7 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

Do not let your perception of progress on your fitness journey change based solely off the number on the scale, or you will find yourself very disappointed, frustrated, and continuing the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

There are many more determinants of progress than the scale- it’s a tool we utilize but it is only ONE data point.

⚠️ First, we need to recognize the significant distinction between WEIGHT loss vs FAT loss.

🚫 Weight loss involves losing fat, muscle, water, and bone density

✅ Fat loss goals involve losing primarily fat while retaining (and often even building) muscle mass

Here are 7 Reasons the Scale Isn't Moving

1️⃣ You’re not in a true calorie deficit. Whether it’s human error when measuring or tracking your food intake OR you are inaccurately estimating what your calorie deficit should be, you will not lose weight. This is because you’re eating more calories than you’re expending at the end of the day. If you're looking for help figuring out where your body's calorie deficit falls, never hesitate to reach out!

2️⃣ You are under eating. It seems counterintuitive that eating too little can cause a plateau in weight loss, but if your body is undernourished, it perceives the lack of food as a famine. Since your body’s only job is to keep you safe and alive, it’s going to hold onto the mass it has to protect you from starving to death. Eating an adequate amount of food will help build and stabilize your metabolism, putting you in an optimal state for fat loss.

3️⃣ You are losing fat and gaining muscle. Also known as “body recomposition”, this is the most common reason many people come to a crossroads with the scale. Their protein intake is consistent and high and they are exercising regularly, both of which help maintain/build muscle. But they are simultaneously losing inches and measurements are decreasing, it’s just simply not reflected on the scale. This one takes a good amount of trust and patience to see.

4️⃣ The list of variables that are out of our control is lengthy. SO many things impact the number on the scale that we cannot control- sodium from a meal the night before you weighed in, extra water intake, hormones, cortisol/stress, menstrual cycles, volume of food eaten, increased carb intake that pulls more water into the body, etc.

5️⃣ You are retaining water from resistance training. The stress and micro-tearing damage to the muscle fibers that comes with strength training induces water retention in the body, which can often reflect an increase on the scale. This is not true weight gain.

6️⃣ STRESS. Stress is a tremendous inhibitor of weight and fat loss, far more than you may think. Anything from reacting to being cut off in traffic to launching a big project at work causes micro stress in the body, and we all experience numerous stressors every single day that add up. We often don't realize the impact this can have- it increases cortisol levels (the stress hormone), and chronically puts your body into the fight/flight/freeze mode, which is NOT an optimal place to be in for weight or fat loss. The body needs to feel safe and calm in order to make that happen.

7️⃣ You are using different scales or weighing in at different times of the day. It's critical that you use the same scale every time you take your weight AND you take your weight at the same time every day you weigh in. Ideally, take your weight in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. Sometimes that's not possible, but what matters is keeping the scale and scale timing consistent.

Later this week we will touch on the many other methods of tracking progress you can utilize in addition to the scale.

Zoom out and look at your overall progress, Wolves.

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