14 Real Reasons Why you are Exercising and Still Not Losing Weight

It’s a fact that our bodies have been wired in such a way during the evolutionary process that they do not like to lose weight and cling on to fat and glycogen deposits for future use, but since our aim is to lose weight, we have to find ways to bypass the evolutionary tactic of the body to store fat. There are processes that automatically come into place when there is increase in activity or low calorie intake, by way of exercise or dieting. That’s the reason why we feel extremely hungry after an intense workout, that’s one way to replenish the calories burnt during exercise. Also, when we lower calorie intake, the body automatically dips the metabolism to conserve fat stores. These are some of the reasons why crash dieting will never work because starving will kill the metabolism as well (and metabolism, as we all know, is essential for losing weight. That’s why providing adequate nutrition to the body through a well-devised diet such as Rati Beauty diet and exercising on a regular basis are important keys to weight loss. As we have always stressed, no magic pill can help you lose weight, only proper diet and exercise will get you to your dream body and weight. However, a majority of people complain that they are not losing weight even with strenuous and high intensity exercise, and get often get demotivated, and abandon the whole weight loss idea because they aren’t seeing any results. In this post, we will list out reasons why you are exercising and still not losing weight. Read on because some of the reasons may actually surprise you 😛

Why you should Exercise on a Regular Basis?

1. Helps to increase energy and stamina.
2. Regulates the activity of hunger hormone “ghrelin.”
3. Burns off excess calories
4. Improves mood, concentration.
5. Helps to shape the body.
6. Helps to get out of yo-yo deiting.
7. Reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure.

14 Real Reasons Why you are Exercising and Still Not Losing Weight:

1. You are exercising for 2 to 3 hours a day, but not dieting: Someone famously said, “abs are made in the kitchen,” – while this statement is not entirely true, it’s important to remember that weight loss is 80% dieting and 20% exercise, and to solely depend on exercise to burn all calories without portion control or mindful eating will actually lead to more weight gain, especially around the belly area. So, eat a proper diet and exercise regularly.
2. You are treating yourself to sugary and high-calorie treats after workout: It’s a common tendency to treat oneself to calorie-dense foods and sugary delights after a heavy workout, but then, you are adding back all the calories that you have burnt and much more.
3. Dump that energy drink: With loads of sugar and empty calories, energy drinks only provide instant energy to make you feel good after a workout, but it replenishes all the burnt calories, so say no to energy drinks.
4. Does your protein powder has high carb and sodium content? Of course, protein is important if you want to build muscles, but a lot of protein powders are high on carbs and have high sodium content that leads to water retention and weight gain. So, look for natural sources of protein like these in your diet.
5. Are you eating extra food to treat your body for working hard during exercise? It’s a wrong kind of attitude to think you can burn off all food (pizza, French fries included) in the gym the next day. Practice portion control, mindful eating, and do not gorge on food after working out hard.
6. Doing only cardio? Cardio is a good form of exercise to boost metabolism and to get active, but solely depending on cardio exercises will not make any major difference on the weighing scale. On an average, you may lose only up to 300 calories even if you walk for 40 minutes at high speed on the treadmill, whereas you can burn many more calories by lifting weights for the same amount of time. Having said that, your workout routine should be flexible and include bodyweight exercises, cardio, weights, and yoga as well. Check out fitness workout videos on Rati Beauty for more details.
7. No NEAT activities in your daily routine: NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis and is the energy we use for everything we do in our day-to-day life except for when we are sleeping or exercising. Using the stairs instead of the lift, squatting on the floor to lift something up, walking while talking on the phone, every activity we do while being on our feet, comes under NEAT. All these activities help to burn some amount of calories and these bits of calories spent here and there, add up to a considerable amount when you are trying to lose weight.
8. You are not sleeping enough: Less sleep can cause havoc in your body and send hormones haywire. Sleeping for only a few hours increases levels of hunger hormone “ghrelin,”, lower appetite-suppressing hormone “leptin,” increases stress hormone cortisol and also fat-storage hormone insulin, along with lowering metabolism to prevent fat burn.
9. You are eating high-carb food: While it’s not exactly a good idea to cut out an entire food group such as carbs from the diet, nevertheless, going low on carbs will help to fasten up the weight loss process.
10. You gulp down loads of liquid calories: Fruit juices, cola, soda, etc. add up calories and it’s not easy to track them either. Switch to coconut water or just plain water when you are thirsty.
11. You are not in calorie Deficit: A calorie deficit occurs when a person consumes fewer calories than those burnt while exercising, resting, or performing basic bodily functions. In contrast, a calorie surplus occurs when a person consumes more calories than those that are burnt, leading to weight gain. In order to have a calorie deficit, the average person must cut down food intake by 500 calories per day. This figure is usually sufficient for weight loss without affecting energy levels, hunger, or bodily functions. It’s essential to maintain a calorie deficit for weight loss to occur.
12. There are no rest days in your workout regimen: With the intention to speed up your weight loss, you might be working out on all days of the week, hardly giving any rest to the muscles to recuperate. As a result, there’s heightened inflammation which may actually lead to weight gain. It’s important to rest your body for at least two days in a week because that’s when maximum fat burning happens. If there are no rest days, your body will remain in a state of inflammation, disallowing fat burn.
13. Underlying medical conditions like hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian disease: Often hormonal diseases like PCOD and thyroid disorders can substantially lower metabolism and make the whole weight loss process quite slow, but the good news is that following a healthy diet may correct these hormonal disorders.
14. High stress levels: The one factor other than less amount of sleep that can completely derail all your efforts to shed weight is “stress.” High cortisol level also means low burning of calories, and that’s why one should seek ways to de-stress, it’s the most important and prudent thing to do if you are seriously considering losing weight. Try yoga, meditation, or divert your attention to a new hobby which would take your mind off stress.

Have you zeroed in on the reason why you are unable to lose weight? Once you are able to identify the problem, weight loss would seem like a cake walk to you 🙂