8 REASONS WHY YOU'RE NOT LOSING WEIGHT

For the majority of women, weight loss comes quicker within the first half of the fat loss journey, and becomes much more difficult as time goes on. While this is extremely frustrating, do not give up; with a few adjustments and hard work, you can find yourself back on the weight loss track.

1) YOU DON’T EAT ENOUGH
If there is one reason why most women who exercise regularly and eat healthy aren’t losing weight, it is most likely that they simply aren’t eating enough. In order to build muscle, you body requires a sufficient amount of calories. When you deprive your body of food for long periods of time, it will hang onto any food you ingest as fat in fear of another starvation. By feeding your body small meals all throughout the day, you will keep you metabolism high – burning fat and providing nutrients to muscle cells.

2) YOU FEAR FATS
Fact: fat does not make you fat. This is one of the greatest health & fitness myths! As for all macros, there are both health and unhealthy options of fats. Fat are important in brain function, absorption of key vitamins, and they can actually slow digestion. Healthy fats are extremely important to incorporate into your diet; try healthy fats such as olive/coconut oil, avocado, and nuts such as almonds, which are high in unsaturated fats (the good fats). Stay away from saturated fats & trans fats!

3) YOU NEVER INDULGE
While you are dieting, you typically are reducing your calories, which slows down your metabolism. Therefore, it is actually important to have treat meals every now and then to rev-up your metabolism and kick it into high gear.  I’ve shared this many times – “one bad meal won’t make you fat and one good meal won’t make you fit.” Stick to clean diet, but enjoy 1-2 healthy treat meals throughout the week instead of depriving yourself!

4) YOU ONLY DO CARDIO
Cardiovascular training (walking, running, biking, swimming, zumba, boxing, etc.) is undeniably a great workout, especially for burning extra calories. However, many ladies get stuck in the cardio rut and fail to pursue other workout, particularly weight training. You can actually burn more calories in a weight training workout than in a cardio workout, with the added benefit of muscle growth. Having muscle on your body is a benefit because it acts as a metabolic furnace, burning calories all throughout the day.

5) YOU WORKOUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH
This is a highly debatable fitness topic – fasted cardio or fasted workouts are typically preformed first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Research has proven that when you workout without any meals prior, the calories you are burning are primarily coming from muscle as opposed to fat! So that hard earned muscle you trained several weeks for is being burned off in your morning cardio session! Try working out later in the day as meals/calories will provide the necessary energy for an intense workout and may allow you to burn even more calories!

6) YOU EAT OUT TOO MUCH
Yes, there are “healthy options” at most restaurants, but because many foods aren’t labeled with their nutrition content, calories, carbs, and sodium add up fast. Most salads at restaurants are even calorie packed! Your best bet is to make all your meals at home and enjoy your treat meals out; you don’t have to completely give up your nights out, but just know when to eat out and when to stick to your home-made meals.

7) YOU DON’T SLEEP ENOUGH
You may not think of sleep as being an important piece to the weight-loss puzzle, but it is! Rest and recovery is just as important for your health and fitness as is a workout; it is through this rest that your muscle cells can rebuild after being broken down during a workout. Waking up for early-morning workouts may mean sacrificing sleep, so be sure to plan your workouts when you can still get in enough sleep! Sleep also plays a key role in your body’s appetite, so getting on a good sleep schedule is very important; try going to bed and waking up and very similar times regardless of the days!

8) YOU DON’T EAT BREAKFAST
You may think skipping breakfast is a way to save on some calories. However, many studies have shown that individuals who eat breakfast are on average lighter than their counterparts and are able to lost more weight than their counterparts. Picking the right breakfast is just as important – steer clear of cereals/granola bars and instead opt for high protein options. Breakfast is a great way to jump start your metabolism for the day and to keep appetite in balance.