Losing weight takes place when the body is able to burn more energy, than we consume. Energy is measured in the form of calories, and weight loss occurs if a deficit of calories is created. This can be either by consuming less calories through their diet, or by increasing physical activity, so that overall calorie expenditure, or calorie burn, is higher. When a calorie deficit is created, the body will use stored fat as a source of energy, which can lead to weight loss over time. There are many factors that will significantly influence weight loss, including age and weight, metabolism, hormonal balance and lifestyle choices.
Research has shown consistently that weight loss is hard to achieve, even when people are putting in the effort and create a calorie deficit. According to the Obesity Profile published in May 2024 on the Gov.uk website, 64% of adults in the UK were estimated to be overweight or obese, in 2022-2023. Many people report difficulty to maintain weight loss, although there certainly isn’t a shortage of topics on how to lose weight, including thousands of weight loss diets, programmes, and exercise plans available.
There are many reasons why you’re not losing weight, which can include dietary and lifestyle habits, metabolic rate, age and physical activity levels, as well as factors impacting stress and sleep quality, and mental health. Medications and certain health conditions can play a role in weight loss, though we will explore and discuss in detail the most common reasons why people may struggle with weight loss and specific ways to work on overcoming these barriers, to help you with a more successful weight loss journey.
20 common reasons you’re not losing weight
1. Eating too much
The most common way to lose weight is through a calorie deficit. i.e. consuming less energy overall compared to what the body uses. How many calories someone should eat per day depends on many factors such as age, weight, gender, exercise levels and more. Online calculators can give you a rough idea of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), however this is not 100% accurate, and should be used as a guidance.
Although people track calories on apps and calorie counters, calorie information can be easily under reported on many food products, drinks, supplements and nutritional information in restaurants and cafes. This can lead to over eating your allowed calories, putting you in a surplus, hindering weight loss. To make it more complicated, other factors aside from total calories from food, play a role in deciding how many of these calories we absorb.
As an example, if you took a serving of unsalted raw peanuts and then the same amount of calories worth of serving of unsalted peanut butter, although they will have the same calories, the calories you absorb from the peanut butter will be higher as it a more processed product. Less energy is needed to break the peanut butter down, so more energy overall is consumed. Therefore, calorie tracking, although useful, is not always accurate for losing weight.
2. Not eating enough protein
Consuming a wide range of food groups is important when focusing on weight loss, especially for protein. Insufficient protein can impact weight loss, especially when you are in a calorie deficit. Protein helps to maintain muscle mass, but if we are not meeting protein requirements, the body can start to break down muscle tissue for it’s needs, which can reduce metabolism and progress over time.
Protein is also a highly satiating macronutrient, meaning that regular consumption of protein rich food can help to keep you feeling fuller for longer, when compared to carbohydrates or fats. Therefore, if someone is not eating enough protein, they can feel hungrier more than necessary, leading to increased calorie consumption. Protein itself has a high Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), meaning the body uses more energy to break down proteins compared to fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, more protein in the diet can help support overall energy expenditure. Aim for between 1.6-2.2g protein per kg body weight per day, split across the meals and snacks in the day.
3. Too much stress
Although some level of stress can be useful, excessive or long term stress can impact the bodies ability to lose weight. Firstly, chronic stress can lead to increases in certain stress related hormones, particularly cortisol. Cortisol has many functions in the body, including immune response, blood sugar control and metabolism. High levels of cortisol signal to the body to produce more glucose, by breakdown of glycogen (the bodies form of energy storage). This leads to more sugar in our blood stream, to help us manage times of stress. However, high levels of chronic stress can lead to ongoing high cortisol levels, as well as high levels of blood sugar. Within this, stress can impact cravings and desire for certain foods, especially that of higher calorie foods. This in turn will influence weight gain, with ongoing high cortisol levels.
To manage stress, people may use food as a comfort, developing an emotional attachment to food, where it is easy to consume calories in excess of what we need. Stress impacts sleep quality, which in turn can impact weight loss – more on this is discussed below.
High and ongoing levels of stress an also lead to a reduction in insulin sensitivity in the body. This means, the cells are not as responsive to the action of insulin, which is a hormone that controls blood sugar. If cells are more insulin resistant, this can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and contribute to weight gain overtime. Working on stress management techniques such as meditation, breathing and regular exercise, can help better manage overall cortisol levels.
4. Drinking too many calories
It is easy to concentrate on the calories related to food, but we can forget about the liquid calories we consume. Aside from alcohol, beverages that we consume on a daily basis may be contributing to overall calorie intake, without us realising. For example, if you drink two unsweetened Caffè Lattes a day made from semi skimmed milk, from your local coffee shop, that could be over 300 calories a day extra consumed. Per week, this is 2,100 calories, similar to a full days worth of eating.
Another easy way to consume extra calories is from smoothies. Even with homemade smoothies, calories can add up quickly with additions such as dates, or nut butter or avocados. All of which are nutritious, but can can lead to extra calories. Be aware of your calorie content in your smoothie, making sure you add a protein source such as low fat Greek yoghurt or protein powder, to help keep you satisfied for longer.
Other drinks, such as fruit juices, bubble tea, hot chocolates or mochas and soft drinks, will all contribute to your overall calorie intake. Low to 0 calorie drinks that can be great to include more of include herbal tea, fruit teas, black tea and coffee, not forgetting the drink we should be regularly consuming, water.
5. Restricting yourself too much
Eating too little can even cause weight loss to slow or stop. People often severely restrict their calorie intake for a long period of time, far below the bodies Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The BMR is the energy (calories) required to keep your body functioning, at absolute rest. You should not eat less calories than your BMR, as it can lead to a slowing down of your metabolism, in an effort to conserve energy. This is metabolic adaptation, which means you will then burn less energy overall for the same amount of activity/exercise and rest than before, making it more difficult to lose weight. Within this, a severe calorie deficit can lead to muscle mass loss, where muscle tissue is broken down for energy. This can further negatively impact metabolism, so it is important to eat above your BMR. Speak to one of our dietitians today, for tailored support in calculating your BMR.
6. Lacking sleep
Sleep quality and duration is a key factor to consider when working on weight loss. Sleep deprivation for an ongoing time period can disrupt hormones in the body, such as those which regulate hunger and appetite. One hormone called ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone, can increase during sleep deprivation, whilst levels of the hormone known as leptin, decrease. Leptin is a satiety hormone, and with higher levels of ghrelin and lower leptin levels, it is common to noticed increased appetite and cravings, particularly for palatable foods which are often higher in calories.
As well as hunger hormones, sleep deprivation can also lead to an increase in insulin resistance, which can lead to extra fat storage. As mentioned previously, increased levels of stress and cortisol production can impact sleep quality and duration, and this itself can drive the increase in fat storage, especially around the abdominal area.
Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue, which can then influence our energy levels and motivation to prepare and eat healthy meals, as well as including regular exercise.
7. Not moving enough
Although it can seem obvious that not moving can impact progress with weight loss, it is not just to do with burning less energy from the low level of physical exercise itself. Yes, the movement helps with creating a calorie deficit, but regular exercise also helps to maintain muscle mass, especially strength training. This is important as muscle is a more metabolically active tissue, so requires more energy compared to fat, which can help support metabolism.
Exercise also supports the regulation of certain hormones, such as improving insulin sensitivity and reducing insulin resistance, which is otherwise a contributing factor to weight gain. Not only does exercise benefit our physical health, but movement is strongly linked to supporting our mental health, helping to manage mood, stress and even sleep. Better mental health can help us with motivation and consistency with a weight loss plan, and exercise can be a management tool for stress and anxiety, which can reduce the reliance to food as a source of comfort.
8. Not drinking enough water
Drinking enough fluids, especially water, is involved in supporting metabolic processes such as digestion and excretion of metabolic waste, as well as improving energy levels and concentration. It also plays a role in appetite regulation, with regular water intake helping to increase satiety and improve metabolism. For example, one study showed that increased water intake before meal times lead to reductions in body fat and weight over 8 weeks. Try to drink a large glass of water 20-30 minutes before a meal, as this can help you feel more satisfied, impacting your overall calorie intake at meal times.
When we are dehydrated, this can lead to increased feelings of fatigue, which will have a negative influence on our desire and motivation for movement and exercise, meaning weight loss can be more difficult when exercise performance is reduced.
Aim to drink at least 1 large glass of water when waking, and before each meal time, to help you meet your hydration needs. Focus on drinking more water if you are doing exercise or activity, to help with rehydration.
9. Doing too much cardio
Although low levels of movement can impact weight loss, so can over doing exercise. Excessive levels of cardio exercise can potentially lead to muscle breakdown, especially if you are not consuming enough protein and recovering adequately between exercise sessions. This loss in muscle mass can overtime reduce our overall energy burn, leading to a lower level of fat burnt, which can make it harder to keep a calorie deficit.
Exercising too much or too often can also increase the hunger levels, leading to compensatory effects on appetite, making us eat more. This can often be accompanied by poorer food choices because of the hunger levels, which can negate the calorie deficit.
Too much cardio can also put extra stress on the body, which can lead to an increase in the cortisol hormone. This in turn can lead to a reduction in fat burning and promote more fat storage, especially in the abdominal area. With this extra stress often comes higher levels of fatigue, especially if someone is overtraining and lot allowing enough rest and recovery in between. Higher levels of fatigue can negatively impact exercise performance, and can reduce motivation to continue with healthy eating habits, especially when you may feel tired with low energy to prepare balanced meals.
To help prevent the above from happening, balance cardio exercises with other exercises such as strength training and functional training like yoga or Pilates. Take adequate rest when needed, though you can still keep active through walking and light exercises on these restful days.
10. Drinking too much alcohol
Alcohol is high in calories without having any nutritional benefit, so regular consuming of alcoholic beverages can easily lead to a calorie surplus. Not only this, but drinking alcohol often correlates with eating foods that are higher in fats or sugars overall, which can further impact the calorie deficit. It can be common to stick to a strict routine Monday to Friday but then to have a bit of a blow out over the weekend with alcohol and perhaps a meal out or takeaway. Although the deficit is created in the weekdays, the hard work will be easily outdone with a few drinks and a meal out, as these are often very calorie dense.
For example, 3 large glasses of wine or 3 pints of beer contain around 600-700 calories. Even if you do not eat out whist drinking, consuming alcohol in excess can also hinder motivation and impact energy, leading to reduced tendencies to eat better the next day or exercise, which will impact on overall calorie deficit.
If you choose to drink, we recommend planning meals ahead of time for the next day, as well as a way to keep active. Choose alcoholic drinks that are lower in sugar, such as a spirit and diet mixer – a good option is a vodka and soda water, with fresh lime. Try to stick to 2 drinks at the most in one sitting and to make sure to drink a large glass of water before and in between each alcoholic drink. This can help you feel better the next day, ensuring that you stick to your plans for eating well and exercising!
11. Eating out too often
Although it’s important to still be able to enjoy social occasions whilst working on weight loss, we want to be realistic with how often you may end up eating out or relying on ready prepared foods, such as buying your lunch whilst at work, business dinners, weekend brunches or coffee and pastry catch ups. Restaurant meals often are served in larger portions compared to what we may eat at home, and it is all too easy to opt for more than one course when eating out, which is not typical behaviour at home. Restaurants will often use higher calorie ingredients such as butter or excess oils and sauces to cook food to make them more enjoyable and tasty, but can cause an easy increase in calorie intake without us realising.
Even what looks like the healthier options such as grilled lean proteins or salads can contain added salts, as well as oil based dressings, or be served in larger portions. A seemingly healthy salad could contain various sources of fats, such as cheese, olives, nuts and seeds, as well as being served with bread and butter and an oil or mayonnaise based dressing, which can add to the calories quickly.
It can be difficult when eating out to source balanced meals, particularly from whole grains and high fibre meals that provide enough vegetables and lean proteins, compared to when we are cooking at home. Therefore, it can be easy to end up eating more of these foods, as they are less filling and satisfying, which can easily impact a calorie deficit.
Not only is the food often not as balanced, but there often more temptation of higher calorie foods, which we may not easily be able to get at home. This can lead to over eating certain foods that are not typical for our daily diet, including starters and desserts or a cheese course, which all add into extra calories. Many people also would struggle to leave food behind, even when satisfied, due to not wanting to waste food. However, we often can leave a restaurant feeling overly full, which is a sign that we may be eating more than we need, contributing to weight plateaus.
If you enjoy going out and socialising, perhaps try to enjoy social occasions which do not involve going for a meal. For example, doing an activity such as ice skating or bouldering, or a hike, where you can pack your own snacks or lunch, can make enjoying social occasions more balanced, better fitting into your weight loss goals. When you do eat out, be aware of hunger and consider opting for one main course, swapping fried items for a grilled or steamed vegetable alternative, asking for dressings or sauces to be served on the side so that you can control how much is added to your meal.
12. Snacking too often
If someone is struggling with hunger between meals, it can lead to snacking multiple times in the day. Although the snacks you choose may seem healthy, such as a protein bar, vegetable sticks and hummus or avocado toast, these snacks can be calorie dense without being as filling as intended, meaning we can reach for more snacks. It is important to firstly ensure that your main meals are satisfying and filling you enough to keep you going for at least 4-5 hours. If you are getting hungrier sooner than this, it is likely that you are not eating enough in the main meals, and we would recommend speaking to a dietitian, to find out meal portions and guidance that works for you.
Though if you have large gaps between meals, for example you have your lunch at 12pm and your evening meal won’t be until 7pm, it is very normal to experience hunger in between this, and want to reach for a snack. Be sure to pre-plan the snack so that it fits into your calorie deficit, contains a good source of both protein and fibre, to keep you satisfied. For example, a few tbsp of 0% Greek yoghurt + a handful of berries, or a measured portion of hummus with a large handful of vegetable sticks.
Also, ask yourself if you are choosing to snack out of true hunger, or perhaps it may be a bit of a habit or boredom? The latter two are common reasons why we may eat when not physically hungry, but if this happens often, it can lead to excess unneeded energy that can hinder weight loss progress.
13. Health conditions
Certain health and medical conditions can be a barrier when it comes to weight loss, as these may impact hormones, metabolism and energy levels, which can make it feel harder to lose weight. As an example, hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone, can impact metabolism and make it seem more difficult to lose weight, despite being in a healthy eating routine with regular exercise.
As well as this, having Cushings Syndrome leads to an over production of cortisol hormone, which can lead to weight gain, especially around the face and abdomen. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) can have insulin resistance, leading to higher levels of insulin hormone, which is fat promoting, and may struggle with more extreme cravings, leading to over eating. With this, insulin resistance is a factor in developing type 2 diabetes, which can further promote the storage of energy, impacting the rate of weight loss.
If someone struggles with anxiety and depression, this can severely impact eating habits and motivation, as well as energy levels. Food can be used as a source of comfort, and there may be a lack of routine with cooking or regular exercise, which will have an impact on trying to maintain a calorie deficit. Certain medications that are used to manage anxiety and depression, as well as some of the above health issues, can impact on appetite, which can lead to over eating over time.
Although it can be difficult to diagnose some of the health conditions, it is important to speak to a medical professional to encourage a diagnosis of a health condition, which can help you understand what may be hindering weight loss. With this, being able to access proper treatment and personalised support can improve success with weight loss in the long term.
14. Taking medications
Certain medications can influence weight loss progress, even when someone is following a healthy diet and regularly exercising. One reason could be their impact on appetite, where some medications, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, can increase appetite, making it difficult to maintain a calorie deficit.
Treatment with certain medications such as tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and doxepin, can lead to substantial increase in weight— this may be because those who experience depression may not exercise as frequently, or they may find the medication improves their appetite, leading to accidental weight gain by enjoying the pleasure of eating again.
Antidepressants an also influence the serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that has a role to play in digestive health. The medications may impact levels of serotonin leading to a reduction in food metabolism and increased desire of foods higher in carbohydrates and energy.
Certain medications can impact metabolism, meaning that even if the diet is the same, the overall rate of energy burn is reduced, making it harder for weight loss to occur. If medications come with a side effect of increasing fatigue levels or leading to drowsiness, this will negatively impact a persons ability to keep active, which in turn can make it harder to create a calorie deficit.
If you are concerned that your medications may be impacting your weight loss journey, speak to your GP to explore possible alternatives that would be suited for you. Do not stop any medications prescribed to you, unless advised by your doctor.
15. Experiencing a weight plateau
Noticing a plateau in your weight is a very normal part of long term steady and sustainable weight loss. As you work on losing weight, the body becomes adapted to a a lower metabolism, as you essentially need less calories overall to maintain a smaller body size. This itself is known as adaptive thermogenesis, and can happen as early as one week into caloric restriction. Weight loss may stall as the calorie deficit created initially is no longer sufficient enough to lead to further weight loss beyond a given point.
When focusing on weight loss for a long time, it can become easy to unknowingly consume more calories than we realise, especially if you are not tracking food intake as before, or perhaps portion sizes are not reduced in line with your reduced needs. These small increases in calorie intake can lead to a stall in the weight loss. With this, it is good to re assess your calorie needs based on your current weight, to ensure you are still in a realistic deficit. It is a good idea to look at other factors, beside food intake, that can impact overall energy burn, such as stress levels, types of exercises you are doing and intensity, as well as sleep quality. But remember, weight loss plateaus are a very normal part of the journey, and sometimes a bit of patience is what we need. Look out for other signs of progress aside from just the number on the scales, such as waist measurements and fitness improvements.
16. Not paying attention to your gut health
Although it’s not something that comes to mind when looking at weight loss, poor gut health can have a strong influence on weight status. This is because of our microbiome, which is the large collection of microbes living in our digestive system, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, which have a role to play in our metabolism and overall health. If you have an imbalanced microbiome, which leads to an overgrowth of more harmful bacteria, this is linked to weight gain and obesity. Certain microbes can lead to the absorption of more calories from foods, as well as increasing cravings for certain higher sugar or fat foods, which can impact weight loss progress. A poor gut can lead to chronic inflammation, which is also linked to weight gain. A long term inflammation can interfere with the body’s ability to lose fat, as it can impact hormones and appetite signals, such as leptin or insulin levels. Increased cravings can come around from an imbalance of gut bacteria, and these cravings can increase appetite for the more calorie dense foods.
If you have a damaged gut, this can also negatively influence nutrient absorption, which can lead to increased risks of certain nutrient deficiencies. This in itself can impair metabolism and reduce energy levels, which then can impact our motivation to exercise, all factors that contribute to weight loss.
Improve gut health by eating a diverse diet rich in fibre and whole foods, as well as fermented foods such as kefir, which can provide the body with beneficial microbes. Keep hydrated well to support digestion and movement of food through the digestive system, and also be aware of stress and the impact this can have on inflammation and gut health.
17. Cutting out entire food groups
Cutting out food groups, such as eliminating carbs or fats, or dairy or gluten, can impact on weight loss, despite the initial thought of thinking it will help to reduce calories and support metabolism. The reality is that this that eliminating food groups can lead to risks of nutrient deficiencies, which will impact on metabolism, energy, mood and overall health, making the weight loss journey even harder.
It’s very common to see dieters cutting out carbohydrates as a way to lose weight. Although the initial cut can see a little weight loss, this is due to water loss and not actual fat. In reality, carbohydrates are important to provide the body and brain with energy, and cutting out carbohydrates can impact metabolism, increase cravings, and make someone feel deprived, and lead to low energy levels. This can then lead to over eating or binge eating, especially when someone has restricted certain foods for a long time. The rebound effect of cutting out the carbohydrates will then lead to weight gain, or impact weight loss progress.
A balanced diet contains a range of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fibres, which are all important to provide the body with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, to allow proper functioning and balance. Cutting out a food group can impact this balance, and cutting out a food group, such as carbohydrates, can then lead to lower fibre intake, which can impact on bowel health. Cutting out fats drastically can impact our satiety levels and vitamin absorption, for which fats are essential for satisfaction and absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
Being too restrictive is usually too difficult in the long term, and can increase the risk of yo-yo dieting, which is where we cycle between phases of weight loss and weight re-gain, as the diets are too unsustainable. This has been shown to make weight loss in the long term more challenging.
Although some people may benefit from a lower carbohydrate or fat diet, it is important not to cut out food groups completely, unless under the regular support from a health professional such as a dietitian.
18. You don’t have a regular eating schedule
Consistency for meal timings can support our metabolism, as well as maintaining energy levels and steady hunger levels. Irregular eating patterns can lead to feelings of intensified hunger, which can then lead to over eating at the next meal time. Skipping meals can seem helpful for weight loss, but will negatively impact on energy and concentration levels, meaning we are likely to reach for a quick boost of energy, often something higher in sugar or calories, which can impact on progress.
Irregular patterns of eating can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, causing crashes and energy dips, and then when we reach for a quick fix of food, this can lead to spikes in blood sugar, usually followed by another crash. This cycle can make it harder to stick to a healthy eating routine as it can lead to making poor food choices in those moments of low energy and blood sugar.
Not eating regularly can impact the overall nutrition provided to the body, especially when we look at protein intake. On a weight loss journey, maintaining the right intake of protein is crucial, as it supports muscle mass maintenance. Skipping meals or not meeting your protein goals can slowly lead to muscle tissue breakdown, which will negatively impact metabolism, and make it harder to see weight loss.
In combination with the above, lower energy levels due to eating time irregularity can then impact on exercise levels and intensity, resulting in poor exercise performance or low motivation. Exercise can play a role in weight loss by helping to create a deficit, so if this is removed, it will only hinder weight loss efforts.
Irregular eating will also impact our hunger hormone ghrelin, and satiety hormones, such as leptin. This can lead to increased feelings of hunger and reduced feelings of fullness, meaning it can feel harder to control food intake, all hindering weight loss progress.
Be sure to eat at regular times throughout the day to help support your metabolism, hormonal health and prevent extremes of hunger.
19. Pregnancy
When embarking on a weight loss journey, it is important for women of childbearing age to check that they are not pregnant. It can seem obvious, but some pregnancy symptoms and signs are well hidden and can go unnoticed for many months. We would not want to be creating a calorie deficit and focusing on weight loss during this time, so if you are finding it difficult to lose weight as a female, be mindful of this possibility!
20. Your expectations are unrealistic
When starting on a weight loss journey, it is important to consider your goals and expectations. Some people expect too much from them in a short space of time, and do not consider that losing the weight is only half the journey, but maintaining the weight loss is also just as important.
Going on a more extreme diet may get you to your goals quickly, but the changes are very unlikely to last for long, resulting in weight gain and often regaining more than your original starting weight. This can create a cycle of quick weight loss, weight regain and failing to meet targets, which can negatively impact your commitment and metabolism, ultimately hindering weight loss. Therefore, be realistic with your journey, know that it will take time and try to work on setting goals that feel manageable in certain time frames, to allow you to get to your longer term goal.
Don’t just focus on the weight loss according to the scales, there are often many other benefits associated with losing body fat, which can include improved mood, better sleep quality, improvements in fitness levels and capabilities around exercises, as well as better energy levels.
Why are you not losing weight in a calorie deficit?
If you are in a calorie deficit but are not losing weight, there could be several reasons why. Firstly, it is important to check how you are tracking your calorie deficit. If you are estimating calorie intake from educational guesses as well as reading labels from foods, consumed, this can be fairly inaccurate, and is easy to lead to underestimations in calories. Food labels may not be accurate, with a margin of error seen through studies measuring calories in foods vs calories displayed on labels. With this, if you track calories burnt through exercise and add this to your overall calorie expenditure, it is also very easy to overestimate calories burnt from exercise, which is often less than we think. It is important to consider calories from everything consumed, including oils used for cooking, dressings, portions sizes and beverages.
If you are regularly fasting for periods of time, including intermittent fasting, although this can be a helpful way to create a calorie deficit, it is important to ensure that you are not overeating in your window of eating due to hunger levels, or making poor nutritional based food choices in this time.
It is also important to consider that whilst in a calorie deficit for some time, the body can adapt slowly, by reducing the metabolic rate, to help conserve energy and slow down any further weight loss. This is known as metabolic adaptation, meaning that as calorie requirements reduce, it can be more difficult to lose weight, and the body can also compensate by increasing cues for energy intake.
Even if you are measuring calories well and are in a deficit, it is also important to consider where your calories are coming from. For example, eating in a deficit of 1600 calories whilst consuming processed foods with minimal fruits, vegetables and whole grains, can impact results. Switching from processed carbohydrates to whole grains can support more sustainable weight loss, due to the way the body processes fibre. Higher fibre intakes can lead to overall less calories being absorbed, helping with a calorie deficit in the long term.
Remember to also keep in mind that weight loss on the scales may not be seen if you are losing fat, but also slowly gaining muscle. Muscle is denser than fat, so weight may not change, but look out for change in body composition. And give yourself time – weight loss takes time and it will not always be a linear downwards trend. There are periods of plateauing, which are normal when it comes to sustainable weight loss.
Why are you not losing weight by exercising?
Exercising regularly is often thought to be a key element in losing weight. Though if you are struggling to see results despite regularly exercising, here are some of the reasons why this may be.
Calories burnt from exercising can be easily overestimated. Gym machines and fitness trackers are not reliable enough to provide a specific number of calories burnt whilst exercising. Research looking into the accuracy of popular fitness trackers, including the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear S2 found accuracy for reporting heart rate, but inaccuracy when it came to energy expenditure, or calories burnt via exercise.
With this overestimation, it is then easy to overcome on calories, which can negate any calorie deficit created from the exercise. In addition to this, when someone is regularly exercising, it is common to feel hungrier than they would otherwise, consciously or unconsciously. This can lead to an increase in overall food consumption, such as through larger portion sizes, which is known as compensatory eating.
Exercising regularly is supportive of weight loss, but you want to ensure that your methods of exercising are challenging, to allow enough calories to be burnt. If you are not pushing your body when you exercise, calorie burn will be minimal, and it will be harder to create a calorie deficit. With this, make sure that you are also allowing adequate rest and recovery, as overtraining can put stress on the body and may increase cortisol levels, negatively impacting weight loss. Overtraining can also cause fatigue, which will impact overall exercise performance, preventing you from doing your best.
Remember also that regular exercise alone is not generally enough to see long term weight loss. What we eat and our overall diet plays a much large role than exercise, so even if you are regularly exercising, you may be over consuming on calories quite easily, which is why both diet and exercise are important when it comes to long term wight loss.
Why you are getting slimmer but not losing weight?
Whilst it can feel frustrating and demotivating to put in consistent effort but not see a number change in the scales, it is important to consider non-scale factors that are indicating you are losing body fat, even if the scales may not be changing.
Firstly, when people start off their weight loss journey, they often incorporate strength training, which can help to preserve and increase muscle mass. If you are noticing changes in your appearance but not the scale, this can be because you are losing fat but also slowly gaining muscle, which is a part of body recomposition. Although muscle and fat weigh the same, muscle is more dense than fat, meaning it takes up less volume than fat and can lead to you noticing body changes, but not weight changes on the scales. Regular weighing scales do not tell you the difference between body fat and muscle mass, rather just an overall number that indicates weight. However two people who weigh the exact same may look different as they have different body fat and muscle ratios. So combining both strength training with a calorie deficit whilst focusing a high protein intake can lead to fat loss and muscle gain. This means a person may not lose much actual overall weight, if any at all, which is why you should not rely too heavily on the bathroom scales to measure progress – losing excess body fat and increasing muscle mass is a better indicator of health than just overall weight loss.
Another reason why the scales may not be changing is that we may retain water weight, when working on weight loss. Several factors can impact water retention in the body, including stress levels, carbohydrate intake, sodium intake, bowel movements, certain medications and for women when they are menstruating. Water retention is temporary but can take a few days to settle down, but the scales are unable to differentiate between water and fat mass.
Further tips on losing weight
In addition to the above tips, there are additional areas to look at, to help support you on your weight loss journey. These include:
- Eating to your hunger cues
During meal times, practice eating without distraction, so that you can better recognise when you are starting to feel satisfied. Eat slowly and take your time with each mouthful, and before you take the next mouthful, ask yourself if you are still hungry or are you satisfied. If it’s the latter, can you leave the food on the plate or pack it away for another time? We are often so used to finishing our plates out of years of habit, so this can be a challenge. But if you find that you feel comfortable before finishing, any excess eating past this point will be extra energy your body does not need at that time. - Eat until you are comfortable, not full
There is a fine line difference between feeling content and satisfied, compared to feeling full. Along with the above, start to notice when you start to feel satisfied and are no longer hungry. Yes you could eat more, but do you need to eat more? This will allow you to eat just enough to satisfy your bodies energy needs through food at that moment, and finish the meal feeling content and not overly full. To help with this, when eating, as well as taking your time and eating slowly, pause when you have eaten half of the meal. Take a few minutes to ask yourself if you are still feeling hungry, and if so, how hungry. How much more do you need to eat until feeling no longer hungry?
- Use a smaller plate
The average size of dinner plates has increased over the years, by almost 23% since 1990. When we have larger plates or bowls, we tend to fill them up, so using a smaller plate or bowl can help with naturally reducing the portion sizes. Using a smaller plate or bowl to eat from can help you with weight loss by putting less on the plate to begin with. - Drinking more water before meals
Before a main meal, aim to drink a large glass of water. This can help to firstly meet your hydration needs and reduce overall calorie intake from the meal. One study showed a 13% reduction in caloric intake during meals measured in overweight and obese adults, when given 500ml water to drink before meal times. - Fill half your plate with vegetables or salad
Consuming at least 50% of your meals through salads and vegetables can aid weight loss. Not only are these foods naturally lower in overall calories, but they are also high in fibre, which can be filling and lead to earlier satiety levels. This can mean that less food is consumed in total, aiding towards weight loss. - Increase your NEAT – Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
This is the energy you burn doing day to day activities, that are not classed as actual exercise. This includes cleaning, walking up and down the stairs and fidgeting. A lower level of NEAT is associated with obesity. Work on increasing overall NEAT by standing whilst working, walking up the stairs rather than getting the lift, walking whilst taking phone calls or walking to the bathroom on another floor of the office. - Improve your surroundings
In your home and work space, ensure that you are able to prioritise easy access to healthier foods that support weight loss, such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Keep more processed or higher calorie foods away in cupboards or harder to reach places, as you are less likely to seek these out when you cannot easily access them.
Having support from a dietitian can help you ensure you are following a structured plan to support you on your weight loss journey, whilst making sustainable lifestyle changes. Book a consultation with a dietitian here.
