Sometimes, people can
diet and work out and track their calories and do everything right but still not lose weight. Despite your best efforts, are you confused about why you aren’t losing weight? In fact, the workouts that are most effective for weight loss are the hardest ones. These workouts usually involve high impact exercises like those in high-intensity interval training. Weight loss can be tricky. We all know we need to consume fewer calories than we burn to lose weight, but sometimes
even when you’re doing all the right things that weight loss can come to a screeching halt. Here are the reasons you’re not
losing weight after workout.
- You are stressed
Stress may become one of the underlying causes of weight loss struggles. Stress triggers the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body, and if too much of this is released then it can actually interfere with testosterone, which is the hormone responsible for building and maintaining muscle. A decrease in muscle mass leads to a reduced metabolism, which burns calories at a slower rate. If you want to get lean, then you need to make a serious effort to lower your stress levels. Try limiting the length of your workouts to 45 minutes, surrounding yourself with positive people, meditating, and getting plenty of sleep.
- Too much cardio
Cardio is an important part of any
workout plan. It will boost your metabolism and keep your heart healthy. But cardio shouldn’t be the only ingredient in your workout – it should just be one aspect. That’s because doing too much cardio will actually erode your muscle mass, and get rid of muscle in your body instead of fat. Weight training helps you to build muscle, and by building muscle your body has to burn calories, which in turn boosts your metabolism. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you are burning.
- Not drinking enough water
Water is the best thing to drink for hydration and weight loss. Dehydration can contribute to tiredness, headaches and lack of concentration, as well as impacting on our diets. Water should be the first choice of hydration as it contains zero calories, and you need to make sure that you are drinking 2-3 litres a day. It’s also important to bear in mind that the more you sweat, the more water is lost. If you are training, ensure you drink throughout your workout, and increase your water intake accordingly post-exercise.
- Weights are too light
Strength training builds muscle, and muscle increases your metabolic rate, which translates to calories burned. But if you're lifting weights that are too light than you're not building muscle mass effectively. You'll know your weights are heavy enough when your muscles fatigue after 10 to 12 reps.
- Not including protein in your diet
Consumption of protein can induce weight loss, as it tends to fasten your metabolism rate. Load up on protein during you breakfast; this will keep you free from hunger through the day.
- Not getting enough sleep
Poor sleep is one of the biggest factors of obesity. Lack of sleep not only encourages weight gain by boosting hunger, but also by slowing the rate at which calories are burned. Furthermore, lack of sleep can increase stress levels and slows down your metabolism. So get yourself to sleep for at least 7-8 hours to get away with the excessive weight gain.
- Same workout, different day
Not only can doing the same exercise activities over and over cause boredom to set in which will make you less motivated and more likely to skip your workout but it will also diminish the intensity and results of your training. If you're constantly repeating the exact workout day in and day out, you're more likely to reach a plateau. Mixing up the equipment you use and the order of the exercises you do. Try out new fitness classes, and work different body parts on different days. It'll not only challenge your muscles, but you'll get a more effective workout, which translates to a leaner, more sculpted body.
- Not eating properly
It is never a good idea to starve yourself in the name of dieting. This may sound insane, but you will actually struggle to lose weight if you don’t eat enough. Lowering your calorific intake by a moderate amount is necessary to lose weight, but lowering it drastically can actually cause you to gain weight. If you don’t eat enough then your body effectively goes into starvation mode. Starving is never an option; always try eat something healthy in short duration.
