Weight loss is a process—one that doesn’t always happen as quickly as you might like. While safe, healthy weight loss does take time, there are reasons you might not be losing weight that are worth considering as you gauge your progress.
For example, maybe you’re committed to a regular workout, but you’re not burning enough calories. Or maybe you’re burning enough calories but you’re then consuming too many in return. Perhaps you are exercising enough and eating well, but you have a medical condition interfering with your ability to lose weight.
Many things can influence weight loss, some of which may be more obvious than others. It’s worth considering all of them as you work to make changes that will get you results.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain. A 2018 review found those who slept fewer than seven hours a night were more likely to have higher average body mass indexes and develop obesity.
Researchers speculate that sleep deprivation can:
- Increase levels of ghrelin, a hormone that regulates hunger
- Affect salt retention and markers of inflammation
- Decrease levels of leptin and insulin sensitivity, other hormones responsible for weight control
Getting enough sleep is crucial if you’re trying to lose weight, not just because of how it affects you physically, but mentally as well.
Sleep deprivation can make you feel cranky, confused, irritable, and even contribute to depression. It can affect your activity level and food choices.
Getting up and going to bed at the same time every day, avoiding stimulants like caffeine several hours before bedtime, and other sleep hygiene changes can go a long way in improving the rest you get.
Feeling Stressed
Stress and weight gain, or lack of weight loss, go hand in hand. Constant stress can contribute to several health problems, including affecting your weight-loss program.
- Cravings: When we’re stressed or unhappy, many of us reach for “comfort foods” that are high in sugar and fat.
- Cortisol: Like sleep deprivation, too much stress increases the production of cortisol. Not only does this increase appetite, but it can also cause extra abdominal fat storage.
- Motivation: Feeling down, tired, or stressed can make a workout seem too daunting.
Taking short moments throughout the day to consciously check in with yourself and lower your tension levels is a good starting place for dealing with chronic stress. Mindful meditation can help bring more calm to your life.
A study published in the journal Eating Behaviors found that meditation can decrease binge eating and help reduce emotional eating.
Keep in mind that chronic stress may not easily be solved on your own. Talking with a counselor or your doctor can help you identify your stressors and the best ways to manage them.Can Mindfulness Meditation Reduce Belly Fat?
Eating Too Much
One of the most important factors in weight loss is how many calories you’re eating versus how many calories you’re burning—or the concept of calories in vs. calories out.
It may seem obvious, but unless you’re tracking your calories each day, you may be eating more than you think. In fact, research has found that most of us underestimate how much we’re eating, especially when we go out to eat.
People tend to significantly incorrectly estimate how many calories they consume while simultaneously overestimating the calories burned during activity.
For example, when assessing the calorie content of fettuccine Alfredo or chicken fajitas at a restaurant, participants underestimated calories by 463 to 956. That’s a pretty big discrepancy and one that could easily affect weight loss goals. To more closely track your diet, try these tips.
Determine Your Needs
Start by calculating how many calories you should aim to lose weight.
Set Your Calorie Goal and Get a Free Meal Plan
About You
English MetricMaleFemaleHeight Ft. 3 ft 4 ft 5 ft 6 ft 7 ft 8 ftIn. 0 in 1 in 2 in 3 in 4 in 5 in 6 in 7 in 8 in 9 in 10 in 11 in
How Active Are You?
SedentaryLight ActivityModerate ActivityVery ActiveCALCULATEEMBED THIS TOOL
Keep a Food Diary
Getting in the habit of writing down what you eat in a food diary prompts you to really think about what you’re eating. You can use your own notebook or an online tracking program, such as My Food Diary. Log your food intake every day for at least a week, being as specific as possible: Measure your portions, read food labels, or access nutritional information if you’re eating out.
Analyze Your Diet
Food diary apps and websites will often give you an overview of how many calories you’re eating as well as a breakdown of different nutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates). They can also help you get an objective look at your overall eating habits, so you can look for ways to cut calories. You might even consider working with a registered dietitian who can make more specific recommendations based on your data.
Experiencing Slow Metabolism
Metabolism can slow for several reasons, one of which is age, particularly if you don’t preserve your muscle mass. Some estimates show that muscle mass declines about 4% each decade from ages 25 to 50. Since lean muscle burns more calories than fat, building and maintaining muscle is vital for metabolic health and weight loss.
If you’re still eating the same number of calories as your metabolism drops, your weight may creep up over time. Start exercising and lifting weights now to keep your metabolism in check. Exercise helps to burn extra calories and lifting weights will help you to burn muscle. Adding muscle to your frame helps you to burn more calories even when your body is at rest. Of course, check with your healthcare provider before getting started.
Exercising Too Little
Exercise is, of course, a crucial element to weight loss, but it’s hard to know if you’re doing the right workouts or burning enough calories. Start by looking at your overall program to get a sense of how much you’re exercising and how much you really need.
For weight loss, experts often recommend 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise each day. If you’re doing high-intensity workouts, that number drops to up to 30 minutes.
If you’re not close to that, this gives you a place to start. This doesn’t mean you have to start working out for almost two hours a day, however. In fact, that’s a bad idea if you’re not used to that level of exertion, as it could lead to injury, burnout, or overtraining.
You may need to increase your workout time and intensity to match your weight loss goals. Or, you need to change your weight loss goals to match your activity.
Don’t forget; it’s not just about structured exercise. Working out for an hour doesn’t cancel out the next eight or nine hours of sitting (something many of us do).
In addition to exercise, try to be as active as you can: Take regular breaks from the computer, take walks whenever possible, stretch, wear a pedometer to see how many extra steps you can get in, limit your TV time, etc.
If you spend more than 8 hours sitting, that could be one more reason you’re having trouble losing weight. If you find your workouts are hit-or-miss, it’s important to find ways to stay on track.
Taking Weekends Off
It’s not uncommon to find yourself staying focused and on track during the week, only to get a little too relaxed in your exercise and eating habits over the weekend. While an occasional break and treat are fine, consistently letting go on the weekend could be hurting your weight loss goals.
Generally speaking, to lose one pound of fat in a week, you need to cut 500 calories with diet and/or exercise each day. If you only do so for five days, then overeat or skip your workout for the next two, it’s akin to taking one step forward and two steps back.
That doesn’t mean you can never treat yourself, but you need to say on track to see results.
Resist Free-for-Alls
Instead of cutting loose all day Saturday and Sunday, choose one or two treats to enjoy over the weekend. Then, stick to your healthier diet the rest of the time.
Avoid Rewards
If you’ve been eating healthy all week, it’s tempting to want to reward yourself. It’s good motivation to have something to look forward to, but try rewarding yourself with experiences, such as a trip to the movies or the mall, rather than food.
Keep Moving
It’s fine to plan some time for rest on the weekends, but that doesn’t mean you have to be completely sedentary. A nice walk with your family or tossing a football in the backyard may not be structured exercise, but it still counts.
Plan for Fun
If you like indulging a bit on the weekend, plan your treats into your diet and exercise routine so you can really enjoy them. If you want pizza on Friday night, plan a lighter lunch earlier in the week and ramp up your Thursday workout, for example.7
Having a Medical Condition
Weight loss is a complex process involving a variety of factors. Some we can control, such as our diet and exercise. We can also work to manage stress and develop good sleep habits.
But we can’t control our genes, sex differences (including the influence of hormones), age-related changes, and our individual body type. If you aren’t losing weight despite changes to your diet and activity level, see your doctor to rule out a medical condition as the cause. This is also important if you’re inexplicably gaining weight.
There are several health conditions and medications that have been linked to weight gain. Tell your doctor if you gain more than five pounds in a month without any changes to your diet or exercise.
Conditions and Medications That Can Cause Weight Gain
- Thyroid conditions
- Medications to treat diabetes
- Corticosteroid (steroid) medications
- Some antidepressant medications (SSRIs)
- Beta-blockers used to treat high blood pressure
- Antipsychotic and anticonvulsant medications
Hitting a Plateau
Almost everyone reaches a weight loss plateau eventually. As your body adapts to your workout, it becomes more efficient. Over time, your body will expend fewer calories performing the same exercise. Your weight loss progress will begin to slow down and may even stop. There are several reasons for plateaus.
- Doing the same workout: Your body needs to be challenged to progress, so make sure you’re changing up your program every four to six weeks.
- Eating too few calories: If your body doesn’t have enough fuel to sustain your activity level, your body will conserve, rather than burn, calories.
- Overtraining: If you exercise too much, your body may respond by decreasing the number of calories you burn on your rest days.
There are several ways to help break through a weight loss plateau, including varying up the exercises you do and changing your intensity or duration. Experiment to find the ones that work for you.
Being Impatient
Just because you’re not losing weight doesn’t mean you’re not getting positive results. Your body may be making changes that a scale simply can’t measure, so hinging the evaluation of your success on how much you weigh can sometimes be discouraging. Reflect on these questions when looking at your results
Are My Weight Loss Goals Realistic?
Experts agree a realistic weight loss goal is losing half a pound to two pounds in a week. If you try to lose more than that, it’s not likely to be sustainable.
Am I Seeing Any Results?
Forget about the scale. Use other changes as a gauge. Maybe you are losing inches even if you’re not losing pounds, or noticing that your clothes fit differently. You may not be losing weight in exactly the places you want to see changes, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening elsewhere.
Have I Given Myself Enough Time?
Keep in mind that the process isn’t always linear. It often takes three or more months to see significant changes; it can take longer for many people. Unless you follow your diet and exercise program to the letter 100% of the time, you won’t lose weight at the same rate from week to week.
Am I Getting Other Benefits?
In other words, do you feel better? Sleep better? Feel stronger? Make a list of these wins and refer back to it if you ever feel discouraged. Remember that these matter, too.
Consider hiring a personal trainer if you need help setting realistic personal fitness and weight loss goals.
Having Unrealistic Goals
Many people have an unrealistic idea about what it means to be at a healthy weight If you take away all the reasons you want to lose weight that have anything to do with how you look, are there other reasons you need to lose weight? Are you at risk for medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease? Is your BMI in an unhealthy range?
A conversation with your doctor can help you make sure your wishes and goals are in line with what’s not only healthy for your body but possible. For some people, losing weight may be an important component of getting and staying healthy.
But if you’re healthy at your current weight, it may be best to invest your efforts in figuring out how to be happy with the weight you are.
Remember that healthy bodies don’t all look the same and that negative thinking can trick you into believing things about yourself that just aren’t true. Try to focus on all the things you like about your body. Appreciating all the things your body can do can help improve your body image.