10 reasons why you are not losing weight even with a calorie deficit

10 причин, по которым вы не худеете даже при дефиците калорий

Are changing diets, trying new super-effective methods, but stubbornly not losing weight? It seems that the body has declared war on you and does not decrease even when you are on a hunger strike? Most importantly, stop panicking. The reasons why you do not lose weight can be very different — from self-deception to disguise” results of excess water diet. The editors of estet-portal.com offer a detailed analysis of the reasons for the failure and working ways to improve the situation.

1. Self-deception, false modesty and self-pity

An experiment was once conducted: women who did not lose weight with a lack of calories were asked to keep a food diary, recording and calculating the nutritional value of each meal. They were observed for two weeks. At the end of this period, the real calorie content of the food was compared and recorded in diary.

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It turned out that all the participants, except for one, were lying, underestimating the number of calories by 2-3 times. And, because they knew about the mandatory control at the end of the experiment! Psychologists explained this phenomenon with shame and self-pity: women were embarrassed to admit that they overeat.

Perhaps the reasons why you not lose weight are simple and banal: there is no shortage of calories. You still overeat, but are afraid to admit it to yourself and record real portion sizes in your food diary. You can fight this. Just swear to yourself the most terrible oath to tell the food diary the truth and nothing but the truth. Keep your promise. Giving up false self-pity for your best interest.

2. Patience — invaluable quality in weight loss

The moment you make the decision to go on a diet, you are highly motivated. You are full of desire to achieve the goal, you quickly see the first results and really happy about them. The problem is that the intensity of weight loss is decreasing day by day. One day you conclude that the diet doesn work and go back to your old diet. Result: kilograms are growing at a catastrophic rate.

What to do? Tip one: avoid extreme diets. They only hurt. Tip two: choose a balanced diet and stick to it for at least a month or two. To draw conclusions about the effectiveness of a new type of nutrition only on the basis of real data over a long period of time. Remember, with any diet, sooner or later there will be a "plateau" stage, when the weight stops decreasing.

3. Comparing your results with —— evil

If your girlfriend lost 5 kg in a month, it does mean that you will get the same result. People are different — by body type, genetics, lifestyle and a million other traits. Forbid yourself any comparisons and don't rush from one diet to another. You can and should try new things, but let yourself take time to evaluate your own results.

4. Metabolic Adaptation — the main reason for stopping weight loss

If you successfully lost weight, but the process stopped for no apparent reason, it means that the body has adapted and rebuilt the metabolism in accordance with the incoming amount of energy. Metabolism in general is a complex multifaceted mechanism. It consists of:

BMR (Basal Metabolism). This is the level of energy expenditure required to maintain the functionality of the body. BMR depends on your height, weight, ratio of fat and muscle mass.
NEAT (Thermogenesis of Daily Activity). It's about the energy you spend on work, walks, household chores. That's about 30% of calories of total.
EAT (training activity thermogenesis). About 15% of your calories you spend on workouts, but much of depends on the intensity and duration of your workout.
TEF (Thermal Effect of Food). Processing food also takes energy. It's about 5-10%.

If the reasons why you not losing weight are due to adaptation, it's time to change your calorie intake again. Weigh yourself twice a day and measure once a week using a measuring tape.

If within 4 weeks you do not notice weight loss and reduction in volume, adjust the caloric intake by 5-10%. Reduction of calories is only possible at the expense of carbohydrates or fats, and the amount of proteins should remain the same . Great option — add training activity without changing the diet.

5. Water retention "hides" from you diet results

Changes in nutrition and training the body reacts as stress and produces cortisol — a hormone that promotes water retention. You are losing weight, but you don know about it. The only way to solve the problem — calm down.

Meditation, walks, sex, written planning help well. If you are on a no-carbohydrate diet, ease the tension by adding cereals or whole grain bread.

6. Health problems and certain medications

If you are taking medications, the result of the diet is unpredictable, especially if they are antidepressants or hormonal drugs. Also, the rate of weight loss is affected by some diseases, in particular hypothyroidism, polycystic ovaries. Weight problems occur in women during menopause.

7. Initially unsuccessful weight loss plan will only hurt

Your problem is not weight per se, but fat. If you simply stop eating, but do not exercise, then will inevitably harm your health, because the body will receive energy not only from fat, but and from muscle tissue. Proper weight loss should consist of three elements: a calorie deficit, exercise, and enough protein. Nice solution — strength training with cardio sessions 2-3 times a week, limiting the amount of fats and fast carbohydrates.

8. Weight doesn't go away when muscles grow

Stopping the process of losing weight and even a small amount of mass can be good signs. Perhaps the muscles are growing intensively. Determining this is simple: measure your waist, take a picture and compare the picture with photo 4-weeks ago. If the size has become smaller or in general you become more beautiful, everything is in order. Also, your strength indicators increase.

9. Less muscle — lower rate of weight loss

Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. This means that the less muscle you have, the slower your basal metabolism and the process of losing weight. Lesson one: practice more. If you are under 20 years old, forget about strict diets altogether. Cut your caloric intake by 15-20% and go to the gym. Pull the iron diligently, and the body will thank you with beautiful forms.

10. Bad news for "hard-core dieters": it's time to stop

If your life — this is a game of dieting, you may not lose weight at all, but only get better. After restrictions, you surely catch up. As a result, the kilograms return, plus another 20% of the weight lost. A calorie deficit will not solve the problem. It's time to change your thinking. Regular exercise will help you.

The main thing about the reasons for which you lose weight

Dieting is about being honest with yourself, so make sure you actually cut calories first. You can only talk about a problem when it is real. If you are sticking to your meal plan but the weight is not reducing, there may be several reasons for this:

Lack of time. Miracles don't happen. Don expect instant results, be patient.
Unsuccessful comparisons. Never be guided by the results of other people, compare yourself only with yourself.
Metabolic Adaptation. If you have already lost a few kilos, but the process has stopped, cut your calorie intake by 5-10% or add more activity.
Water retention. This is how stress manifests itself. "Have mercy" complex carbohydrates and find the right ways to calm — walks, meditations, daily planning.
Health problems.If you have chronic diseases or you take hormonal drugs, your weight may not change even on a strict diet.
Flaws of a weight loss plan. Calorie restriction without exercise — it's a road to nowhere.