Top 3 Reasons for Exercising But Not Losing Weight

A lot of people feel frustrated because they put a lot of time and effort into exercising, but don't lose weight. You may be wondering why you spend hours walking in the park or going to the gym, but when you get on a scale feel like you have nothing to show for it. There are many possible reasons that you are not losing enough weight or inches, and the top three are:

1. You may not be exercising enough. First of all, you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a single pound of fat. So if you are taking your time walking or jogging around the park or doing just 10 push-ups every day, then you might not lose even an ounce.

The best way to lose weight by exercising is to do medium to high intensity cardio work-outs for about 30 minutes a day and combine these with strength training exercises (lifting weights) for at least two (non-consecutive) days a week. These will burn calories more effectively than doing long but slow-paced exercises. These types of interval training exercises will not only help you lose weight faster, but they will also increase your muscle strength, endurance, agility, and balance. You will develop lean muscle mass and lose body fat faster than light, regular paced exercises. However, you should do these exercise routines only for a maximum of 3-4 non-consecutive days a week to give your muscles time to recover.

2. You may be losing sleep. Not getting enough sleep is a common weight loss inhibitor, since it can affect your metabolism, which can lead you to eat more. This happens because sleep deprivation can influence cortisol secretion, a stress hormone that increases your appetite. Another factor is that when you lack sleep you tend to be less active and burn fewer calories. This is another reason why may not burn enough calories even if you exercise.

To make your weight loss regimen work you must make getting enough sleep a priority after work. Try to aim for at least eight hours of good sleep, but if you cannot, supplement this with power naps during the day. This will help boost your energy to work out more and reduce your cortisol levels to normal, in order to prevent you from overeating.

3. You are constantly under stress. Being under pressure and constantly worrying also stimulates the body to produce more cortisol, the hormone that helps the body cope with stress. However, cortisol also increases your appetite and may cause overeating. Many people seek comfort in food and sometimes they are not aware that they are doing it. Even with exercise, the balance between calorie intake and expenditure is tipped towards increasing weight. This is an important cause of weight gain despite exercise.

Take some time to relax during the day to give your body time to recover from stress. This will help bring down your cortisol levels and reduce your urge to eat. That way, you can avoid gaining weight and burn more calories when you exercise.

People Who Successfully Lose Weight

No matter who you are and what your situation in life is, you can make a decision to lose weight by combining a healthy diet and regular exercise with an improvement in your lifestyle, just like the following people who have successfully lost weight:

Other Resources

Similar Topics

Same Category

MORE