Because I eat the wrong food
Remember once and for all: to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. You should not please yourself with unhealthy food, considering that in terms of calories it fits into your daily diet. This approach will only bring frustration, because junk food comes with fats and fast carbohydrates. They occupy their favorite places on the body as fat.
Regular training along with eating junk food (the same fast food) will lead to the fact that you will have muscles - but under fat. Say no to fatty, salty, sweet and smoked foods. Light and low-calorie foods give the body strength and energy. Proper nutrition is 50% of the answer to the question “why am I not losing weight?”
Why?
How could this be? Do you go to the gym, work out, but the weight doesn’t go away? It turns out it can.
And there are reasons for this. Only 20-25% of your weight loss depends on exercise, and 50% on nutrition. That is, the issue of losing weight needs to be approached comprehensively, then questions will not arise about why I don’t lose weight after the gym, where I go regularly.
Reason #1. Nutrition
Let's immediately turn your attention to nutrition. After all, sports without proper balanced nutrition are ineffective for losing weight. In order to lose weight, it is not enough to exercise even in the coolest gym; you need to clearly think through your nutrition for the day. It should have a balanced ratio of proteins with carbohydrates and fats.
In addition, it is important to adhere to general recommendations:
- The last time to eat before training is 2-3 hours, and after it – an hour and a half. In addition, you need to consume enough protein after your gym workout, and carbohydrates before it. That is, make it a rule after training to “close the protein window” - give preference to protein foods.
- If you don’t have the opportunity to carry protein food with you (well, not everyone is ready to get and eat chicken breast or fish), don’t be afraid to buy protein food. We wrote about how to choose it and how to use it correctly in the article Which protein to choose for weight loss?
Perhaps if you reconsider your diet, you will get the answer to the question of why you go to the gym and don’t lose weight.
Reason #2: Choose the right loads!
If you eat right, go to the gym and are not losing weight, you may have chosen the wrong sport that helps you lose weight, or you may not be training regularly at the gym or at home.
- The following sports for girls promote weight loss: fat-burning cardio exercises, aerobic exercises and strength interval (circuit) training. Regular strength training does not boost metabolism and does not promote weight loss.
- Please note that you can only lose weight by giving your body enough cardio exercise. The pulse during training should not fall below 120 beats. It is these kinds of loads that contribute to weight loss. You can monitor your pulse using a heart rate monitor, which we have already talked about on the website sympaty.net.
- Also, those who go to the gym and are not losing weight can be advised to take up Nordic walking, running, swimming, and cycling. These activities are also good for losing weight.
Reason #3. Train correctly!
You need to adhere to the “golden mean” rule both for the number of workouts per week and for the duration of the workout itself.
- The worst enemy of your weight loss can be the lack of a training system. The best option for those who set out to lose weight is to exercise daily in the gym and at home. In this case, you can alternate strength interval training in the gym with cardio training at home.
- The minimum number of workouts is at least three times a week.
- The best time for fitness is in the morning, and the duration of one session is about an hour if it is strength interval training, and at least 20 minutes if it is cardio, for example, a morning jog.
- You also need to remember about intensity. You can walk on a treadmill in the gym, relax, then stand in the plank for a while without straining, chat with someone, do lunges - and an hour has passed. But this type of fitness will definitely make you wonder why I go to the gym 3 times a week but don’t lose weight?
You need to train intensively, monitor your technique and “don’t slack off!”, as one famous weight loss trainer Igor Obukhovsky says to those who go to his gym for training or train online.
Reason #4. "I need it quickly"
Is it any wonder why some people go to the gym, but do not lose weight from fitness, if they decide to lose weight very quickly and lose, say, 10 kg in a small number of days?
At least a month of properly selected fitness, well-balanced nutrition - and only then the first results will become noticeable.
Reason #5. Health
Perhaps you have health problems? There are a number of reasons why, even if you follow the rules of nutrition and adhere to the intensity of your exercise, you will not be able to lose weight. These primarily include problems with hormonal levels and the thyroid gland.
It is important for women and girls who regularly go to the gym but do not lose weight to get tested by a gynecologist and endocrinologist. They will help you choose medications that will correct your hormonal levels, depending on the results of your tests.
Let's say more, an experienced doctor, stroking your figure, can presumably describe the problem. For example, fat on the waist, hair on the body, acne on the skin - you do not have enough female hormones. Prescribed and selected medications will help solve the problem of losing weight. By continuing to work out in the gym and taking the necessary hormones, you will be able to move the weight off.
Reason #6. How do you sleep?
The production of female hormones depends on night rest. Lack of sleep leads to metabolic disorders and reduces the rate of fat processing. Therefore, you may not lose weight, even if you do intensive fitness in the gym, if your sleep period is disrupted.
Because I overeat
It’s worth accustoming yourself (or forcing!) to eat right. Don't reward yourself with treats for good deeds or great workouts. Ideally, you should eat once every three hours. Choose light foods with balanced proteins and carbohydrates. Drink water - sometimes people confuse thirst with hunger.
By the way, don’t go hungry either, otherwise you’ll end up eating more than you need.
You should not choose bars for snacking, even those that are “fitness”. Yes, there is protein, but there is little of it, and a lot of calories.
Poor nutrition
As you know, nutrition is 70% of success. If your diet is not balanced, your calorie intake, even taking into account workouts, exceeds your expenditure! If you eat a lot of sweets and junk food, exercise will never give the desired result: you will not lose weight. I know a girl who worked out a lot in the gym, and after training she treated herself to a Roshen bar and coffee with milk and sugar (!). Isn’t it really surprising that weight loss, although looming on the horizon, never happened?))) And the rest of her food was very monotonous - salads and chicken.
READ ALSO: What to cook for breakfast: 5 recipes from a popular nutritionist
In nutrition, variety and balance according to BJU are very important: if you eat only buckwheat and chicken breast, this is not a healthy diet at all. Eat a varied diet, exercise with pleasure and lose weight easily!
Because I only rely on cardio training
Cardio as a separate workout for weight loss is not suitable. Be sure to include strength exercises in your workouts for relief.
Another nuance: as soon as you start doing strength training, most likely the weight will stay the same. This will last about a month. The muscles swell because water is retained there. Then they will get used to it and begin to work, forming a beautiful body. Unnecessary water will go away and so will the weight.
Monotonous workouts
As already mentioned, our body gets used to the load, intensity and type of training. And it stops responding to them the way we need it. The body needs to be constantly surprised! Change the load, add intensity or weight, change types of fitness. Do this once every 2 months. Do you go to the gym? Super! Now try a month of group classes or swimming. There are a lot of options! Experiment and lose weight with pleasure!
Because I feel sorry for myself
Find a trainer to push you and show you how to do the exercises. Losing weight requires regularity. Train 3-4 times a week. Remember that cardio begins to work on fat burning after an hour of exercise - it is unlikely that you spend an entire hour on the treadmill.
We need a beautiful butt - we take heavy weights. Let there be not many approaches, but high quality. Weight is added gradually, under the supervision of a trainer. Losing weight - take a small weight, but do a lot of approaches.
For the results to be visible, remember: a burning sensation in the muscles began - we did it 1-2 more times through “I can’t”.
The main reasons why I exercise but don’t lose weight
There are several factors that lead to the lack of weight loss results, even while playing sports. These experts include:
- Dietary disorder. Even if a person follows a diet, physical activity can lead to some violations - large portions of food are eaten (“after all, a lot of calories have been spent”), the next meal or snack is ignored (“I’ll go to training soon”), sweet carbonated water is drunk, or eating is allowed once a week fast food (“this is my reward for my efforts”).
- All these excuses only stop weight loss - any dietary violation is unacceptable.
- Incorrect interpretation of results . That is, the weight will indeed grow or stop, but this does not mean that weight loss is not happening. Sport actively affects muscle tissue, so during periods of active loads you should focus not on scales, but on a measuring tape.
Body volume will decrease, but weight will not due to muscle growth. And that's great! But here it is important to adjust the training in time: as soon as the desired volume and body contour appear, you need to make it less forceful, it should become aerobic.
- Incorrectly selected loads . This often happens when you independently compile a set of physical exercises. For example, someone who is losing weight engages exclusively in aerobics, fitness or swimming. Or he is so passionate about the process that he trains every day and with full dedication. The result will be slow weight loss, almost imperceptible - the body is overworked or under-exerted.
But sometimes it also happens that a person strives to get a slim figure, has drawn up a diet with a nutritionist and regularly plays sports, but no weight loss is observed. Or they combine excessive exercise and a low-calorie menu, but there are no results. And there is also a well-reasoned scientific/medical explanation for this.
We recommend reading about Nordic walking for weight loss. From the article you will learn about the benefits of Nordic walking, choosing poles, correct technique, and weight loss results. And here is more information about the Orbitrek weight loss simulator.
I don't have time to recover
Why am I not losing weight? This is possible if you set out to lose weight with special zeal. Give your body a chance to rest between workouts. Fanaticism will lead to the body accumulating even more fat. You can't exercise every day! You can't study for 3 hours straight! Choose the optimal schedule to restore strength and not slow down your metabolism. Fat melts while resting between workouts.
Doing sports for a long time in “maximum” mode
There are girls who give instructions to quickly lose weight and go to it, not seeing the white light. Perseverance is good. But there must be a measure. The body needs to rest! Everything - both body and brain. If you constantly train to the limit, a breakdown cannot be avoided. The body gets tired, exhausted and can no longer produce results. Rest is an important aspect of a proper and effective training process. The body must recover! And fat after training also continues to be burned.
- Conclusion: is it possible to train every day? It is possible, but in moderation. If you want to give your body a shake-up in the form of an intensive workout, calculate your strength correctly. Your intensive should not last longer than 2 weeks.
I'm waiting for results too quickly
Don't expect results in a week. Losing weight is a long, complex and thoughtful process. Just set a goal and go towards it. Don’t torment yourself with the question “Why am I not losing weight?” daily. Stick to your diet, exercise, tune in. Then you are guaranteed a beautiful body.
IMPORTANT! If you get enough sleep, drink at least 2.5 liters of water daily, train under the supervision of a trainer and watch your diet, but your weight has remained the same for the last two months, then consult your doctor! An examination of the body will help you understand the reason.