Stalled weight loss can happen for any number of reasons, but from my personal coaching experience, there’s a good chance you’re not losing weight due to one or more of the following reasons…
You Just Started
Your body undergoes many new changes when you start a fitness program. If you went from eating processed food and couch potato to healthy eating and extremely active, it’s entirely possible you won’t lose a single pound the first couple of weeks.
Increased muscle glycogen storage in response to more exercise is a big reason people don’t see weight loss at first. You have to push through this transitionary period.
You’re Being Impatient or Have Unrealistic Expectations
Most people severely overestimate how much weight they should lose each week. It’s as if anything less than 2lbs/week is a failure.
There are going to be days and weeks where you don’t lose weight even though you’re doing everything right. And there will be weeks where you lose more than expected.
Focus on the trend over the pace. So long as things are trending in the right direction over time and you have realistic weight loss expectations, you will eventually get to your goal.
You’re Not Eating Enough
The most common scenario people come to me with is they aren’t eating enough calories to lose weight.
Most people create too large of a calorie deficit with the hopes of losing weight faster. They quickly back themselves into a corner, and before you know it, they’re eating 1200 calories per day and working out every day but can’t drop a single pound.
Don’t try to starve the fat off. Feed the fat loss.
You’re Eating Too Much
While eating too few calories is the most common caloric issue, there are still others who are eating too much relative to their activity levels.
If you’re eating more than 12 times your body weight in calories and aren’t losing weight, it’s likely your calories need to come down some. So make sure you know how many calories to eat and how to make those necessary adjustments.
You’re Focused On the Scale and Weight
The scale is a good progress measurement tool, but it’s not the be-all-end-all. You have to use it in conjunction with other tools – tape measurements, progress pics, health, strength, confidence, etc.
Body transformation is about fat loss. If you’re losing fat, you’re doing great.
That’s right – weight loss and fat loss are not always the same thing. You could be making progress and not even realizing it if you’re relying solely on the scale for feedback.
You’re Not Including Strength Training
When most people think of losing weight, they think of cardio and long drawn out sessions on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or other cardio equipment.
In reality though, strength training, not cardio is the real fat burner, and should be the focal point of every weight loss exercise routine.
Strength training builds the muscle that will feed on body fat at all hours of the day. It is more metabolically active, so you end up burning more calories each day.
You’re Not Very Active
Do you sit behind a computer all day? A little activity can go a long way. Sometimes a single workout followed by a day of inactivity just isn’t enough.
Your NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is the amount of activity you do going about your day. It has more of an impact on your metabolism and daily caloric burn than exercise does.
Download a free pedometer smartphone app and track the steps you take in a day. If it’s less than 5000, you probably need to get moving a little more.
Lack of Sleep or Too Much Stress
Recovery is just as important as your nutrition, exercise, and mindset when it comes to creating a healthy lifestyle and losing weight. Yet so many of us are under-recovered, lacking sleep, and coping with too much stress.
Studies have shown that not getting enough sleep can affect your appetite, glucose metabolism, and the amount of physical activity you get. If you’re not getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night, you’re making your weight loss goals much harder to reach.
In addition, too much stress can affect the hormones that influence your metabolism. So make sure you’re working towards lowering the amount of stress in your life and finding healthy ways to cope with it.
You’re Being Inconsistent
Consistency and adherence are the two most important habits to have when transforming your life. Without both of them you will never stick to your plan long enough to experience transformation.
Your approach to eating should be the same regardless of whether you’re eating at home, on vacation, at a holiday party, or anywhere else. Every meal should be approached the same way – slow, mindful, and then stop at 80% full.
The same goes for your exercise. Pick a workout frequency you know you can stick with for the long term. You can always add more exercise in the future once you’ve proved to yourself you can handle the current work load for an extended period of time.
You’ve Reached a Weight Loss Plateau
Weight loss plateaus are very common. They are supposed to happen. It’s a natural part of the weight loss process. But not everyone knows how to break through them.
Here are a couple of strategies I implement with my own clients to help get things moving again. I only use these things when systematic calorie reduction isn’t working as it should.
- add refeed/cheat days once or twice per week
- restructure your calories by using nutrient/carb timing principles
You Don’t Need to Lose Any More Weight
I have a lot of people come to me wondering why they can’t lose weight. They tell me all the things they’re doing to try and overcome this struggle, but then proceed to tell me they weigh 110lbs.
Have you ever considered that you might not be losing weight simply because you don’t have any weight to lose? If you’re already small in stature, the problem might be a lack of lean body mass, and not an excess of weight.
Yes, you might have some fat to lose still, but gaining some muscle while maintaining your body weight means you’re losing fat. Focus on body composition over weight.
You Have a Medical Condition or Take Medications
Yes, there are medical reasons for why your weight loss isn’t going anywhere; however, these affect a very small percentage of people. In addition, many of these issues are lifestyle related and not the cause of your weight loss woes.
That being said, some people have legitimate medical issues, and if you think you’re one of them, definitely talk to your doctor.
Medications are also a big wild card, with side effects including both weight loss and weight gain. So do a little research on what you’re taking and the potential side effects.
You’re Over-Snacking
Snacks are not a necessity – they are a tool. Yet so many people plan snacks into their meal plan without any real purpose other than they think they’re supposed to be there.
Snacks are tools for getting you to your next core meal. If you aren’t hungry then don’t eat them.
But if you are, choose a small 100-300 calorie snack. Measure out your serving beforehand instead of eating straight from the container.
Your Metabolism Has Adapted
Metabolic adaptation is real and is a natural consequence of prolonged caloric restriction combined with too much exercise.
Your body adapts to calorie restriction and large deficits by slowing its production of metabolic hormones. This means your body ends up using the calories you eat much more efficiently.
There is a way out of that negative feedback cycle, and that’s through the process of reverse dieting.
You’re Neglecting the Mental Aspects of Weight Loss
The four cornerstones of weight loss are mindset, nutrition, exercise, and recovery. Most people tend to only focus on the middle two, but your mindset is the foundation for everything you do.
How you think influences what you do, and it’s these behaviors that impact your weight loss. Anyone can download a meal plan or exercise program to follow. But it’s your mindset that determines whether you’re going to actually follow it.
Take a close look at your relationship with food, the scale, and exercise. Do you avoid struggles or take them head on? Are you losing weight for you or do you feel outside pressures?
Your Diet is Nutrient Deficient
Calories are the #1 driver of weight loss. However, not all calories are created equally, and your metabolism is influenced by the types of foods you eat and the nutrients you get.
In other words, while eating less than you burn will always result in weight loss, the amount your burn can fluctuate too based on other factors. One of these factors is the amount of nutrients in your diet.
Without a nutrient sufficient diet, your metabolism can down-regulate. That means you will have to eat fewer and fewer calories to net the same results – creating a downward spiral of fewer calories creating a slower metabolism, leading to less food and nutrients, which further slows your metabolism.
So what do you think? Do any of the above reasons for your weight loss struggle resonate with you?
If so, tackle the issue one problem at a time. Pick something to improve and work on that until you feel good about it. Don’t try to change everything at once.
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GREAT POST!!!! Patience is so important! It takes time! 🙂 Other bigges you wrote about – people tent to underestimate what they really eat & how much & overestimate how many calories were burned off. Ya can’t out-train a bad diet! 🙂
Thanks Jody. And very true on the overestimating their calorie burn and underestimating how much they eat. I think the electronic wearable fitness devices greatly overestimate calorie burn and cause a lot of weight loss confusion.
How about age? Now that I am over 45 it seems so much harder to lose weight.
Hi Kim, age certain plays a factor, with all the changes in hormones, but the same principles for weight loss apply. It’s not going to keep you from losing weight, but you’ll likely have to work a little harder at it. 😉
My weight has stalled over the last few months. Basically I go up and down 2-3 pounds all the time, which I know is natural but I am stuck around 140. I have lost 60 pounds over the last year, am keeping an online journal using the daily burn of all the food I eat and the exercise that I do (which is cardio and weight training 5-6 days a week for 2-3 hours per workout). Im wondering if you can have too much of a calorie deficit and if that can pause or stall weight loss. On many days I have a 1500 or more calorie deficit. Do I need to add more calories to my diet on days when I workout hard? I am losing some inches but that also has slowed alot and I know that I still have a good bit of fat around my thighs and butt to lose especially.
Hi Deedee, if you’re not losing weight you’re not in a deficit. You might be in one on paper, but not in the real world.
If you’ve already lost 60lbs then I would just keep doing what got you that success but with minor modifications to overall food intake.
Keep your calorie deficit small. The goal is not to eat as little food as possible, the goal is to eat as much food as possible and still lose weight.
Thank you so much. I am gonna try to up my calories a little more and see how it goes. Btw what are your thoughts on juicing and cleansing diets?
Honestly, not a big fan of them. They tend to be gimmicky and unnecessary. A healthy diet and exercise is cleansing in and of itself.
I totally agree with your comment about people underestimating how many calories they should be eating when it comes to eating healthy food compared to overeating calories of processed food. Many of my clients have been shocked at how much clean, unprocessed food they should be eating compared to what they thought they should be eating.
Not eating enough food can totally stall your results as well.
Yeah they likely feel like they’re eating more whole foods than they think simply because of how filling they are.
The opposite is true for unprocessed foods. It can take 2-3x the calories worth of processed foods to get the same satiety as eating whole foods.
Great post. Sometimes the truth is hard to take. We all seem to kid ourselves….eating more than we think, cheating or just skipping workouts. I am having a hard time finding my maintenance amount of calories and the amount of exercise I need to do each week. It seems that as soon as I back off a little on exercise (once every other day instead of 2 times a day and daily) I start to gain (slowly), but it adds up. Being almost 51, the weight goes on faster than it comes off when I rev up my activity. I have success with a 2.6 mile run and a set of tennis and a 10 mile bike ride each day alternating one of the three with weights every other day or 2. I really eat healthy most of the time. So its a little frustrating to think I have to do that much exercise just to maintain. I was at my goal weight, but have gained about 6 lbs back trying to back off of that grueling schedule. Any suggestions for me?
Hi Annie, I would add in some form of strength training. The cardio is nice, but building muscle will make fat loss so much easier.
In addition, I would pick a certain level of exercise that you enjoy and can sustain for the long term. Then just adjust your nutrition around it.
Hi Coach,
As stated I already do weights every other day or two. I work on arms, abs, legs and also include pilate/yoga for stretching after my free weight sessions. I seem to see that “you’re not eating enough calories” is the predominate theme here, but don’t really think that’s my issue as when I increase them, I gain weight. Wondering though how many grams of protein do you think I should be eating each day?
Thanks for the response.
Oops, missed that in your comment.
You might gain weight increasing calories, but that doesn’t mean you’re gaining fat. It could just be added muscle glycogen.
Take a look at this article for your protein needs – http://coachcalorie.wpengine.com/best-macronutrient-ratio-for-weight-loss/
Hi Annie,
Would just like to say that i did a lot of cycling during the winter and gained weight! It built up so much muscle in my thighs that my jeans would not fit. The only thing that works for me is power walking or slow jogging. I have only realised that i am the type of person who seems to build muscle easily, without strength training. Love this blog.
Hello-
I’m a 33 year old woman and have been greatly increasing my exercise over the past year. In May 2011, I joined a heavybag cardio kickboxing gym. I was going 2-3x/week, up until this summer, when I began to attend 5-6 classes/week. I eat a wide range if foods, but I do not restrict myself from any foods. I have recently increased my consumption of water and green teas, and have tried to reduce after-dinner snacking. Let me tell you, the kickboxing is beyond intense, and I leave dripping, drenched, and frequently a bit disoriented from the intensity. I am pretty solid, but my biggest concern is I don’t believe I am losing inches. My clothes are still about as tight as they were prior to my joining of the gym, and I’m at a loss because of how much more I increased my frequency and maintained it for over 2 months. the truth is, I am not overweight, so I am assuming it is more difficult for me to lose weight. i also quit smoking a year ago, which may be delaying some loss. Is there anything you can suggest that I change, or add to my routine? I am very frustrated; I just want my clothes to fit better, nothing too drastic! But I am losing hope, since despite all of the hard work, I have yet to lose inches. The muscle tone is evident, especially in my thighs and arms. How can I lose some inches now? Thank you
Hi Francesca, your exercise sounds intense. Make sure you’re eating enough calories to support it. You don’t want too big of a calorie deficit. Feed the fat loss.
Do you have an article on strength training? I go to the gym but I am more comfortable just doing cardio there. Is there something I can do at home with small weights and resistance bands?
Hi Tara, I’ve written a lot about strength training. You can find all those articles in the archives.
Other than that, there are plenty of bodyweight exercises you can do. Pushups, pullups, squats, and variations thereof all can be used for strength training.
Hello,
Great information! Question, what are your thoughts on the paleo diet? I followed it pretty strictly for 2 months, lost a ton of weight, but wasn’t exercising regularly. I am no longer following it but try to cut grains as much as I can. I also workout 5x a week intensely. I am no longer losing any weight and I’m finding that I’m always hungry and always tired if I am not eating grains. Basically, I just wanted to see what your thoughts are on this issue. I still want to lose weight but I want me energy up too.. thanks!
Hi Lauren, I have no issues with eating Paleo. I don’t really think it’s necessary in most cases though. If you’re having energy problems on that diet, I’d recommend eating more starchy carbs. Sweet potatoes are OK to eat on it, and it should give you plenty of energy.
Choose an eating style that keeps you satisfied, consistent, and adherent to a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time.
I am 12 and I am concerted obese. I exercise about an hour a day and eat around 1500 calories. I drink plenty of water and weigh myself everday but cant keep a steady weight. I really want to loose weight but it doesnt seem to be working.
Hi Jenna, at 12 years old you really have no need to be counting calories. Your goal should be working towards incorporating some healthy habits into your life and building consistency with them.
Work towards eating majority whole foods and consistently eating a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and possibly a small snack or two if you’re hungry between them. When you eat your meals do it slow and try to stop well before you’re full.
I’ve been so bummed out these past three months. This year is one with a lot of firsts – for one I just started a new full time job, while taking graduate courses two days a week. Since December, I’ve put on about 15lbs, and it’s been a real pain in the you-know-what getting it off. in essence, this has turned from a 70 weight loss to a 55 weight loss. But I’m noticing that this time around, the 15lbs is taking forever to come off. I’m so depressed, but I’m not willing to quit just yet. Do you have any links for at home exercises that I can do??
-Overly Bummed Out
Rebecca, I have a post coming this week with 10 best exercises you can do anywhere-stay tuned! Try to stay positive, I know it’s hard!
I’m a newly 40 year old female, 5’9 1/2, 201lbs. I use the ERG rowing machine 2/week (in a rowing class), I burn minimum 500 calories a class (w/HRM). I eat smoothies for breakfast (no dairy), huge salad and maybe a Boca burger or turkey burger for lunch, and chicken and veggies for dinner. Snacks include, fruit, almonds, almond butter. My weight is staying as is. I’ve been rowing for 1 1/2 months now. What’s going on?
Hi Kay, do you know how many calories you’re eating?
Also, are you taking any other progress measurements, such as tape measurements or progress pics?
Sounds like you might have gone from sedentary to suddenly working out. Some adaptations can occur that mask your fat loss.
I would like to loose on my bum. I have a very flat stomach and a small upper body. I have been trying to shed off my bum for as long as I can remember. I am of an African origin and there is a history of bigger hips in my family. Everytime I try to loose weight, the only place that’s seems to loose is my tummy and my face which then looks to skinny and makes me look too old. I am 40 years, I weigh 98kgs and my height is 168cm
Please help
It’s hard to control where the fat goes on and off, as that is mostly a factor of genetics and some physical things such as hormones and insulin sensitivity.
I would suggest getting down to the body fat percentage you are happy with and then work on accepting your body for what it is – healthy. Good luck!
I am a 48 year old female and recently gained 15lbs all in the mid section. All I hear is you won’t be able to get rid of it until you get your hormones in check. Is this true and what can I do.
Hi Julie, there could be an underlying hormonal issue, but I would be leaning more towards your nutrition.
To gain 15lbs it means you’re eating more than you’re burning. So you’ll either need to reduce your food intake or increase your activity.
Thank you! This article helped me a lot. I have already lost 100 lbs but gained about 15 lbs back due to eating horribly over the holidays. I have about 35 lbs to get to my goal weight which is 10 pounds higher than my weight in my 20s (I am 50 yrs old). Now I am stuck. I eat well all day but for some reason night time eating causes me to eat, perhaps low calorie foods but not natural foods. I work out anywhere between 50-90+ minutes 5-6 times a week. I try to do cardio mixed with strength training (still hate those push ups and planks!!). I use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories and workouts. I usually eat about 1300-1500 a day. Maybe I need to stick to 1200 to get my body to burn the fat. After reading your article, I am wondering if it is too many carbs in my diet. I am usually under for fat intake.
Hi Janice, 1200 is likely too low. I’d focus my efforts on improving the quality of my diet and addressing the pain points like overeating during holidays or one-off events before cutting calories more than is necessary.
I know this may not specifically be your area of expertise, but I was wondering if the body stores / releases fat is any different postpartum and while breastfeeding? I have heard both sides, that the fat will melt off if you breastfeed because of the extra calories it burns to provide, or that the fat will hang on while you breastfeed because it is needed to provide… ? It is still early in the game for me, my son is only 4 months old, but it just seems to be much harder now than before. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Jenilee, I think some women tend to hang on while others burn it off like crazy. You do burn more calories while breastfeeding, but your body also likes to store reserves, usually in your hips and thighs. Breastfeeding also causes uterine contractions that helps to shrink the uterus back down sooner. I was one of the “lucky” ones whose body would not begin to release fat until my milk was no longer needed. Don’t be mad at it though, it’s trying to protect your baby 🙂 good luck!
I have found that I can eat a lot more than I formerly thought and still lose weight, especially when eating healthy foods. My exercise, even if it’s walking several miles with my dog, helps my stress. Now, if I could just be paid for exercising outside as a part time job (to supplement my full time job), I’d be thrilled.
How do you know when you’ve reached your healthy weight? I’d like to lose another 20 to get close to my prepregnancy weight, again. I’m now within days of turning 55. I’ve been at that weight previously but let myself go after some traumatic events in my life. Btw, I’ve been told by my dr not to lose too much.
I’d focus more on getting to a body composition I’m happy with and let my weight fall wherever.
You can be lean at a lot of different body weights. So focus on the getting to the intersection of consistent eating, joyful exercise, and body acceptance.
Hello Tony great article ! I have been doing body pump 3 time a week for strength training and spinning 3 times a week. I am a stay home mum and been using a colorie counting app. It asked me my activity level but does not give that choice. If I chose light active it only gives me 1450 calories to eat daily but if I chose active it gives 1700. Do you think 1450 is not enought ? I am not losing any wait but not put any on. Really want to lose 5 kg. I have been eating healthy and drinking over 2l water a day . what would you suggest ? Please help many thanks !!
Hi Paty, hard to say without knowing your stats. I’d start at the higher number for the first two weeks and see what your body weight does.
If week 2 is lower than week 1 then don’t change anything. If it’s not lower then cut 100 calories and repeat the process until your weight is trending down.
Hi Tony, I enjoyed reading all the articles! I have been a runner for 20 years now and it’s one of my favorite workouts to clear my mind. The past few years I have incorporated beach body, insanity, p90x 30 and focus t25. I feel like my body has gotten bulky and I really want to get long and lean. I am scared of using weights because of what the beach body did to my body. I feel like there are fat pockets around my muscles. Also I did just start working with a nutritionist since I have been under eating thinking it was what I needed to do. I never ate carbs and now I am starting to incorporate them. What do you suggest to burn the fat without getting bulky muscles.
Thanks!
Hi Jacqueline, I wouldn’t stop strength training. If you’re getting bulky it’s because you’re eating too much. Strength training doesn’t bulk people up – calories do.
So I’m not so sure you’re undereating, but that’s something your nutritionist will have to determine. But if you want to burn fat without getting bulky you need to be eating at maintenance or below.
Hi Coach Tony,
Thanks for the timely post! I’m in my middle of my 3rd week of mindful eating (don’t wanna call it a diet because I don’t really like the term hehe!). I have lost nor gained weight. I guess I just need to be patient about it or I am not close to projecting the correct calories I eat.
I have another question, how long should a person lift weights? How many open weights / machines to do per day of exercise?
Thanks!
Marie
Mindful eating is a process. Work towards getting consistent with your eating week to week and then you can make small modifications that lower your food intake in order to get your weight trending down.
As for lifting weights. There’s no right answer and it would take a very long article to answer your question. But generally speaking, strength training 2-4 days per week is sufficient with a few exercises each day.