Are you exercising and eating healthy yet the scale is not going down? That can be very frustrating. You are putting in the hard work and yet you feel as though you are not seeing the results that you are looking for. Well, I have some reasons why the scale might not be moving in the direction you want. Check them out here…
1. Over estimating your activity and underestimating your eating
Calories are what our bodies use for energy. Our bodies break down food (protein, carbs and fats) and breaks it down to sugar so our bodies can use it for energy. If the amount of calories that you consume is more than the energy that you are exerting then the body will store those extra calories. So, if you are over estimating your activity and underestimating your eating then this could cause the scale to move up or stay the same.
Getting a Fitbit or Garmin or some sort of device that will track your heart rate and steps during the day will give a good indication of how many calories you are using during the day. This will give you a good number to aim for as far as eating. You want to create a 400- 500 calories deficit to cause the scale to go down.
Just because you are exercising does not mean you are using a ton of calories. You want to aim for 30 – 40 minutes of exercise were your hear rate is elevated. If you are going on a walk and it is really not that difficult you may want to pick up your pace.
2. Are you Getting Enough Fiber?
Fiber helps you feel full. It also aids in keeping regular. If you are backed up the scale can go up a couple pounds. Not only are you full of all the waste but it can create gas and bloating. You want to make sure that you are having a bowel movement everyday.
Foods that have fiber are leafy greens, apples, whole grains, lentils, nuts peas and carrots. The fiber acts as a brush to your insides. It helps clean your insides.
3. Cardio
Cardio is when you have an elevated heart rate for over an extended amount of time. Your heart is pumping and using energy. Your heart is a muscle and needs to be worked and strengthened just like your other muscles. When your heart rate is elevated you heart is pumping blood and oxygen. This uses energy or calories.
Your body also uses different fuel sources when you do over 30 minutes of cardio. Your body can only sustain an elevated heart rate for a certain amount of time. There is no way you could do a full out high intensity workout for more than a couple minutes. So, cardio is when you have a heart rate between 65- 85% of your max heart rate. To calculate your heart rate you can do it here..
220 – Age = your max heart rate
The best way to get the most bang for your time and workout is to do intervals within your workout. So instead of just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a set pace, you want to do moderate and high intensity intervals. This will make sure that you can really work your heart muscle, sustain the high intensity work and get the after burn.
The after burn or EPOC (Excess post exercise oxygen consumption). This is when your body is recovering and getting the depleted oxygen throughout your body. This creates your body to be burning calories after your workout not just during it. The more intense your workout the longer it takes your body to recover.
4. Weight Training
Just doing weight training is not enough if you want to loose weight. But when you do add weight training to your workout routine the muscle that you build uses more energy. This increases your daily caloric need or metabolism.
That is why is it important to get your body fat percentage checked. This will give you an indication if you are loosing fat and gaining muscle. If your body is composed of mostly fat, even if you are thin, it will make it harder to loose weight. The good news is adding a weight training routine to your workout will take care of this. I would aim for doing weight 2-3 times a week. If you need help designing or figure out what weight training program works best for you I would be glad to help.
5. Are you doing the same thing?
Doing the same workout over and over will stall your results on the scale. Variety is key. Our bodies are pretty amazing. They get efficient at doing our workouts when we do it over and over. That is why it might seem like when you first started on the treadmill it was very hard but after a couple weeks you increased your time and it didn’t feel as challenging. The bad news is that your body is so efficient that you aren’t using the same amount of calories to do that workout as when you started.
Make sure that you are challenging yourself with different forms of workouts and exercises.
6. How many hours of sleep are you getting?
Did you know that your body uses calories when you sleep? Pretty cool huh? Well, if you are not getting enough sleep then your body is not able to fully recover and feel rested. This will make you tired the next day and can limit your workout and activities for the day.
The more you are awake the more you have time to eat. So, if you have a problem with night time snacking the answer may be to go to bed earlier so you are not tempted to eat at night.
7. Stress
Stress puts our bodies into a state of overload. It also increases cortisol which holds onto fat. We are in that flight or fight mode and our bodies are storing fat because we are in crisis mode.
Make sure to deal with your stress in a healthy way or find something your like to do. Exercise will make you feel happier and can clear your mind or give you time not thinking about your worries. Try a yoga class or meditation. If you are not getting any relief you may want to seek some professional help.
8. Are you hungry or thirsty?
When we are thirsty our bodies may tell us that we are hungry but we are actually thirsty. Aim for at least 64 oz of water each day. For each hour of exercise you want to add 12 oz of water. If you don’t drink enough water your body will actually hold onto the water and make you bloated cause it is storing it. If you drink water regularly your body will eliminate what is not needed and won’t store it.
9. Underlying Medical Issue
Maybe you are doing all of the above and the scale is still not moving. Maybe there is an underlying medical issue that is causing your to gain the weight. It could be from medications that you are already as well. Your thyroid may be slow, this can cause you to gain weight. If nothing is working then consult with your doctor to get checked out.
I have created an amazing program “Reset Your Metabolism”. We go over all the tricks and tools that you can use to get your metabolism raging. If you are interested in join my program click on the link below.
