It may be terribly irritating while you’re attempting to shed extra pounds, however the scale by no means strikes. It could possibly result in frustration or utterly giving up – neither helps the scenario. Whereas many individuals will attempt to counsel a sure weight loss plan or type of train, the answer is normally a lot less complicated. Listed below are 2 easy explanation why you’re not reducing weight.
Motive 1: Do You Even Have Targets?
After we hear somebody say they’re not reducing weight or that they’re not progressing, we first ask, “Okay, what are your objectives?”.
Many individuals will present a really obscure “objective” akin to;
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I need to shed extra pounds
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I need to get stronger
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I need a 6-pack.
All these are legitimate, however it’s troublesome to gauge how far you’ve come and the way a lot farther it’s good to go.
It’s like saying, “I need to go on a street journey however have nowhere to go” – how are you aware while you’ve arrived?
Subsequently, you want a quantitative objective – a objective you may measure. For instance;
Upon getting this, you understand precisely what you’re attempting to attain. You might have a starting and a end (no less than for this objective).
Nonetheless, it could nonetheless be higher…by including a time-frame.
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I need to lose 20lbs in 3 months
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I need to bench two plates in 6 months.
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I need to drop 3 gown sizes by the marriage in 4 months.
Now, not solely are you aware the place you need to finish, you may measure out how a lot progress it’s good to see weekly. This lets you write a extra particular plan,
For instance, if you wish to lose 20lbs in 3 months (approx 12 weeks), we are able to calculate that right down to weekly progress.
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20lbs in 3 months is about 12 weeks
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So it’s good to lose 1.5lbs each week.
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So it’s good to burn about 5,250 energy every week (1lb = approx 3,500 energy)
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This implies it is best to have an approximate 750-calorie deficit every day
On the identical time, the timeframe creates a way of urgency – that is occurring now.
Upon getting recognized your objective, you may write a exact plan, observe it, and monitor it.
Motive 2: Folks Suck At Counting Energy (Consumed And Burned)
This leads us to the second, and commonest, purpose for not with the ability to shed extra pounds.
It’s extremely frequent for somebody who can’t shed extra pounds to say they don’t track their calories or that “they’re guessing.”
To place it bluntly, folks suck at estimating their calorie consumption and expenditure.
Whereas this will work for some folks, particularly these with expertise, new trainees are horrible at calculating their whole energy.
There have been a number of research that verify folks mess up either side of the equation: consumption and expenditures.¹⁻²⁻³
Let’s see what that appears like with some frequent numbers of somebody who thinks they’re consuming 1,500 energy whereas burning 2,000 energy.
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As an alternative of burning 2,000 energy, they really burned 1,700 energy
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As an alternative of consuming 1,500 energy, they really ate nearer to 2,500 energy
This implies whereas they thought they have been in a 500-calorie deficit, they’re really in an 800-calorie surplus!
It’s attention-grabbing to notice that the overestimation appears to worsen with rising physique fats proportion.
Regardless, calories are the foundation of weight gain and loss. Should you’re not reducing weight, it is best to be capable to pinpoint in your tracked program the place there will be some points.
You Must Monitor Your Food regimen And Programming
While you first start your coaching, it’s good to devise a objective, write a program, after which monitor it. Solely then are you able to really say, “I’m doing every thing however can’t shed extra pounds”. Having a plan not solely retains you on monitor, however you need to use it to pinpoint errors or errors. Even superior lifters who’ve stalled will return to the drafting board and observe a plan to assist them get again on monitor.
Many individuals are inclined to chill out with the counting as soon as they’ve expertise and a greater thought of what energy appear to be in the actual world – it simply takes a while to get thus far. Do that for 3 months and see what occurs. Should you nonetheless haven’t misplaced weight, then you may say “I’ve accomplished every thing and I’m nonetheless not reducing weight!”
Reference
- Lichtman SW, Pisarska Okay, Berman ER, et al. Discrepancy between self‑reported and precise caloric consumption and train in overweight topics. N Engl J Med. 1992;327(27):1893–1898. doi:10.1056/NEJM199212313272701 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199212313272701
- Brown RE, Canning KL, Fung M, et al. Calorie Estimation in Adults Differing in Physique Weight Class and Weight Loss Standing. Med Sci Sports activities Exerc. 2016;48(3):521-526. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000796 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26469988/
- American Faculty of Sports activities Medication. Mythbusting Weight Loss: Delusion #2: “I Exercised, So I Get To Eat Extra.” ACSM web site. Revealed roughly Might 2022. Accessed July 2025. Research on self-monitoring accuracy have proven that adults underreport their meals consumption by as much as 47%, whereas overreporting exercise by as much as 51%. https://acsm.org/mythbusting-weight-loss/
- Butryn ML, Godfrey KM, Martinelli MK, Roberts SR, Forman EM, Zhang F. Digital self-monitoring: Does adherence or affiliation with outcomes differ by self-monitoring goal? Obes Sci Pract. 2020;6(2):126–133. doi:10.1002/osp4.391. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7156825
