I was messaged by a potential client the other day who asked:
“I’ve been working out for a few weeks, and I still haven’t lost any weight. Do you think I’m broken?
If this sounds familiar, now is not the time to give up. Obviously it’s super frustrating when the scale refuses to move—especially when you’re exercising more and you’ve made some changes to your diet.
But:
Before you throw it in, and go back to your unhealthy ways…let’s take a look at some things that could be limiting your weight loss.
And. If you can correct them, you may start to see changes in your body—especially your weight loss.
1. Eating Before Bed
Now, it’s okay to eat before bed—you just need to make sure you’re eating the right foods, and in the right portions.
A small, healthy snack—like grapes or yogurt—can go a long way to boosting you weight loss. You should be skipping unhealthy treats, like potato chips and sugary foods, as they tend to spike insulin and blood sugar, making it more likely you’ll gain weight—or not lose any weight.
2. You’re Under Stress
Stress can be a killer for most weight loss programs. The more stressed out you are, the harder it will be to lose weight.
Cortisol, which increases in times of stress, may cause an increase in blood sugar, which could stunt even the best weight loss efforts. Better management of stress could lead to an easier time losing weight.
And you won’t crave unhealthy foods, which could easily lead to overconsumption of calories.
3. You Are Born With A “Slow” Metabolism
There’s a chance you need to work harder than someone else because you have a slower metabolism. Although you can’t change your genes, you can alter certain things in your body to give your metabolic rate a boost.
Increasing your lean muscle mass, through strength training, could add a moderate boost to your metabolic rate. It’s been shown that leaner people burn more calories, thanks to having more lean muscle.
Even a small bump in your metabolic rate, could lead to positive changes on the scale.
If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, or you’re frustrated by your lack of results, then correcting what you’re eating at night, controlling your stress, and boosting your lean muscle mass, may all kick-start your weight loss.
Making these small tweaks could result in dramatically different results.
Your friend and trainer,
Paul F Sweatt, CPT
Train Smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt.