Here are 5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight.

Let’s dive right in and see if any of these help you.

1. Stress

This one goes at the head of the list.

We live in a face-paced world where we demand more from ourselves with trying to make it all fit with less time. This high level of sustained stress sends a signal to our body telling it to release the response hormone, cortisol (flight or fight response). Cortisol has shown to promote fat storage, especially in the stomach area. Cortisol is a hormone that plays a key role in hormone regulation and the body’s ability to cope with stress. When stress is running high, our hormones become out of sync. It’s like a domino effect. Stress also leads to emotional and stress eating behaviors, causing us to overeat.

Have you ever found yourself sitting on the couch late at night, trying to relax and all of a sudden you notice that you are craving comfort foods? Specifically carbs! And before you know it you have consumed a bag of chips, a chocolate bar, and a loaf of bread and then get a feeling of calm? This is called the “serotonin effect” and what a lot of people get addicted to because of the sense of calm you feel when you have had overconsumption of carbs. This is partially why carbs get a bad wrap. Don’t forget that stress comes from all aspects of our lives. Emotional, physical (working out too), environmental, financial, etc. Now we can see why stress plays a huge role in weight gain and weight loss.

2. Sleep

Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can slow your metabolism down and pile on the pounds. Why? Because when we aren’t getting the rest we need (perhaps because we are stressed) it too affects our hormones which causes us again to crave more food. The body is built with an internal biological clock that influences basic functions like metabolism and appetite as well as our sleep and wake cycle. When our body’s internal clocks are in sync, it puts us at an optimal state of hormonal balance. When we interrupt these clocks, it can have a detrimental impact on our hormones, metabolism, and weight.

Most people in this day in age don’t have the typical 9-5 job anymore and therefore complain of disrupted sleep. This creates chaos in the body and a misalignment between our brain and our bodies. The communication is broken. Nothing is working synergistically. Just think about how you feel when you haven’t had a restful night’s sleep? You definitely notice the effects. And if this is your “normal” sleep pattern, think about what the compound effects that has on your body.

3. No Program

Having a good workout program is like having a guiding compass.  You know what you are doing and you know where you are going. Most people just drift in the gym like a leaf in the wind when they enter into a gym environment not knowing where they are going. They do a bit of this and bit of that and call it day. We like to call it the Just Wing It Syndrome! More of the same normally brings you more of the same.

Let me remind you again of the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result! If they do have a workout plan it is something they find in a celebrity magazine. Just because it is good for J Lo does not mean it will work for you. Just because it is good for Jennifer Aniston does not mean it is good for you. Find a plan that is tailored for you and you only. How can you do this? Hire a coach. Someone who will design something that will work for you and your goals.

4. Consistency/Accountability

Oh no, not those words again! You already know this in fact everyone in the fitness industry always talks about consistency and accountability. Were would be put consistency when it comes to physique transformation? Well, it’s right up there with oxygen. Consistency is a word that most people do not truly understand.

For us, as coaches, consistency is a behavior, a skill. A behavior that is done day after day, month after month and year after year. Without consistency, you are doomed and another attempt and your weight loss goal has come to an end. So let’s look at accountability. If someone is accountable then the chances of that person succeeding are far greater. This is one of the reasons why most people fail when embarking on a weight loss journey. They never got anyone to hold them accountable and if they did it would be someone that would let them off the hook when the mood wore off.

5. Not Eating According to Your Goals

Not Eating Enough: Cut your nutrition dramatically and ramp up that cardio. That should do it. Right? Mmm, no! The body is a lot smarter than that and if you don’t give it what it needs, you certainly won’t be getting what you want to achieve from it. Cutting calories too quickly doesn’t leave you with a lot of wiggle room to progress and it can put your body into starvation mode and have a negative impact on your metabolism, leaving you in worse position in the long run and leading to other feelings of frustration, low energy, depression, and also binge eating.

Eating Too Much: You’re simply eating more than what supports your goals. You know all those little extra’s such as eating the leftovers on your kids’ plate, a sample here and there from Costco, a lick here and taste there, it all ADDS up. If you aren’t sure what you are eating and are guessing most of the time, well chances are you really aren’t accounting for all those extras that magically just land in your mouth.

One way to increase your mindful eating habits is to simply track it. Everything that goes in your mouth, gets written down. After a couple of days, take a look at what you have tracked. You just might be surprised to what you are actually eating rather than what you think you are.