, complete your workouts, progress in your workouts (add reps, add weight, change tempo), drink water, and take your supplements. Check those off each day and celebrate the wins! It works with time. Don’t give up too soon.
This is by no means a complete list of reasons why attempts at weight loss fail. It is just a list of the top four, in my opinion. I haven't even touched on metabolic adaptation or adaptive thermogenesis, the process by which the body adapts energy expenditure (caloric needs) during weight loss or weight gain.
Weight loss can be complicated and very individualized. If you have ever felt like you are doing everything right and not seeing results, you may need a 1:1 coach to help you develop a customized approach and keep you accountable.
I developed the X-Power program to help women (especially those over 35) to lose stubborn weight, look and feel younger and move better. The four pillars of my program: Nourish, Build, Recovery, and Sustain, are intended to create a sustainable weight loss method that can be maintained throughout life.
Depending on your starting point and your goals, we would work together to design a plan that works for you long-term. The ultimate goal will be to set you up for a lifetime of success. This isn't a crash diet or short-term plan. I will teach you everything you need to make this part of your lifestyle and rock the best version of yourself forever! You can eat your favorite foods and still be in fitness model shape all year. Learn more by clicking here.
And be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for weekly tips on how to build your best body, look younger, move better, and age in reverse!
Join my private FaceBook group for special live events, daily motivation, and tips for weight loss.
Comments