5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight & What You Can Do About It

It’s the holiday season. Time to throw caution to the wind and indulge with the best of them. After all, that’s what the New Year is for – to resolve to live healthier and lose weight once and for all.

Right?

Wrong. NOW is the time to make simple changes to your lifestyle that will reap major benefits in your health AND your waistline.

However, sometimes doing all the “right” things can still yield minimal weight loss. And there’s nothing more frustrating than getting on the scale after a week of deprivation and ass-kicking 5 am workouts only to see the needle in the same position it was a week ago.

Here are 5 possible reasons you’re not losing weight:

1. You’re not eating balanced enough

There used to be an old adage about eating a “balanced breakfast” that included a disgustingly sweet bowl of processed cereal, pancakes with (fake) syrup, and toast with (factory farmed) bacon and eggs, all washed down with a big old glass of OJ (that is the farthest thing from real orange juice – read this). 

Here’s a secret…

It really wasn’t balanced. Or healthy. 

Eating balanced simply means to include a healthy fat, carb, and protein source at each meal or snack. This keeps your blood sugar in check and your appetite satiated, PLUS brings more variety into your daily intake.

For example, a perfectly balanced meal would look like:

Roasted chicken (protein), with a side of greens (healthy carb) sautéed in coconut oil (healthy fat), and a baked sweet potato (healthy carb) with a teaspoon of grass-fed butter (healthy fat).

BOOM! Dinner is done.

2. You’re doing the wrong kinds of exercise

Humans evolved as a hunter – gatherer species that had to run around spearing giant mammoths for survival and food. We are built to run, lift, and stay active doing things that challenge our muscles and in short bursts. This is why High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is so beneficial and can maximize fat burning and weight loss in half the time (yes, really). Read more about HIIT here and get my personal 30 Minute MIX™ HIIT Routine so you can start kicking your own ass – no gym required!

3. You’ve lost sight of your goals

We’re a stressed out society, and if you’re in good company if you reach for the nearest pint of Ben & Jerry’s when the going gets tough. While this sugar fix is a GREAT (super) short-term fix to make you “feel” better (sugar is a drug – the end), it totally wrecks your weight loss efforts and ends up making you feel worse than you did to begin with.

Try reconnecting with your goals on a daily basis. Write down your “WHY” in a prominent place so you can see it and be inspired by it ALL.THE. TIME. Then, when Ben comes a-sabotogin’ with his devilish Cherry Garcia, you can give him the middle finger. Think you can’t control your will power? This might make you think twice about your ability to resist temptation. 

4. You’re not sleeping enough

The majority of the energy, repair, and restoration that your body gets occurs when you’re counting sheep. Sleep is critical to rejuvenate your metabolism, digest food, fight bacteria and infections, and keep you healthy. Geeking out a bit more, insufficient sleep impacts your hunger and fullness hormones, including two called ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin signals your brain that it’s time to eat. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body makes more ghrelin. Leptin, on the other hand, cues your brain to put the fork down. When you’re not getting enough sleep, leptin levels plummet, signaling your brain to eat more food.

Is it any wonder sleep deprivation leads to stalled weight loss? Aim for at LEAST 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

5. You’re not drinking enough water

Water trumps food when it comes to the survival factor. Scientifically, you can only go about 48 hours without water before you’re suffering severe dehydration. You can go for about 3 weeks without much food. Water is essential for literally every bodily function – it filters toxins, softens your poo (so you don’t end up constipated), hydrates your organs, liquefies blood and blood platelets, satisfies the palate, and cleanses the body. Aim for half of your body weight in ounces. For example, you’re 150 pounds, aim for 75 ounces of filtered water per day.

Still stuck? I’ve got your back.

In my fully-supported program, Lose Weight, Feel Great: 8 Weeks to a New You, you will ditch calorie-counting for life easily and deliciously, without gimmicks, crazy diets, deprivation, or countless hours at the gym so you can lose those last 10-20 pounds and keep them off, while re-booting your metabolism. Pretty sweet, huh?

You’ll also reap these benefits:

• Become the master of your metabolism and never again succumb to the old wives tale that “weight gain is inevitable as we age”.
• Melt belly fat for good.
• Create your personal blueprint for living and looking your best
• Gain confidence in your kitchen so you can feed your family real, whole, nutritious, and delicious food without sacrificing taste.
• Never. Diet. Again.

You want in? Check it out here. The calorie counting officially ends NOW!

Join me 

Do any of these things resonate with you and your weight loss struggles? What would you add? I’d LOVE to hear! Please leave a comment below.