5 Reasons Why Your Weight Loss has Stopped!

You’ve been losing weight and feeling great about yourself. The pounds have been dropping off and all of a sudden you don’t see any more change in your appearance for weeks or even months! It’s such a daunting feeling when the scales don’t move anymore and you feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Don’t forget that scales aren’t a proper measurement of weight. The best thing to do is use a tape measure to monitor how your waist circumference, legs and arms change. Here are 5 Reasons Why Your Weight Loss has Stopped and how you can still get the body you want.

1. You’re not doing enough of the right exercise

Even if you’re going to the gym four times a week, which is good, you won’t lose anymore weight if you continue doing the same exercises that made you lose weight in the first place.

Your body is used to it so you need to work harder. Do more reps or use heavier weights to really push yourself and try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to really get the fat burning. Short bursts of intense exercise followed by a longer rest period keeps your body burning fat for days after! Check out this video of Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach doing a HIIT workout:

2. You’re eating too much processed food

Those shop bought healthy snack bars you’re buying? They probably aren’t as healthy as they look!

Many snack bars like Belvita, Go Ahead, NutriGrain and others are high in processed sugar. Some are even worse for you than a chocolate bar! By swapping these for fruit or homemade healthy bakes, you can lower your intake of sugar and lose more weight. Don’t forget that even savoury shop bought snacks can be high in sugar so always check the labels and if a product has more than 22g of sugar per 100g, it’s technically junk food and should only be consumed once in a while. Try making these quick and easy energy bites at home and take them into work for a satisfyingly healthy snack!

3. You’re not drinking enough water

Staying hydrated is vital not only for the proper function of your organs but also to lose weight.

Water helps to break down fat molecules so by drinking 2-4 litres of water per day you’ll be keeping hydrated and have more chance of shifting those extra pounds. A good tip to monitor how much you’re drinking is to buy a one-litre bottle and keep re-filling it so you know exactly how much you’ve been drinking. Fruit and vegetables are also full of water especially those like melon, cucumber and courgette so incorporate these into your meals and you’ll have no problem getting enough water in your system.

4. You’re not getting enough sleep

Sleep is so underestimated when it comes to weight loss.

When you don’t get enough sleep and find yourself yawning at your desk, you’re at huge risk of actually gaining weight! When you’re tired your brain doesn’t function properly and your body naturally craves anything that will give it a quick energy boost. This tends to be starchy carbohydrates like pizza or sugary processed foods that will give you energy for a short while and then give you that massive slump afterwards. Making sure you get enough sleep means you’re more in control of your cravings and have more energy to smash those workouts!

5. You’re not eating right

Even if you’re eating healthily you might not be eating the right way to lose weight.

If you’re into avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and all the other healthy fats, you could be eating too many of them. These fats are great for you but they’re still fat so have them in moderation to avoid the extra calories. Portion control is important too. Eat until you feel full, (some even say no more than ⅔ full) don’t overdo it, and ideally you should be having three meals and two snacks a day. Don’t underestimate the importance of having a healthy hearty breakfast as it helps to kickstart your metabolism for the day!

Take on these tips for a minimum of one month and you should see results. If you can keep it up for three months you’re sure to see signs of whether what you’re doing is working or not. The harder you push yourself in the gym and the better food decisions you make will all add up to help you get the body of your dreams. Yes, it takes time and effort but it’s so worth it! If after a few months you feel like you’re not getting anywhere seek the advice of a Personal Trainer and nutritionist to help you reach your goals.

Safia Yallaoui

Safia is a lifestyle blogger and coach at the fitness membership company MoveGB. She also has an MA in journalism and has done a variety of freelance work in print, radio and online. After losing 14lbs a few years ago Safia got into health and fitness realising the most important thing about clean eating is nourishing your body. She loves to keep in shape with weight training and going to fitness classes. Whilst training to be a Nutritional Therapist she is learning how to alleviate health problems by including or omitting certain foods and has a keen interest in the affects of sugar on a person's physical and mental health.

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