You have been working hard to lose weight, but you seem to not see the results of your hard work? This can be a very frustrating part of any weight loss journey. I’m sure you have considered giving up because it’s probably not worth all the trouble.
There are lots of reasons why you may not be seeing weight loss results. Let’s start with what you are doing to lose weight.
Are you following a diet that promises you a certain number of pounds lost in a month? Are you exercising a lot, but have not made any dietary changes? Are you doing one type of exercise and missing out on others? Or probably binge eating and are not even aware of it.
These are just a few of the deterrents that could sabotage your weight loss aspirations however there are other very important reasons that cannot be discussed in this brief blog.
What you may be doing wrong that’s not helping you see weight loss results
Weight loss mistake #1: Commercial diet program
You can browse the internet searching for easy ways to lose weight and will effortlessly find hundreds if not thousands of programs guaranteeing a quick way to lose weight. Fact is over 70% of American adults are either overweight or living with obesity according to the CDC. Majority have tried some form of a weight loss program, which was unsuccessful. Weight loss, just like many things, is not usually one size fits all, so what may cause client A to lose 10 lbs in a month may not work for client B even if they are in the same environment.
One reason is our bodies use energy in different ways, so unless we can control all the internal as well as external activities of our bodies, we would not get the same results with any program. All these commercial programs must make their products attractive as a way of marketing. You may not see the results the product/plan promises probably because the company may be marketing only their success stories. A study from the health psychology journal concludes that commercial weight-loss programs may produce clinically meaningful weight-loss but are unsustainable to dieters making it hard for them to see on-going results.
Weight loss mistake #2: Exercise with no dietary changes
Going to the gym to lose weight is a great idea, but this has been blown out of proportion. A weight loss program that focuses on exercise alone without emphasizing the importance of a good nutritional plan is a weight maintenance program more than a weight loss program. In many studies, it has been proven that nutrition is the cornerstone of weight loss.
I love this quote by an expert exercise physiologist from an article on clevelandclinic.org “exercise while ignoring your diet just isn’t a good weight loss strategy.” This means going to the gym every day to workout may not give the results you are looking for unless you add a personalized nutritional plan to your routine.
You need different forms of exercise to promote a healthy weight loss
Exercise coupled with a personalized nutritional plan is known to be the key to successful and sustainable weight loss and maintenance. Studies have shown that getting all four types of exercise is important for successful weight loss as well as your overall health. The four types of exercise are strength, endurance, balance and flexibility. All these types of exercise have their own benefits.
Strength training is very beneficial for losing weight. It’s been shown that when you lose weight, as much as you lose excess fat, you may likely lose some muscle tissue as well. During strength training there is an increase in muscle mass, which helps with an increase in your metabolism. A faster metabolism means the use of calories resulting in faster weight-loss. It is a known fact that aerobic, or endurance exercise helps one shed calories leading to a good energy deficit. Balance and flexibility exercise focuses on your core hence improving your health and performance, making it easy to commit to an exercise routine.
Weight loss mistake #3: Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating is a serious disorder where you usually consume a large portion of food even if you are not hungry at least once a week for a period of three months. Why are we discussing an eating disorder as a reason for not seeing results in a weight loss journey? Studies show that dieting can trigger binge eating in a person. Restrictive eating can cause a person to lose control and overeat at least once a week. You may call this a cheat day, but if this is a frequent practice while you are in a weight-loss program, then you may need an evaluation from a healthcare provider to treat this disorder before you continue with your weight loss journey. The fact is about 2.8 million people in the United States have Binge Eating Disorder, so you are not alone.
Final thoughts on what to do when you don’t see weight loss results
Seeing results while on a weight loss journey may depend on many factors. It can be very exasperating when you are doing all that you think you need to be doing and you are not getting the results you are looking for especially in a world that promises a quick way to weight loss with “lots” of success stories. Your reason for not seeing your desired results may be different from what has been discussed in this blog, but the only way you may be able to find out is to sit with your obesity healthcare expert or your healthcare provider to find out more about how you can see the results of your hard work.
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