Why am I not losing any weight?

I hear this so often from people. I can't even begin to answer because it's just as difficult for me to drop a mere 5 pounds. No matter what how much weight you have to lose, share your way for getting the weight to start falling off.

 

It's low carb for me. I have tried Weight Watchers, and just about every low calorie diet there is, and just eating meat and vegetables seems to always work the best. Generally, I just skip breakfast, or eat some type of protein bar, eat a big salad for lunch, and have a serving of lean meat and several vegetables for supper. I always try to have a variety of vegetables to make sure I'm getting enough fiber and nutrients. That seems to do it for me! I usually drop up to five pounds a week eating this way. I don't really have much weight to loose, so I just do this every so often to maintain.

 

For me, I have to always watch my carb and sugar intake. No matter if I count calories or exercise all day long, carbs and sugar are a pitfall and ruin my diet every time. I have even tried the hyped diets like Herbalife and Advocare, but they were ineffective because they carb count was actually higher than people realize.

Mostly what I've realized is that there always needs to be a balance between nutrition and exercise, and you just have to learn what works for you.

 

Calories in versus calories out. Plain and simple. Use a website calculator (many out there, just search something like "calories calculator") and find out about how many calories you burn during your daily life, without exercise. Then, you will be able to determine if you have a sendentary, active, very active, etc. lifestyle.
From there, you can find a calculator to help you determine how many calories it takes to have the energy to do those things, and what kind of calorie defecit you will need to lose fat/burn it off.
Fad diets are just that. Fads. They rarely work because once they fade away, weight tends to creep right back on.

 

There can be many reasons why you are not losing weight such as; high or low metabolism, thyroid issues, or even hormonal imbalance,etc. If you do not have any medical issues then keep in mind the older you get, the slower your metabolism works for you and the body fat you have may just need to be toned into muscle. The most efficient way to do so is to supplement creatine into your normal everyday routine and workout. I have linked an article for you which explains in depth the benefits of supplementing creatine, if you are unsure about it. It may seem unorthodox that I am not referring you to a fat burning pill, drink, diet (juicing, starving, vegetables only,etc.) or even telling you to "count calories". By the time you count all the calories by hand, on paper, with a calculator and add all the dollars you have spent; to be honest you might as well just try counting all the pores on your skin because it would be ridiculous to keep track.

What have you tried to lose weight in the past 8 months?

 

NewPupil is absolutely correct. I have tried every single method of weight loss out there. I tried the pills at one time and if you read the bottle for those you will notice it states on the bottle with diet and working out. I have tried the low carbohydrate diet when I was younger and it worked, however it made me feel very fatigued all of the time. I tried counting calories and I got fed up with it because you have to count every single thing you put into your body. Everything from a tablespoon of coffee creamer to a slice of bread. If I wanted a salad and put a tablespoon of bacon bits in it, I had to count the calories in the bacon bits. I hated counting calories. Right now I am working out on a daily basis, but I am not being specific on a diet. I don't really eat a lot of unhealthy foods so I don't see a need to restrict myself. I'd rather have most of my food baked or boiled than fried and I also eat smaller portions than most people.

I always feel like I have a hard time losing weight just like you. It seems like I can work out and eat right and never shed a pound. All I can tell you is to stick with it and not get discouraged. Losing weight doesn't happen overnight. Also make sure that you have a scale. You might be losing weight and not even notice because you have to look at yourself every day. That's what my mother used to tell me. I'm trying to build muscle myself so I'm doing sit ups, crunches, push ups, lifting weights and doing burpees. Walking is also very good if you want to shed some pounds.

 

I have found that a combination of diet and exercise does it for me. I do not enjoy exercising so I do just about 45 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. I have also limited my intake of sugar, meat and bread. I realize as well that many times when I think that I am hungry, water does the trick. However, I believe that every body type will respond differently.

 

Much as it is important for us to carry out various or specific exercises on a daily basis in order for us to reduce weight, it is equally necessary that you take great care on your diet so as to compliment the effort. There is no need workin out all day long for weeks yet you keep eating junk food or a lot of fats in your meals. Reducing weight also requires discipline and patience, to follow through the planned routine and be positive for good results after a set period of time. I believe there is no short-cut to reducing weight other than going through the hard work.

 

Although everyone is aware that healthy diet and regular exercise plays very important role in losing weight, time intervals between two meals is also important factor. Majority of the people are either ignorant or just neglect the same. It is advisable that we should eat something after every two to three hours. It may not be necessarily the complete meal, you can have snacks also but it is necessary to maintain our good metabolism. After all, higher the BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate), faster will be the results of weight loss.

 

Losing weight is dependent on many factors like @NewPupil has suggested. Personally, I have lost 4 pounds in the last 1 month after a two year struggle. I have learned that no weight loss formula is universal; a fitness program may work for one person and not another. Start by consulting an expert who will help you understand your body's functionality and guide you accordingly.

 

First of all, you will need to understand your genes in order to move on to the next step. How to go about doing that? For starters, look at your family members and observe if 'fat gene' exists in your family or its just you. Some people refuse to believe in the 'fat gene', so fair enough, we ignore the fact that genes may play a part in the difficulty of losing weight. But it is still useful to know if it is your environment that is making it hard to lose any weight.

For example, is it due to eating habits? Does your family always go for large servings? It may difficult for you to judge and answer these questions but you can try looking at people outside your family and have an approximate gauge of what is the norm for diet, especially for those who are slender. To sum it down, losing weight is actually just a simple equation of giving out more than you are taking in (calories). You will need to answer the various questions and use the right combination of diet and exercise in order to make it work. If you find that you are already eating salads everyday and still not losing weight, then perhaps it means you have to increase your metabolism by moving more during the day. If you decide to do high intensity exercise, then switch the salads for better options that contain proteins and nutrients.

 

I do agree with Tongxiaoxin, that it is an equation with giving out more than taking in. What has helped me is how I manage my portions. I now use a small plate. The reason is that I usually eat all that is on my plate. With a small plate my eyes see a full plate and I feel "full" when I eat everything on my plate. As I am writing this I wonder if subconsciously this doesn't go back to my childhood, when I was always told to "eat everything on my plate"

 

My experience is in line with what Sarah said. If you *accurately* record calorie intake and exercise you can manipulate this to acheive a net loss. People struggle with accuracy and plan compliance. But if you do these things then 99.9 percent of people will acheive weight loss.

IMHO the goal is to find out how to get accuracy and compliance into your life, which can be hard. But it is more fruitful than thinking you are some weird exception to the rule of calories in and out.

 

I use an app that counts both my calories and my carbs, but I haven't lost any weight. I do exercise (weights, walking, swimming) but the weight simply isn't coming off. I appreciate what NewPupil has said about the reasons why this may happen as I do have thyroid issues, but my medicine is keeping that in check. My doctor and I seem to think I'm building muscle right now and he agrees that's just as good as losing weight. I think it's different for everyone and all we can do is try to stay in shape. Having health issues is another reason it's not always so easy to take the weight off though.

 

You’ve been walking the straight and narrow—counting calories, working out—and yet you’re not dropping pounds. What gives? The answer may be hiding out amid the random things you do over the course of an average day—those little habits that have seemingly no connection to weight loss, but may in fact be sabotaging your best get-fit efforts.
Ask yourself these questions, and if you answer yes to any of them, you may have found your personal diet defeaters. Outwit them and you’ll soon be back on track to a leaner, fitter you.

 

I agree with some of the other posters about tracking calorie intake and exercise. Just starting to track your consumption for a few days can really open your eyes to how many empty calories that you take in every day. Eliminating all liquids except for water and maybe tea also makes a big difference. Make sure you are well-rested, as one's metabolism is slower if they are not getting enough sleep.

 

I heard that it has alot to do with cardio and combining the right foods. After my first child I did P90x and it really helped me to loose so much weight that I did not even recognize myself. I juiced fresh fruits and veggies and I reduced my bread intake quite a bit. Now I just had my 3rd child 8 weeks ago and motivation has been a huge problem for me. But, I think that there are some things that you can do to help to kickstart your metabolism. Pretty soon I will be starting a kickstarting diet that is supposed to help you knock off 10 pounds in a week. And, you are actually eating healthy foods with no pills, or anything like that. It is an old diet guide that has been around for decades. The vid on that is below.

 

I agree with you. There are a lot of reasons people have trouble losing weight. It all depends on how your diet is. This is a key factor for most people.

If your diet mainly consists of beverages, sweets, and other high carb foods, it'll be hard to take all that weight off. The more you eat clean, the more you'll look lean. When you make healthy choices in your life, it will take effect in the long term.