The nutritionist shared the 10 reasons why she’s not losing weight, and it all starts with falling off the wagon on the weekends.
Leanne Ward, from Brisbane, said the most important thing to losing weight is consistency, but many of us aren’t honest with how much we eat and how often we move when we want to lose weight.
The fat loss expert said that she usually has clients who want to lose five to 10 kilos, and they always struggle to lose the last 1-2 kilos.
Leanne said her tips will help you stay on track.
A nutritionist shares the 10 reasons why you can’t lose weight, and everything starts to fall off the wagon on weekends (Photo by Leanne Ward)
1. You’re not being consistent
The number one reason Leanne says you’re not seeing results is that you’re not getting anywhere near enough consistency.
“If you’re healthy Monday through Friday and then completely let yourself go on the weekends, it’s not enough,” she said in a recent podcast episode.
“Two days is enough to kick you out of a deficit and you’ll probably eat and drink more than you think on the weekends.”
Instead, she advocates keeping an honest food diary for two weeks, so you can see all the inconsistencies in your diet.
You may notice that there are some bad habits, whether it’s that second glass of wine on Thursday night or breakfast when you’re in a rush on Friday.
Our dietitian (pictured) said it’s the weekends that round out our fat-loss trips, when we have light lunches, big meals out, and plenty of drinks.
2. Weekends are all about removing barriers
In the same way that consistency is important, Leanne explained that oftentimes it’s the weekends that get her clients off track.
“Weekends are typical times when we lose structure and consistency and don’t eat at home as much,” Lian said.
“When you’re not cooking it yourself, you’ll always find that things have been added to it to make it good.”
The easiest way to combat this is to try to keep it in mind.
For example, if you’re going to eat larger meals on the weekends, you probably don’t snack.
Instead, drop by for lunch and dinner if you’re up for a few drinks.
3. You eat healthy foods, but you are not in a state of deficiency
Leanne explained that the “golden rule” of weight loss is a calorie deficit.
This means eating less food than your body needs.
“If you’re not losing weight, you’re not in a deficit,” she said.
The contrast of being in a calorie deficit is a calorie surplus, and if you want to stay at the same weight, you need to be in a “maintenance” state.
4. You do the unhungry eating
While many of us think we only eat when we’re hungry, in reality, Lian said, many of us experience “hunger in the head” rather than “hunger in the stomach.”
“Hunger is eating when you’re bored, sad or happy,” Lian said.
“But it’s important to remember that no amount of food will satisfy you if you’re not hungry to begin with.”
5. You are tracking incorrectly
Many people use apps like MyFitnessPal to track their intake, but then are surprised when they don’t lose weight.
It’s worth remembering, the dietician said, that you may underestimate how much you’re eating when you put it on the app, and you may also add extra handfuls and bites here and there.
6. You have miscalculated your requirements
“Find an online calculator and add your height, weight, age, activity level, and body fat if you have the most accurate calculations for your body,” Leanne said.
Next, remember that you need to eat 10-20 percent of the deficit in order to lose weight.
Be sure to enter as much accurate information as possible to get the most accurate results, said Leanne, since so many of her clients get things wrong.
“Most of my clients have desk jobs and think they get a lot of exercise by doing 30-45 minutes of exercise every day, but moving your body for half an hour out of 24 just isn’t enough,” Leanne (pictured) said.
7. You think you’re moving more than you are
When it comes to being active, Leanne said more people think they’re moving than they actually are.
“Most of my clients have desk jobs and think they get a lot of exercise by doing 30-45 minutes of exercise every day, but moving your body for half an hour out of 24 is not enough,” she said.
Instead, if you want to get a little more out of your weight loss, Leanne said you should make sure you get about 10,000 steps in addition to your workouts.
“The steps to losing weight are really not underestimated,” she said.
8. You make critical health decisions when laid off
One of the main reasons many of us don’t lose weight, Lian said, is because we sabotage ourselves by making big health decisions when we’re tired.
It is much better to make good health decisions early in the day when you are more likely to stick to them, than to leave your resolutions until 9pm when you are likely to be tired and emotional.
“Plot out your day and make informed, good decisions early,” Lian said.
This would contribute to weight loss in no time.
9. You need a break
Often times when we stop losing weight, it is simply because we need a break.
“If you’ve been flat for four weeks and the scale is still flat and not budging, it’s probably a sign that you need to take a break from dieting or even try reverse dieting to eat more for a while,” she said.
Many of us push through a fat loss phase and never get the results we need. Later you can go back to deficit, but give your body the fuel it needs when it needs it.
Leanne (pictured) also said that sometimes you need to take a break from your weight loss goals in order to see the best results.
10. You give up too quickly
Finally, my dietitian explained that losing weight, and fat in particular, takes time.
When you start a diet, Leanne said you shouldn’t be on the scale for two weeks to not see results.
Meanwhile, if your weight loss goal is 10 kg, it’s worth remembering that it can take up to six months.
“Embrace the lifestyle approach and do something sustainable for an appropriate period of time,” she said.
“A lot of fat loss happens in the background and you can’t see it initially on the scales.”
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