Losing fat is one of the many reasons why people sign up for fitness programs. Although it might seem exciting at the beginning, a few mistakes could be a hindrance to achieve that goal efficiently. Some of these mistakes are made outside the gym while others are done in the gym. Unknowingly doing these things could cause your efforts in the gym counterproductive. Get to identify some of these reasons you’re possibly not losing body fat and learn how you can lose that body fat you want to burn.
TOP 12 REASONS:
- You’re Consuming Too Many Calories
When people sign up for their fitness programs, they are careful about what they eat from Monday to Friday and then let their guards down on weekends in the name of giving themselves treats. The mistake here is that they tend to consume more calories on weekends, and this derails all the work they put in during the week. Painful, isn’t it? Imagine eating clean and staying physically active on weekdays only to ruin everything on weekends because you wanted to relax a bit. Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, explained that “Individual eating habits tend to change dramatically over the weekend. You tend to see people consuming more alcoholic beverages and more calorie-dense foods. It’s a real easy recipe to gain weight.”
2. You’re Not Getting Enough Physical Exercise
Regular physical exercise helps to burn the calories. An intense 45 minutes exercise in the gym daily will help burn the fats accumulated in the body. The more bodily activities you do, the more calorie deficit you will have, which will ultimately lead to weight loss. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle, you have low chances of burning and losing bodyweight.
3. You’re Dealing With Stress
Fat stores up in your body when cortisol, the stress hormone, shows up in the body. When you’re stressed about work and so many items on your to-do list, you’re unable to concentrate and make the best out of your physical exercises. We shared stress management tips on 6 Ways The Gym Can Help With Stress Management. Relax. Spend some time to meditate and do yoga. Sign up for Fitness 1’s special dance classes every Friday evening @6:30pm. Join an exciting and refreshing gym class to help you make new friends and relax and become less stressed.
4. You’re Drinking a Lot of Beer
If you take in too many bottles of beer, you will be consuming high amounts of calories. If you drink alcohol consistently in large quantities without any physical exercise and an unhealthy diet, the chances are that you will be gain more belly fat. If you’re struggling to avoid your favorite beer altogether, make sure to get physically active, and stick to a healthy diet, your favorite glass of beer can be taken in moderation. An abuse will derail all the time and effort you invest in the gym.
5. Your Exercise Routines are not Healthy
If you want to burn more calories, you need to get more intense with your workouts. What is your fitness goal? The goal determines the amount of work you need to put in. Have you been doing only sit-ups for the past two months? You need to include weight training exercises in your routine. Speak to any of the professional coaches and trainers at Fitness 1 and get help in drafting a unique fitness program that will work for you. Don’t just do any exercise, exercise well to get the best results.
6. You Have Too Many Energy Drinks at Home
Energy drinks and non-diet sodas contain a high amount of sugars. If you’re working out to lose weight, you shouldn’t be frustrated with your efforts at weight loss because you couldn’t avoid sports drinks that contain a high amount of calories. Although advertisers claim energy drinks improve focus and increase work performance, they provide a lot of added stimulants, which increases the level of concentration of sugar and calories and can result in weight gain and even diabetes.
7. Your Body is Dehydrated
Drinking water instead of sweetened drinks can help you quench your thirst without consuming sugars and calories. According to studies performed by Healthline, “1-2 liters of water per day is enough to assist with weight loss, especially when consumed before meals.” Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN, also indicated that “drinking water increases the number of calories you burn, which is known as resting energy expenditure.” She explained in her research for Healthline that, “A study of overweight women examined the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter (34 oz) per day. They found that over 12 months, this resulted in an extra 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of weight loss.” Water is 100% calorie-free, so, if you’re making efforts at burning some calories, the best habit to complement those efforts in the gym is to drink more water.
8. Hereditary
Genetics plays a role in your body weight and how easily you can lose or gain it. It is crucial to identify the hereditary traits slowing down your weight loss process and then begin to take pragmatic steps to help you stay fit and lose some weight. Eat healthily, stay physically active, and speak with a dietitian for professional advice.
9. Inadequate sleep
If you’re on a weight loss journey, you should have enough sleep. Research by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explains that “when people are starved of sleep, late-night snacking increased, and they were more likely to choose high-carb snacks.” The University of Chicago conducted a study that identified “sleep-deprived participants chose snacks with twice as much fat as those who slept at least 8 hours.
Are they struggling to sleep?
Here are a few tips to help improve your sleep:
- Be smart about napping
- Try to sleep early and stay consistent with your sleep pattern.
- Avoid bright screens within 1-2 hours of your bedtime.
- Avoid late-night television
- Avoid big meals at night
- Reduce your intake of sugary foods and refined carbs.
- Keep your room dark, cool, neat, and quiet.
- Relax your mind and try to avoid thoughts of worry and anxiety.
- Keep your legs uncrossed, lie on your back with your eyes closed, and focus on breathing for the next two minutes to feel relaxed.
- Keep your mobile phone away.
10. You’re Inconsistent
The first week of rigorous exercise and detox, and you lost 2 pounds. The second week of rigorous exercise and a clean vegetable and fruit diet, and you lost a pound. It’s the third week, and your work schedule got tight, you only went to the gym on Saturday night, and you couldn’t keep up with the healthy diet, it was your cousin’s wedding, and you just had to party!!! So guess what? Your scale said you gained an extra pound. Then you begin to lose hope because you even have a work trip the following week, and you’re wondering if you can still eat healthily and stay physically active. Does this look like you?
Another cause of inconsistency is comparing your weight loss journey to others. When you do that, you’ll begin to have doubts concerning your process, especially if you see fewer results. When you start to compare, you might begin to consider pausing your routine and trying theirs. And you know you’ll always find someone achieving better and faster weight loss results than you, right? So if you start comparing the efficiency of your routine with others even when you just started the process, you might never fully finish a method to see its full benefits.
Focus and consistent behavior are what help you achieve most targets, and weight loss is one of them.
Call Us Now To Book Your 1st Fitness Gym Visit: +233 50 811 8888
11. You’re always Checking the Scale
Scales do an excellent job of helping you identify your Body Mass Index (BMI), but it won’t determine the quantity of fat and lean mass your body is composed of. The fact that muscles have more weight than fat and the body needs to be composed of more tissue for it to be read on the scale is another reason not to focus too much on always checking the size. Rather than consistently checking your weight on the scale, invest that energy and time into practicing healthy weight loss habits, and frequently hitting the gym. Don’t get distracted by the number you see on the scale, because a person with more muscle may look thinner than another person who has a greater composition of fat. “The number on the scale is a pretty poor indicator of health,” Hartley told INSIDER. “I find that more often than not, it discourages health-promoting behaviors with food and lifestyle.”
12. You Haven’t Set a Clear Target
Before you start a weight loss process, set a realistic goal. Follow the SMART way of goal setting. Your SMART weight loss strategy should be:
- Specific: You have to be specific about your goal. Instead of saying you want to visit the gym more, instead say, you want to visit the gym three times a week. How much is more? When you state the number of times you plan to visit the gym, you are very specific with your goal, and it becomes more comfortable to hold yourself accountable.
- Measurable: It’s easier to determine your progress when you set a measurable goal. Instead of saying you will eat fewer calories in a day, stating that you will consume 1200 calories in a day is more measurable.
- Attainable: A goal is achievable when there are enough available resources to achieve it. Consider the resources available to you like time, money, a well-resourced gym, and others, when setting your weight loss goals.
- Relevant: Are you setting your goals to make someone else happy? Consider the season you are currently in your life journey when setting a goal. For example, the fact that you saw a nursing mother engaging in intense exercises on YouTube does not mean you should do the same as a nursing mother. Consult your medical doctor for advice.
- Time-limited: Set a deadline for your goals and work towards it. This will keep you in check and motivate you to stay focused and put in the work.
Weight loss is achieved through consistent healthy habits. It is a process, not magic. Put in the work, and don’t rush it. Those body fats will burn away real soon. All these 12 reasons might not apply to you, but identify your peculiar cause and work towards it. If you need any more help on your health and fitness lifestyle, you know you can always count on Fitness 1. Subscribe and sign up for our special packages to help you lose those body fats the right way.
Call Us Now To Book Your 1st Fitness Gym Visit: +233 50 811 8888
References
Hatfield, H, Avoid Weekend Weight Gain, March 8, 2006, https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/avoid-weekend-weight-gain
American Academy of Family Physicians, The Truth About Energy Drinks, July 12, 2020, https://familydoctor.org/truth-energy-drinks/
UP Fitness, 5 Real Reasons You’re Not Losing Fat, October 3, 2016, https://upfitness.com/fat-loss/losing-fat/5-reasons-youre-losing-fat
Bjarnadottir, A., How Drinking More Water Can Help You Lose Weight, June 4, 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/drinking-water-helps-with-weight-loss#section1
WebMD, Does Sleep Affect Weight Loss? https://www.webmd.com/diet/sleep-and-weight-loss
Smith M., M. A., Robinson L., and Segal R., M.A., How To Sleep Better, August 2019, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/getting-better-sleep.htm
Cameron, E., 5 Reasons You Need To Stop Weighing Yourself Now, March 20, 2018, https://www.insider.com/why-you-should-stop-weighing-yourself-2018-3
Mayo Clinic Staff, How To Set Weight Loss Goals That Actually Work, August 1, 2018, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20048224