One of the most common misconceptions is the losing weight is easy. We’ve been fed lies for a long time by advertisements that showcase various pills or products that help you lose weight without you ever lifting a finger, fake ‘fitness’ gurus that claim that just by eating this or doing this one easy exercise you’ll drop unwanted pounds in a matter of weeks.
Unfortunately for many, that is absolutely not the case. Losing weight is by no means easy. You have to be disciplined, work hard, fight off your cravings, change your habits and much more in order to get in shape and ultimately stay in shape and keep your weight where you want it to be. Today, we’re going to talk about the most common reasons you’re not losing weight even though you feel like you should.
One thing to remember, before we even start pointing out the various reasons, is you have to accept the fact that there are no shortcuts to losing weight. There’s no magical pill that will help you shed extra weight in a matter of days or weeks. It’s a long and hard process, but it’s also very satisfying. Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. You’re (Not) Eating Wrong
Source:freepik.com
Throughout the years, all of us have heard about magical diets or eating habits that are ‘guaranteed’ to help you lose weight. While all of them have the same, albeit truthful premise, they’re all essentially wrong because they’re not telling you the whole truth.
The myth that if you skip dinner, you’ll lose weight is based on the premise that if you eat fewer calories, you’ll lose weight. That is absolutely true. However, that’s not going to work if you eat unhealthy meals prior to dinner. If you gorge on burgers, fries, or any food for that matter and you eat tremendous amounts of it, skipping dinner won’t amount to anything. The key is to eat less than you ‘need’, it’s not about how many time or how late do you eat.
2. You’re Not Counting Calories
Source:freepik.com
Our body needs a certain amount of calories per day. We use those calories to power our bodies and if there’s a surplus of those, we gain weight and vice versa. Now, many people believe that if they skip a meal, they’ll eat fewer calories and therefore lose weight, as we’ve previously mentioned. However, that means nothing if you’re going to eat unhealthy, empty calories beforehand.
Every single thing we eat or drink – has a certain amount of calories. Some have more and others have less. Now, if you’re not familiar with which one is which, you might feel like you’re doing the right thing when in reality you aren’t. Simply eating ‘less’ is not the way to go. Inform yourself about foods you eat, perhaps consult with a nutritionist or check some reliable online sources such as Ramresearch and see how calorie-dense the food you’re eating actually is.
3. You’re Not Noticing Some Silent ‘Killers’
All of us enjoy a snack occasionally, but most of us also know that snacks aren’t necessarily our friend when it comes to losing weight. However, we might not know about other things that are potentially slowing down our slimming process. Let me ask you one question – do you drink coffee? I’ll assume that the answer to that question is yes and hit you with a follow up – what kind of coffee do you drink?
If you’re someone that drinks black coffee or neat espresso – good for you. However, the vast majority of people like cappuccinos, mochas and the rest of the creamy, sweet coffee goodies. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if you drink 3 cups of cappuccino per day, that’s often more than 300 calories, or more if you’re downing mochas or frappuccinos. That’s about the same amount of calories as 200 grams of chicken breast, which is a great meal if you’re trying to shed some weight. So, pay attention to stuff like coffee and soda.
Source:businessinsider.com
4. You’re Not Working Out (Hard Enough)
Effectively losing weight equals a proper diet and a good workout. Sure, you could lose weight just by dieting or working out, but it’ll be slower and the end result won’t be as good, more often than not. So, what are you doing wrong when it comes to working out?
Perhaps you’ve heard that if you walk around the block – you’ll lose weight. Once again, I hate to break it to you, but you won’t. That ‘workout’ simply isn’t burning enough calories to make an impact on your body weight. Don’t believe everything you hear or read, especially online. If you want to get in shape and you don’t know anything about diet or working out, consult a fitness coach or a dietician. Combine those two together and you should be golden.
5. You’re The Problem
This sounds a little bit too harsh, but sometimes, the problem is just us. Our attitude can be the thing that makes or breaks this journey. Wanting to look a certain way is more than fine, but if that’s the only reason why you’re trying to slim down – you’re going to run out of motivation sooner rather than later and you’re going to give up.
We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again – shedding extra pounds takes time. it’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t notice results right away. That’s why it’s important to keep a positive attitude and find motivation everywhere you can. Inform yourself about the benefits of working out, eating healthy, being fit and in shape and use that as the fuel. Don’t just long for the perfect beach body, getting there will take years. That’s goal alone isn’t going to get you to your destination.
6. You’re Not Willing To Fail
Source:freepik.com
Most people never even embark on their journey because they’re not willing to fail. You cannot fail if you don’t try, right? Well, not really. If you don’t try you’ve already failed. Accept the fact that some days aren’t going to be good, some days you’re going to eat cake and burgers and some days you’ll be too lazy to go to the gym. That’s fine. That’s life. Accept that and don’t let it discourage you and just try.
There you have it. Those are some of the most common reasons you’re not losing weight, even if you feel like you should. If any of these apply to you, that’s okay, work on it, overcome it and just keep grinding.
