Why You’re Not Losing Weight
The first step to figuring out why you’re not losing weight is to acknowledge that you’re not losing weight. This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often people lie to themselves about their weight loss progress. That being said, I will assume you’ve already done that since you’re reading this article. And in that case, let’s just get straight to the point.
1) You’re not working out (hard) enough.
The truth is, many of us live sedentary lifestyles. We’re working from home, so we’ve cut out a lot of the extra movement we usually get. The walk to work is now our walk to the bathroom, and our walk to the bathroom in the office is now the walk to the kitchen. That means that our workouts not only need to be more efficient but also more purposeful. What does that mean? It means you can’t just show up. Showing up isn’t enough, it’s not even the standard. The standard is 80% and enough is 100%. If you’re not losing weight, it’s a calorie issue. Now don’t take that statement as a reason to obsess over calories, but rather use it as a data point. So what does this mean for working out? It means that you need to workout harder. Yes, harder. If you go to the gym, your living room, the park, or your basement and leave feeling like rainbows with a perfect glisten on your skin, then you didn’t do enough. Fitness gains come if and only if you push yourself to your limits. If you’re not doing that consistently, then you’re not working out hard enough. Simple. Your body is a direct reflection of those habits.
2) You eat too darn much.
Yes, this is inevitable. If you’re not losing weight it’s probably because you eat too much. Note that I didn’t say you eat a lot. You can eat too much while eating very little. How? Well, if you drink a morning late from Dunkin’ and eat a donut, and for lunch you have a cheeseburger from five guys with fries and a shake, well I’ll stop there because that’s already well over 2,300 calories which is more than the average sedentary person who’s trying to lose weight needs. Whew, that was a mouth full. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how to eat less or just enough, because it’s different for everyone. That being said, I have a friendly suggestion. Try intermittent fasting. And before you freak out, hear me out. If you’re able to fully control what you put into your body and when, then you can control nearly anything. Food control is far harder than people think, most people having no clue that they even lack control in that department. So my friendly tip for you is to give intermittent fasting a shot so you can gain control over what you stuff into your mouth. A good place to start is with an 8 hour eating window. For me, I find eating windows under 5 hours to be most effective for fat loss. Also, an eating window isn’t an excuse to just stuff your face. Take it seriously, be accountable, and be an adult.
3) You don’t workout your heart.
If you just think lifting heavy things and eating like true champion is enough then you’re sorely mistaken. Cardio, conditioning, whatever you want to call it isn’t only imperative for your health but it’s also a super effective fat loss tool. Cardio burns calories. It’s really that simple. And not only that, but cardio makes you more efficient at burning fat. If you like running, run. If you like rowing, row. Boxing, box. Doesn’t matter, do it and do it well. Get your sweat on, it makes a huge difference. And for those people who tell you that you don’t even need to do cardio in order to lose fat and that you should actually do zero cardio, run far far far away from them. Pun intended. Those people don’t want what’s best for you, because anyone with common sense would never advise you against strengthening your heart. I advise that you aim for 5 hours of strict cardiovascular activity per week, at the minimum. Once again, this should be challenging, push yourself, get your sweat on, and with these 3 tips, you’ll see the fat melting away in due time!
